ESS, the international staging and structure specialists, has created the largest spanned temporary dome to host royal families and high level dignitaries to mark an historic moment for the United Kingdom and the State of Qatar.
The Qatar dome, a perfect spherical shape, was inspired by the circular event logo of Qatargas and was surrounded by and reflected in a purpose built lake. ES Group created the dome structure in response to a creative brief for the event developed by WRG Creative Communications to mark the launch of the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the UK by Qatargas. His Royal Highness The Duke of York, Prince Andrew witnessed the official inauguration by HH the Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in the dome.
The construction and technology used to create the dome for this commemorative event was highly innovative; a 42m diameter dome was created using standard ES rental equipment. Sixteen air filled panels were fixed to the structure, each panel was then pressurised. Sensors in the panels were pre-programmed to enable the correct pressure to be maintained. The dome was built within two weeks with a design, planning and procurement period of six months.
Tim Norman, Managing Director, ES Group Limited, said: “The perfect spherical dome is inspirational and we were delighted to bring it to life in such an unusual location. The creativity of our team in developing the design and our very rapid assembly of the dome is a tribute to the flexibility for which we have become world famous.”
