Indian Wells Tennis Garden near Palm Springs, California, is home to the third-largest tennis stadium in the world. In preparation for hosting the annual BNP Paribas Open, the owners wished to install a shade canopy that would protect viewers from the desert heat and perpetual sun while also being lightweight, low-impact on the site, and quickly ready for installation in time for the annual tennis tournament.
A coated PES tensile membrane structure was selected to provide an elegant yet affordable solution. Structurflex was engaged to translate design concepts into design documents, prepare final engineering documents, coordinate with the general contractor and sub-trades, supply all structural steel, and fabricate and install the membrane.
The tensile membrane was designed to be installed in a specific pattern to create an aesthetically pleasing exterior view. To avoid complex trusses that would detract from the clean simplicity of the long spans, single tube sections of steel were used for support. We incorporated ETFE caps that were slightly raised above the rings, to allow heat to rise and escape.
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