frackenpohl poulheim: the cave dome tent for heimplanet

‘the cave’ by frackenpohl poulheim for heimplanet image © designboom

as an alternative to traditional tents, german duo frackenpohl poulheim (thorsten frackenpohl & andré poulheim) have designed ‘the cave’ for hamburg-based company heimplanet. this system offers a highly efficient and stable structure – an inflatable geodesic dome. with the help of the IDG (inflatable diamond grid), it allows for pitching in less than a minute. the IDG is a self-supporting airframe formed out of 5 modular double-layer air beams. they can be divided into five separate air chambers to provide a stable stance even in case of damaged parts. inflating the tent with a normal hand pump takes less than minute. to deflate simply release all five valve openings and the air will remove itself on its own. its round ground design offers space for three to sleep and up to six to sit together. the five point-symmetrical roof slope that offers several run-offs for rain. the IDG also allows for great stability in wind up to 120km/h.

outer tent made with waterproof, durable lightweight polyester material image © designboom

valves for inflating and deflating image © designboom

storage bag image © designboom

water repellent nylon interior with mosquito net image © designboom

sloped roof for water run-off image © designboom

full exterior view

IDG top view

close up of IDG

‘the cave’ at night

clockwise: outer tent, inner tent, ground concept, grid

dimensions

first prototype

prototype connecting frame to tent

testing water run-off

‘the cave’ – set-up

‘the cave’ – deflating the tent