Courts Above the City: Twin Rooftop Air Domes Set a New Tennis Benchmark in North-west China

On the roof of a working retail complex in Xi’an, XY Air Dome has delivered two air-supported domes housing six international-standard tennis courts — turning dead commercial roof space into a year-round professional venue.

In city-centre locations, good sports facilities are scarce and there is almost no ground left to build on. It is one of the most persistent problems in sports construction anywhere in the world. Bringing idle urban space back into use — and creating venues inside busy commercial districts that are both professional-grade and genuinely comfortable to play in — has become the most promising route forward for the sector.

Beijing Xinyuan Yijia Membrane Structure Technology Co., Ltd (XY Air Dome) has specialised in air-supported membrane structures for many years. Drawing on proven construction methods and an extensive portfolio of completed venues, the company has delivered the rooftop air-dome tennis facility at the Verve Tennis Centre in Xi’an. Built above the Easyhome retail complex in the city’s Weiyang District, the project creates two professionally planned and built environments engineered for the north-west Chinese climate and specified to international standards — overcoming two major constraints for urban tennis: the weather and the availability of land.

The twin domes seen from above, occupying the roof of the Easyhome flagship store in Weiyang District, Xi’an.

Two Domes, One Rooftop

What sets the project apart from a conventional ground-level sports hall is its twin-dome rooftop layout. The two structures sit side by side on the roof platform of the retail building. The set-up covers 8,000 m² in total, with a further 1,500 m² of fully fitted support facilities, and accommodates six standardised tennis courts. It is the only professional tennis venue in Shaanxi Province to hold accreditation from the International Tennis Federation (ITF): flooring, structural design and equipment have all been delivered at par with international tennis standards, making this one of very few venues in north-west China to have this level of specifications.

Side by side on the roof platform: two air-supported domes covering six courts, with plant and equipment integrated at roof level.

Lightweight by Design

Working at roof level entails far greater demands on technique and detail than a conventional ground-level project. The existing roof of a commercial building carries strict limits on loading, waterproofing and structural safety, it cannot simply be altered or built over. To safeguard the host building while still delivering the venue the client wanted, the XY Air Dome design team completed a full structural check of the existing building, a wind-environment simulation for the roof, and a dedicated design study of the anchorage details before construction began. That work confirmed that a lightweight air-supported membrane structure was the appropriate solution.

The membrane weighs only 3–5 kg/m², so no large-scale strengthening of the roof was required, only the critical anchorage points were reinforced, and precisely so. No concrete was poured and no heavy lifting was carried out at height. The roof’s existing waterproofing and insulation layers were left intact, and it as business-as-usual all throughoutfor the shopping centre below. Within the tight constraints of a rooftop site, the venue was delivered safely, efficiently and to a high standard.

Thirteen Metres of Clear, Column-free Space

Professional tennis needs open, uninterrupted space. XY Air Dome’s answer was a fully beam-free, column-free structural design giving a clear internal height of 13 metres. There are no walls, columns or beams anywhere inside the dome, so the single large-span space comfortably accommodates the movement, the swing and the high ball flight the game demands. Whether players are drilling techniques in training or competing in an event, ball flight is never interrupted by structure — and the open sight lines add considerably to the sense of immersion, reproducing a pure, professional playing experience.

Indoor Stadium Built for the North-west

Xi’an and the wider north-west may have extreme weather during the peak of each season, characterized by wide temperature swings, frequent sand storms, rain, snow and haze. Both domes are therefore fitted with a complete intelligent weather system for constant temperature, constant humidity, fresh-air supply and internal pressure stabilisation, producing a stable, sealed playing environment around the clock. Summer heat is shut out and winter warmth retained, while windblown sand and airborne pollution are excluded — removing the weather as a factor in play. XY Air Dome also carried out dedicated airflow optimisation, so that internal air movement is even and gentle, with no stray currents to disturb ball flight. Training can run all year round, and competitions can be staged as a matter of routine.

Appropriate Lighting

To address one of the perennial complaints about indoor sport, the venue was fitted with a professional indirect lighting system. Luminaire positions and the resulting distribution of light and shadow were calculated in advance, eliminating glare, hard shadows and double shadows. Illumination across the whole playing area is even and soft, in line with international competition lighting standards, so extended training blocks and matches are far less likely to cause visual fatigue — leaving players free to concentrate on each stroke and each placement.

Inside: 13 metres of clear height, no columns or beams, and an indirect lighting scheme designed to eliminate glare and double shadows.

A Replicable Model for Sport Facilities in Dense Cities

Bringing unused space high above the city back into productive use — turning a retail roof into a professional competition venue — is what a rooftop air dome exists to do. From membrane structural design for rooftop conditions, to the delivery of a large-span column-free space, to a full competition-grade sports package, the Xi’an twin-dome project takes a an under used commercial roof and makes a professional tennis centre out of it. In doing, this engineering breakthrough gives other cities a complete, replicable rooftop solution for sports facilities in their most congested districts.

Project at a Glance

XY Air Dome — Beijing Xinyuan Yijia Membrane Structure Technology Co., Ltd — designs, manufactures and installs air-supported membrane structures for sports, industrial and environmental applications.