Ferrari’s inflatable ball kicks off rugby tour to New Zealand

Ferrari of France, a specialist in architectural textiles, has created a ball-shaped structure that will be displayed at international rugby matches until 2011, when it will be installed in New Zealand for the opening of the next World Cup. Inside the inflatable structure, a 15-minute film presents New Zealand’s tourist attractions.
  
The structure was inaugurated under the Eiffel Tower during the 2007 Rugby World Cup, which was held in France, and it will now travel from town to town in the manner of the Olympic torch. Each weld of the Ferrari technical textile used in the design exactly reproduces the stitching of a rugby ball.
  
The ‘ball’ is angled in a dynamic position of about 13° on a wooden platform. It is ballasted by 22-tonne water containers covered with green tarpaulins to create the look of a rugby pitch, with external stickers to make the conversion complete. Visitors enter the structure via two rotating, airtight access doors. Inside, CO2 measuring units are used to monitor the level of carbon dioxide in order to evacuate and purify the internal air.
  
A single Ferrari Précontraint® 502 textile membrane is fixed to the edge of the platform using a double groove section, which is then inflated. The average pressure is 200 pascals, but it can reach 300 pascals if there are strong winds. Bringing this ambitious project to fruition required nine months of design and study. A complete trial assembly of the whole structure and its internal layout was carried out beforehand in Auckland (New Zealand).
  
The Précontraint® range combines various advantages. Thanks to a bi-axial control used during the coating process, Ferrari Précontraint® technology guarantees the textile exceptional dimensional stability both in weft and in warp. As an advertising medium, the textile structure can be printed digitally or by silk screening. The textile is translucent, light and flexible – it can take on all geometric forms perfectly. Ferrari has more than 20 years´ experience in the development and formulation of architectural textiles.
  
About Ferrari
  
Ferrari is a family-owned limited company, which is headquartered in La Tour-du-Pin (in south-eastern France). In 2006, the Ferrari Group, which specialises in technical textiles, generated consolidated sales of €128 million, including 70% from export, thanks to the efficiency of its international sales and after-sales network.