For twenty years, the UK-based company AirClad has created temporary state-of-the-art inflatable structures—everything from a rooftop office pod in London to a Puma exhibit in Spain—that are used anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks and are easily transported. However, the team at AirClad employed a newer method in creating a pool house concept for Dwell that will allow the inflatable structures to last years. The newer system, which does not require a concrete foundation, is still easy to transport and erect, as well as being fully de-mountable and reusable. Since the structures are merely a structural skeleton with inflatable panels to support, they are made entirely of cloth and can be packed as small as 1 cubic meter.
AirClad’s buildings can stand indefinitely because they use AirFlow technology, which is when an inflatable structure is inflated with a large blower that stays blowing for the entire duration of the structure is needed. While primarily making structures for commercial purposes, such as marketing and events teams looking for a contemporary and temporary solution, AirClad also makes structures for domestic use, such as garden pavilions and pool covers. According to AirClad’s website, these inflatable structures are projected to be the next generation of fast, flexible, and environmentally-friendly architecture.
