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If the New York/New
Jersey Giants reach the Super Bowl this season they’ll have to
admit getting a little help from Air Structures American
Technologies, Inc., Rye Brook, NY.
The 35-year-old
company, which manufactures and installs air filled domes,
recently erected one over the Giants new practice field beside
the team’s East Rutherford stadium.
After missing many
practice dates last season due to snow and sleet, the Giants
decided to build a new practice facility with a dome. Seven
stories high, the structure was installed in July. It features
air conditioning and heat, and covers a Balsam synthetic turf
surface.
General contractor
for new facility was Joseph M. Sanzari, Inc. In May this year
Sanzari placed the concrete foundations for the 1-½ acre
structure, and prepared the sub-grade to receive the synthetic
turf, which was installed by technicians from the Balsam
Company.
Then it was time for
Air Structures American Technologies, Inc. (ASATI) to bring in
the special fabric and other installations and attached them to
the prepared foundations in preparation for inflation.
“We manufactured the
fabric in our plant in Miami,” said Donato M. Fraioli who
founded ASATI more than 30 years ago. “Altogether we used
60,000 square feet of Tedlar-coated vinyl, fastened by our own
patented cable harness.” He pointed out that the translucent
vinyl-coated fabric used in the dome allows the penetration of
natural daylight, thereby saving energy costs by day.
At night the
structure will be illuminated by the Hanglite system,
specifically designed for air supported fabric structures. This
unique system of indirect lighting, which was invented and
patented by Donato A. Fraioli, son of the founder and President
of ASATI, requires no poles, tubes nor pipes. Its special
configuration permits the light bulbs to be installed in the
vertical position with the base down, to maximize lighting
efficiency.
Speaking about the
new Giants practice facility, Donato M. Fraioli, ASATI’s Chief
Executive Officer said that an installation of this size takes
the company about three days to complete. “Once the fabric has
been laid out and attached to the foundations,” he said, “we are
at the mercy of the weather. Wind, rain and snow will all
influence the timing of actual erection, but once the structure
is fully inflated it is weather resistant.”
ASATI used a King
system to blow air into the structure, which went from flat on
the ground to full inflation in about two hours, after being
delayed for a day by a stiff breeze.
Despite more than 30
years of experience, ASATI is still very much a family
business. Donato M. Fraioli, the founder is now CEO, and proud
of the fact that he visits every installation site. President
of the firm is his son, Donato A. Fraioli, while Rosemarie
Fraioli, wife and mother, looks after the office and handles
publicity.
ASATI’s years of
advanced structural engineering experience enables it to provide
state-of-the-art air frame supported fabric structures.
Pre-engineered to meet exact design criteria for a variety of
recreational facilities – in this case an indoor practice
facility for the Giants, who last year were forced to travel 30
miles South to a similar type of facility at Rutgers University
– the structures are becoming very popular with professional and
college teams. “Careful and experienced engineering is
essential,” Donato M. Fraioli emphasized, “if air supported
structures are to withstand the same environmental conditions
that test the quality, safety and durability of more
conventional structures.”
To this effect,
ASATI has its own 25-man crew of specialists who have worked on
hundreds of air supported structures of various types all over
the U.S. and in Russia, Korea and Japan as well. The company
also has a full-service trailer constantly on the road ready to
respond to emergency calls, and to deal with facilities that are
erected and disassembled every year.
The development of a
“Bias Net Harness System” some years ago represented a major
advance that expanded the air fabric concept far beyond its
previous 120-foot wide limits. Donato M. Fraioli considers this
invention his greatest achievement because its modern
application allows air supported fabric structures to cover many
acres with maximum protection against wind and heavy snow loads.
ASATI’s patented
sports domes have been tested and proven in severe climates from
Abu Dabi in the Middle East to Alaska. In fact the company’s
patented air structures were the only ones accepted for the
Alaska Pipeline project, where more than 40 such structures were
erected and provided failure-free service for pipe crews under
winds of over 120 mph, and snow and ice loads of more than 40
lbs. per square feet. |
Size:
210'W x 240'L x 68‘H
50,400 sq. ft.
Exterior
Fabric Envelope:
Translucent DuPont Tedlar 28 ozs. per square yard
Interior
Thermaliner
Exclusive Rip Stop Construction. Liner provides R4 insulation
and allows 1500 ft. candles of natural lighting to the interior.
Thermaliner
Patents
Fraioli R4
&
Fraioli R8
Bias Cable
Net System
Meets structural code requirements for 120
MPH wind
and 35 lb. snow loading.
Cable-Net
Patents
Bias Cable Net Patent
Emergency Exit Doors
(6) All Aluminum Welded
Emergency Exit Door
Patents
Fraioli Pressure Balanced Exit Doors
Revolving
Door
(2) Extra Large 3 Leaf
Vehicle
Airlock
(1) 12' x 12'
x 40'
Heating &
Pressurization
(2) 1.5 Million BTUs
Air
Conditioning
(2) 100 tons
Warranty
15 years Pro Rata on air structure fabric envelope material &
workmanship
Building
Codes
Exceeds standards for
AISC, BOCA, ICBO, IBC, CSA and NFPA 701 and the IFAI “Minimum
Design Standards for Air Supported Structures.” |
