46m-round

This Big Top has 4 king poles, there is a central octagonal cupola on which the membrane of the tent is attached. The peak of the tent is tensioned above the cupola is Once the plastic membrane is attached to the cupola it is winched up mechanically by electric winches contained within the King Pole itself. The outside of the Big Top has side poles which stand the roofing membrane 4.0 metres from the ground. Each of the side poles is tensioned with 5.0 tonne ratchet straps. The Cupola system is favoured by clients wishing to fix aerial props for Circus style productions without having to build a free standing structure within the tent. There are weight loading limits for this type of operation which are available to clients.

This kind of structure traditionally distributes its’ surface load down heavily reinforced webbings and/or cables to either a rim band (around the outside) or eves band down the section lacings and across quarter bands. This type of construction utilises the strength of the webbing to provide massive strength down the seams, and is tensioned by a combination of pulling the structure upwards along the plane from the cupola and outwards towards the side poles where the ratchet straps pull outwards and downwards to the stakes that are in the ground. This system has traditionally been employed across the world for some of the largest mechanically tensioned structures ever built.

These big tops are reinforced with so many different webbings and strips of fabric that even if the panels were removed, the structure would still stand!