Performance evaluation of textile materials for lightweight envelopes in minor sports facilities and their impact on indoor comfort

This paper is focused on a specific type of building envelope: a lightweight and removable envelope consisting of technical textiles. Specifically, the application of this type of envelope in the context of small (‘minor’) sports facilities is assessed. The study involved the evaluation of the impact of lightweight envelope technology on the perception of environmental indoor comfort by users of these facilities. Data from 255 users wascollected using a specific questionnaire survey, based on the refinement of a similar methodology implemented for the OfficAir study. The results of the survey highlighted the main problem underlying the research: the conditions of absolute discomfort perceived by athletes during practice in these indoor spaces. Thus, an evaluation and comparison of the different materials adopted for the envelope was performed as a first step, in order to outline the effects of each product on indoor comfort perception. The second step was to compare the various solutions available on the market–in terms of technical textiles–to support designers and technicians in the decision-making process when considering the design of the building cover. Finally, an innovative envelope package for sports facilities has been proposed, which could represent a quality prototype that could be widely used in the construction of these buildings.