Sally Shore
Dome that's set to travel the world
The largest aviation exhibition staged in Europe is guaranteed to pull in the crowds at this year's Farnborough show.
British Aerospace has transformed 11,000m2 of airfield into a futuristic high-tec Partnership Village designed to deliver the ultimate avionics experience.
"We have put together a unique Partnership Village, in which we will demonstrate the success of our international collaborations, our outstanding capability as a
prime contracting company and our world class system integration skills," says BAe Group managing director Kevin Smith.
Entering its shimmering glassfronted reception area, VIPs are greeted with a 3 min kaleidoscopic film show in a pitch-black theatre incorporating state-of-the-art
audio and lighting equipment.
The work of set designer David Steelsmith, the abstract display gives visitors an overview of the company before proceeding down a sweeping staircase to a light
show dancing from a glimmering water feature and aircraft.
Excellence
"In what we see as our home airshow, we feel we should be seen and create at Farnborough something commensurate with our standing in the world in terms of
excellence," adds Robert Gardner, BAe vice-president exhibitions and promotions
Other visitors enter the Partnership Piazza, where glass walls enable them to orientate themselves to survey sweeping views of the show site.
Then it's on to a stroll around the seven pavilions, which showcase the range of aerospace and defence equipment from BAe companies and divisions.
With interactive video screens, digital terrain and warfare flight simulators, conference rooms, bars, missile models and fibre optic displays, the Partnership Village
represents six months of work from conception to construction.
"The main reception has to be the most impressive part of the Partnership Village because it was hugely problematic creating and designing the structure in such a
short timescale," explains designer Michael Ward.
Ward had overall responsibility for creating the Partnership Village, deploying more than 120 assorted chippies, sparkies, builders and riggers who have been
transforming the former radar site for the past three months.
Although it looks a permanent structure, the village has been designed to be transportable. |The intention is to feature it at coming airshows in Paris and Dubai.
"The most challenging part of the project was designing a structure which could cope with rainy north European weather and hot Middle East climatic conditions,"
says Ward.
Technical
Millenium Dome civil engineers Buro Happold were drafted in to give technical advice on the 6,000m2 of Teflon coated fabric used to cover the pavilion domes, in
addition to the 580 tonnes of concrete, 190 tonnes of steel and 11 tonnes of glass used to construct the site.
"BAe is a colossal organisation and has an important story to tell. However, this is the first year it has been able to exhibit its strategic alliances together," says Ward.
Source: Flight Daily News
