Mr. Fraioli engineered, manufactured and erected 26 tension fabric roof structures and air structures for the New Jersey Pavilion, Dancing Water Pavilion and Disney Small World Pavilion at the 1965 New York World’s Fair.  Each of these Expo Pavilions received special citation awards.

Mr. Fraioli developed the first two directional cable net systems which led the way to building the world’s largest air structure of its time (150 wide x 300 long x 65 feet high = 45,000 square feet) to cover Harvard University’s indoor track and field for year-round indoor sports. This was the project that led Mr. Fraioli to patent the most important contribution to the air supported structure industry, the Bias Safety Cable Net System. This unique structural system accelerated the state-of-the-art industry by allowing air structures to be manufactured using available lightweight fabrics to span several acres without overloading or straining the structural fabric envelope. The Bias Safety Cable Net System provides maximum safety factor protection and stability against extreme high winds and heavy snow loads. This achievement has given him worldwide recognition and soul source contracts without competition for wide span structures.

Mr. Fraioli engineered and erected the largest and first-of-its-kind Cable Supported Tension Fabric Structure. The tension fabric structure covered 132,000 square feet, enclosing a construction site in Montana for the Walsh Groves Construction Company.

Mr. Fraioli and his team, minutes before closing the company for the New Year holiday, received a call for the U.S. Government in Washington advising of a Grumman F14 fighter plane that had crashed in a heavy wooded area in Long Island, NY. They requested an emergency dome be deployed to immediately cover the half-acre crash site.  In the face of a predicted heavy snowstorm due to hit on New Year’s Day, Team ASATI loaded a 24,000 sq ft dome from inventory onto two trucks along with inflation equipment, soil anchors, doors, lighting systems and tools.  While Team ASATI was escorted by the military to the crash site, Mr. Fraioli was flown to prep the site for the dome installation. Trees were cut down, a 1/2-mile-long gravel road was laid down and a bridge was constructed over the F14's vertical wing, allowing the fabric to be spread without damage from sharp metal. Under Mr. Fraioli's direction, Team ASATI's experienced crew worked 20 straight hours, installing the anchorage system, spreading the 24,000 sq. ft. fabric envelope and inflating the dome over the entire crash site early New Year’s morning, 3 hours before a 20 inch snowfall.

Watch the Video of the Crash

Mr. Fraioli and his team engineered and erected the largest Fabric Tension Structure Hangers for housing under each hanger for four 747 Boeing airplanes at both LAX & San Francisco Airports.

Mr. Fraioli engineered and erected his patented Bias Cable Net Domes, designed to withstand -67 degrees F, 125 mph winds and 50 lb. snow loads for coverage of 42 construction sites along the Alaskan Pipeline, by assignment from the Fluor and Bechtel construction companies.

Mr. Fraioli engineered and erected three Airline terminals for LAX Airport. These world-famous air supported terminal structures serviced all incoming and outgoing passengers for more than twelve years until the new LAX airport was constructed. Team ASATI engineered these airline terminals to meet California Fire Marshall, NFPA and ADA high occupancy approvals. These domes were the first air structures ever approved in California for high occupancy use.

Mr. Fraioli engineered and manufactured a Multi-Sports Cable Dome spanning 350 feet wide covering Texas Tech University’s football field and multi-sports facility.

Mr. Fraioli engineered and patented the FIRST Indoor Golf Dome™ allowing 50 golfers to hit golf balls without restriction of full swing in an air structure that measured 300 feet wide by 8 stories high. This first of its kind facility has lead to Golf Domes to become prominent throughout the United States. (See news articles in New York Daily News, New York Times, and Gannett Newspapers.)

Mr. Fraioli engineered and developed with the Rutgers University engineering staff a Football Cable Dome™ measuring 230’ x 430’ by 80 feet high (2 1/2 acres) covering the entire running track and interior football field. This extremely successful concept provided contracts to ASATI for similar wide span structures for Universities and professional Football Teams across the United States of America.

Mr. Fraioli engineered and manufactured the largest indoor Golf Dome™, a 350 foot diameter dome, 7 stories high, heated and air conditioned for providing a year-round indoor golf training center located in Ohio. Operated by Golden Bear Golf Centers.  Mr. Fraioli and Team ASATI engineered and erected all of the first Golf Domes™ installed in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey.

Mr. Fraioli engineered another new first “POWER DOME” in the Air Structure Industry by developing, manufacturing and installing a Family Entertainment Dome in Staten Island, New York.

This Family Entertainment Dome covers all the most exciting entertainment activities without limitation to height or interior column obstructions common to conventional structures. The “POWER DOMES” or “FEC Dome” measures from 120 feet square to 240 feet wide x 240 feet long x 7 stories high. covering over Batting Cages, Golf Range, Roller Blade Arena, Climbing Wall, Children’s Soft Play Area and several party rooms.

Mr. Fraioli engineered for the New York City School Construction Authority facilities for providing School Classrooms & Recreational Cable Domes. After a long-term evaluation of the air structure industry by the New York City School Construction Authority, they specified Air Structures American Technologies, Inc. as the sole supplier of the air supported school structures due to the maximum of safety factors available only thru the use of Mr. Fraioli’s patented Bias Cable Net System.

Mr. Fraioli, from his performance covering football fields for many universities across the United States, was awarded the contracts to engineer and construct NFL & AFL Football Domes. In this year, Mr. Fraioli engineered and constructed cable domes covering the practice football facilities for the New York Giants, New York Jets, Denver Bronco’s, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and now 2006 the Miami Dolphins.

Mr. Fraioli engineered the largest air structure of this time for providing an Environmental Cable Dome for the Hoechst Celanese Corporation. The structure is a clear-span 350 feet wide x 600 feet long x 90 feet high and is engineered to withstand 120 mph wind loads. This by far is an air structure that proves the ability of Mr. Fraioli’s Patented Cable Net System. No other air structure design could ever cover such a large area and provide the margin of safety that is now provided and proven in the performance of this project.

Mr. Fraioli engineered portable Educational & Entertainment Cable Dome Facilities for Disney/CapCity/Sportslab Inc. These twin Cable Domes provided unique features allowing these huge structures to be rapidly moved from city to city across the United States without leaving any obstructions to the park sites where they were previously located.  The floor plan provides the most high tech sports and entertainment activities ever before developed for family entertainment and educational purposes. These structures are scheduled to have showings in 13 cities each year.

Mr. Fraioli engineered, manufactured and erected three (3) structures for the l00th Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. One for the Olympic Swimming Training Facility and two joining structures for the GM Sponsor Exhibition Pavilion.

Mr. Fraioli and Team ASATI engineered, manufactured and erected Elk Run Coal Storage structure. This 230’ wide x 490’ long x 105’ high dome is the largest air structure coal storage facility in the world and was constructed over existing conveyors that stood 110 feet high. ASATI erected this huge structure over the conveyors and completed the entire installation in 10 days from delivery. The ASATI structure now contains the coal dust from blowing into the open environment.

Mr. Fraioli and Team ASATI engineered and manufactured for Bill Gates a turnkey traveling MSN Training Center. This unique air structure could be relocated for installations across the United States for introducing the new MSN program to the general public.

Mr. Fraioli and Team ASATI engineered and manufactured the Jack Cust Baseball Dome measuring 360 feet x 360 feet x 110 feet high. This four-acre Sports Dome is the largest Air Structure Sports Dome in the world. Team ASATI developed this sports dome with the Jack Cust group for providing a full height baseball dome with engineering details for allowing the structure to be erected for the fall and winter months and removed for open outdoor play in the spring and summer.

Mr. Fraioli and Team ASATI engineered, manufactured and supervised the erection of the first ASATI Cable Net Domes air structure ever erected in Siberia region of Russia to meet the extreme design criteria set by the worlds largest gas supply company “Gazprom”. Due To ASATI’s proven performance on the Alaskan pipeline to engineer and provide air structures to withstand winds of 140 mph and support 50 lbs. of heavy snow load, ASATI was awarded this contract as a sole source supplier. ASATI also provided cable net air structures installed in Moscow and other Russian locations.

Mr. Fraioli and Team ASATI engineered and manufactured Ames Iowa Mad Cow Disease center construction project. Team ASATI manufactured and delivered this huge dome in 26 days. Once delivered, Team ASATI managed the Story Construction Company erection of this 250’ wide x 460’ long x 125’ high dome over an existing 3 story high building under construction. The ASATI Bias Cable Net Dome patented by Mr. Fraioli replaces a failed radial designed structure that failed to withstand high winds. The ASATI dome enclosed and protected the 2.6-acre construction project of the new mad cow disease center from interruption caused by Iowa’s harsh winter weather until the project was successfully completed.

TEAM ASATI again, due to our over 45 years of proven performance and unique air structure technology, was awarded to engineer, manufacture and erect in 2006 the first class (4) hurricane resistant structure for the Miami Dolphins Football Dome.

Mr. Fraioli received awards for many of his projects, including special citations from ‘Fabric Structures Association’, ‘American Institute of Architects,’ and ‘The American Association of School Administrators.’ Dan Fraioli is a member and serves on the special air structure committee for the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Architectural Fabric Structures Institute.

• 1st Cable Net System to allow wider, higher, clear-span structures to be constructed without virtually any size limitations while still supporting wind and snow loading conditions in Alaska and Siberia and meet codes established for concrete and steel buildings.

• 1st Polyester Fabric over nylon structures increased the life expectancy of air structures from seven to more than twenty years.

• 1st Dupont Tedlar and PVDF Stay-Clean Exterior Top Coatings- Maintains a clean, architectural, community-accepted exterior that maintains maximum translucency, eliminating the need to turn on expensive interior lighting during daytime hours.

• 1st Double Wall Air Structure increased insulation values to greater than R4

• 1st Triple Wall Air Structure increased translucency from R4 to R8, while still maintaining the structure's translucency. Without the need to turn on expensive sports lighting during daytime hours, a considerable energy cost savings is established on an ongoing annual basis.

• 1st Pressure Balance Exit Doors- These are now the only exit doors used by the entire air structure industry.  They meets all fire and safety codes established for traditional, permanent structures.

• 1st Fiberglass and Mylar Bubble Warp Insulation to be field-installed into the space between the exterior envelope and the interior liner, providing an R20 insulation value.

• 1st Hanglite Lighting System suspended from the structure's roof and walls.  This eliminates dangerous interior lighting poles and is the first system to more evenly distribute light over the entire playing surface.

• First Air Rotating Heater and Inflation System for heating and cooling air structures.  This reduces heating costs and maintains consistent temperatures throughout the entire interior, avoiding formation of hot and cold spots.

• 1st Catenaries-Earth Anchorage System allows air structures to be anchored into the ground, and remain relocatable, without the need for a concrete foundation.  This allowed many structures to be used in Vietnam and continues to prove its value for Disaster Relief Structures.

FIRST SPORTS-DOMES:

• First Tennis Dome in Foxboro Massachusetts (1961)

• First Ice Rink Dome for Gordie Howe Ice Rinks (1967)

• First Multi-Recreation Dome for Harvard University (1968)

• First NFL Football Training Facility for Minnesota Vikings (1971)

• First Golf Dome/Soccer-Dome in Michigan, Minnesota and New York (1981)

• First Multi-Sports Stadium Roof-Dome for Texas Tech Univeristy (1982)   

• First Family-Entertainment-Dome “Power Dome™” in Staten Island, New York (1989)

• First 360' x 355' x 120' Baseball Dome for Jack Cust of the Baltimore Orioles (2002)

FIRST COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL-DOMES:

• First Air-Warehouse-Domes 1962- Manufacturers who need to turn their unused floor space and parking lots into additional storage space turned to air structures for on-site, low-cost warehousing.

• First Air-Construction-Domes 1965- Provided contractors with on-site construction coverage to allow building to continue without delays caused by inclement weather.

• First  Air-Environmental-Domes 1967 – Encapsulated industrial product waste from evaporating into the open air and polluting the surrounding community. These structures also prevent holding reservoirs from overflowing toxic waste during rainfall and flooding.

• First Air-Bulk-Storage-Domes 1969 – Industrial bulk storage structures used for storage of bulk powder such as urea, sulphates, cement and agricultural products.  Bulk Storage facilities are also employed when natural resources, such as coal, are extracted from mines and conveyed directly into ASATI-Bulk Storage facilities.  This helps to contain dust emissions from traveling into the open air, which in return falls onto local communities.

• First Low-Temp.-Arctic-Construction-Domes 1972 -When the Alaska Pipeline Project required multi-use construction and warehousing domes that could withstand -67*F temperatures, 60 lb snow load loads and 120MPH winds, the ASATI was chosen as the sole supplier for 42 domes erected along the entire pipeline, from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez.

• First and Largest in the World Pollution-Reduction–Dome 1992 – The ASATI air structure system covered immense acreage, containing waste from contaminating adjacent sites and communities.  In Bishop, Texas ASATI engineered and erected the world's largest clear-span air structure of its time (342' x 597'), covering a total of 204,174 sq. feet.  This world-class pollution reduction program eliminated deep well injection entirely and reduced total waste releases by 97 percent.