TEXTILES.ORG
Sandone Productions Inc. helps to create an immersive experience for Jurassic World fans.
Sandone Productions Inc., a Dallas, Texas-based full-service event company that specializes in tents and awnings, was recently contacted by a client about a project of brachiosaurus-sized proportions—literally. NBC/Universal Studios needed a structure for Jurassic World: The Exhibition, an eight-month interactive exhibit located at Grandscape, The Colony, Texas, that would immerse audiences in scenes inspired by the film.
According to Joe Sandone, vice president of Sandone Productions, the project had a few non-negotiable requirements. “The tent had to be tall enough for life-sized dinosaurs, the floor had to be strong enough to support the heavy equipment and weight of the exhibits, and the interior needed to be completely blacked-out with zero light bleed.”
To fulfill the client’s demands, the team at Sandone Productions installed a 35-by-55-meter maxiflex P1 tent by Losberger De Boer on 6.8-meter (22-foot) legs. The project required a minimum height of 20 feet at the eave, so the company added new 6.8-meter legs to its inventory.
To achieve the blacked-out environment, Sandone Productions used Keder Solutions’ ULTRA™ 2300 coated vinyl fabric. “We fabricated the tops to include a black beam cover on the interior of the tent, and a white rain flap along the exterior of the rafter,” says Sandone. “The interior legs, braces and purlins were wrapped in either the black tent vinyl or black Duvetyne.”
For the structure’s exterior, Sandone Productions partnered with Brandit Graphics Inc., a company that specializes in branded exterior wraps. “After several revisions and artwork approvals by the client, we were given the go-ahead to create a one-piece tension fabric wrap over the gable end as well as the two eave sides,” Sandone says. The gable end portion came in at over 800 pounds and required twelve team members spread across several lifts to reach the 40-foot-high apex of the tent.
Sandone says there were a handful of challenges associated with the installation including a year-long delay due to COVID-19, pandemic-related supply
chain issues and inclement weather situations. Another complication involved
baseplates. “The day after we staked the baseplates, the venue came back and informed us that their CAD was not to scale and we had crossed two feet over an imaginary boundary into another future construction pad,” Sandone says. The plates were later pulled out and re-staked.
Despite the complexities of the installation, Jurassic World: The Exhibition opened its doors to the public on June 18, 2021. “What the exhibition team put together is the most elaborate set design I’ve ever seen,” says Sandone. “The graphic wrap is stunning and the exhibition is truly incredible. I highly recommend people come out and experience it.”
SIDEBAR: By the numbers
35-by-55-meter maxiflex P1 tent
6.8-meter legs
40-foot-tall tent apex
One-pieced tensioned fabric wrap