SummerWind Performing Arts Center's tent, supposed to withstand wind and inclement weather, suffered from damage apparently due to the weight of snow from the East Coast's recent snowstorm. The tent measures 125 feet wide by 160 feet deep and is held by tensioned cables and steel poles.
The center's development director, John Berky, told the Journal Courier he did not know why the tent tore.
"It's going to take an engineering person to determine what happened," he said. "It appears the snow got caught on top of the tent near a seam in the back, and it tore … It was a big surprise."
According to Berky, the structure is supposed to be able to withstand 30 pounds of pressure per inch.
The $1.3 million structure was built by Birdair Inc. of Amherst, NY. Other Birdair structures include Chicago's Navy Pier, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, and Meyer Amphitheatre Bandshell in West Palm Beach, FL. Birdair was named a winner last year in Architecture magazine's First Annual ACE Awards – Architect's Choice of Excellence.
SummerWind PAC, in Windsor, CT, starts its second season June 14.
