A Rugby Ball structure ‘Ambassador’ for New Zealand tours the world

Inaugurated under the Eiffel Tower during the 2007 Rugby World Cup, a structure in the shape of a rugby ball will travel from town to town with the international matches until 2011, when it will installed in New Zealand for the opening of the next World Cup. Inside this Ferrari® made inflatable walk-in structure, a 15-minute film presents the country's tourist attractions.

This Olympic torch for the rugby game is perfect: Each weld of the Ferrari technical textile corresponds with the stitching of the sport’s oval ball. The ball-shaped building 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 imitating the field. External decals spelling the country’s name, in place of a brand name on a rugby ball, complete the conversion.


Visitors enter the structure by two revolving doors on the front. Inside, CO2-measuring units monitor the purity and circulation of the internal air.


A single Précontraint® 502 textile membrane is fixed to the edge of the platform using a double groove section and then inflated. The average internal pressure of 200 pascals can reach 300 pascals in case of 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 in Auckland.

The Précontraint® range combines various advantages:

- Dimensional stability: Due to a bi-axial control during the coating process, the Ferrari Précontraint® technology guarantees the textile exceptional dimensional stability both in weft and in warp.

- Longevity: Ferrari has more than 20 years of experience in the field of developing and formulating architectural textiles.

- Customization by printing: As an advertising medium, the textile structure can be printed on digitally or by silk screening. It also works well for playing with lighting because it is translucent and light-weight.

- Flexibility of use: The Précontraint® textile membrane adapts well to all geometric forms.


For further information:

Serge Ferrari weaving and coating

Françoise FOURNIER
Architectural Textiles Market Manager
FERRARI SA
Direct line: +33 4 74 97 88 11
Mobile      : +33 6 07 64 71 58
E-mail      : françoise.fournier@tesf.fr
Internet   : www.ferrari-architecture.com


Ferrari® has also developed Texyloop®, a technology used for recycling PVC textile composites: this exclusive patent brings textile membranes into the growing field of sustainable development.

About Ferari Architecture: A major industrial innovation - Précontraint® technology - was at the origin of the Ferrari® Group in 1973. It was a technological leap forward that enabled this brand new company to swiftly make its mark in the field of composite textile membranes. Since those beginnings the Ferrari® Group has never ceased to develop and grow into today's market leader. Ferrari's rapid development is due to an ability to anticipate and innovate across the spectrum od its activities - in terms of human and social resources, technology, sales, marketing and the environment. The Ferrari® Group controls all the skills that make up the production chain, generating an annual turnover of 130 millions euros.

Précontraint technology

The unique features of Ferrari Précontraint® composite membranes are recognized with one accord by building professionals. Composite textile consist of a weave of micro-cables (high tenacity polyester, glass, etc) covered with several layers of high-performance polymer coating. The Ferrari® Précontraint technology consist of applying coating under constant warpwise and weftwise tension (one tonne per meter) throughout the manufacturing cycle. This ensures that textiles have exceptional dimensional stability and resistance.