Project Details

Overview

The IQ Tennis and Pickleball Centre is a premier year-round athletic destination in Edmonton, Alberta. The project consisted of two primary components: a state-of-the-art air-supported dome and the significant modernization and expansion of the facility's clubhouse. Working alongside the architectural firm that served as the Prime Consultant, our firm acted as the Mechanical and Electrical Professionals of Record. Our role was to ensure that the specialized structural requirements of the dome and the expanded needs of the clubhouse were met with efficient, high-performance engineering.

Project Goals

The project aimed to create a seamless, world-class experience for tennis and pickleball enthusiasts. Key engineering objectives included:

• Structural Integrity: Engineering a fail-safe mechanical system to provide the constant internal pressure required to support the dome’s fabric and equipment.
• Advanced Athletic Lighting: Designing a high-output lighting solution for a 75-foot-high ceiling that provides excellent visibility without blinding players with direct light.
• Site and Budget Efficiency: Identifying compact, cost-effective equipment to fit a constrained urban footprint.
• Facility Modernization: Updating and expanding the existing clubhouse to accommodate increased membership and modern amenities.

Our Solutions

While the project was initially slated to use an American dome supplier and their associated engineering team, we eventually took over the design to better align the project with local design conditions and the physical limitations of the site.

1. Mechanical Engineering & Pressure Control

Precision Pressure Modulation:
A unique challenge of this project was calculating the precise inflation requirements to support the weight of the insulated fabric and suspended lighting. While maintaining inflation typically requires 1 to 2 inches of water column, the system is dynamic. We designed a control sequence that measures differential pressure, automatically modulating dampers to react to wind effects, snow loads, and air density fluctuations.

Integrated HVAC Innovation:
Rather than using separate units for heating, cooling, and inflation, we specified specialized, compact HVAC units. These provided a significantly smaller footprint and built-in redundancy; if one unit requires maintenance, the second maintains structural inflation indefinitely.

Air Quality & Ventilation Performance:
Many air-supported structures suffer from "stale" air and lingering odours due to high occupant activity. Through careful analysis, we ensured that the inflation airflow—which is constant—not only meets but significantly exceeds the code-required fresh air minimums. This design ensures a high rate of air changes, effectively flushing out CO2 and metabolic odours to maintain a fresh athletic environment.

Acoustic Mitigation:
To prevent the mechanical "hum" often found in indoor courts, we prioritized acoustic performance. The HVAC system was engineered with comprehensive internal insulation and custom-built silencers within the ductwork to aggressively dampen fan-emitted noise before it entered the dome.

Air Distribution:
Because site constraints forced both HVAC units into one corner of the dome, achieving thermal equilibrium was a challenge. We utilized high-velocity supply grilles to "throw" air across the entire 50,000+ sq. ft. span. These were meticulously aimed to remain outside the active playing area, ensuring the air pattern never interfered with the trajectory of a tennis ball or a lightweight pickleball.

2. Electrical Design & Life Safety

Indirect Reflective Lighting:
To ensure players can track the ball at the 75-foot peak without being blinded, we specified fixtures suspended from the fabric that point upward. These reflect light off the light-coloured dome fabric to create a "soft glow" at the court level, providing high-uniformity illumination without direct glare.

Emergency Power & Integration:
Since the dome relies on mechanical inflation for stability, a back-up gas generator was essential. We carefully integrated this into the existing clubhouse power distribution via an automatic transfer switch (ATS). In a power outage, the ATS seamlessly transfers power to the generator to keep one inflation unit and emergency lighting running for safe occupant egress.

3. Clubhouse Renovation & Expansion

In addition to the dome, we provided full M&E design for the clubhouse:

Renovation:
Modernized the existing 2,000 sq. ft. facility, including updated change rooms, showers, and washrooms with new plumbing and lighting.

Expansion:
Added new HVAC, lighting and power distribution for 1,900 sq. ft. of new space for a common assembly area, lounge, reception, and administrative offices.

Result

The IQ Tennis and Pickleball Centre successfully fulfilled a critical community demand for indoor court space in Edmonton. By providing seven new indoor pickleball courts and six new indoor tennis courts, the project has become a vital hub for the city’s rapidly growing pickleball and tennis communities.

Beyond its technical success, the facility represents the realization of a lifelong vision for Founder and Head Coach Ivan Quintero. After years of planning—an effort that began in his home country of Venezuela and spanned decades—this project allowed Coach Ivan to establish a permanent home for his tactical coaching philosophy. By delivering a cost-effective, high-performance engineering solution, we helped turn this dream into a reality, providing a safe, world-class environment where future champions can train 365 days a year.

Codes: NBC(AE)-2023, CSA B149.1, ASHRAE 62.1, CSA C22