Southampton-based Solardome Industries has been shortlisted for the Business Innovation Award 2014 following the design and build of a new dome to enclose a three-story Nature house in Norway. This is a great example of business growth and innovation in the region, as Solardome expand into previously untapped markets and invest in their future with new products and increased staff.

The contemporary Eden Project-style patent pending design called ‘SOLARDOME® PRO’ allows large bespoke domes to be constructed up to 25m diameter. Solardome developed this new architectural dome system in response to a customer in Norway that wanted to build a three-story family home and garden inside a Solardome® glasshouse. The SOLARDOME® PRO system, designed and manufactured in the UK, needed to withstand the high winds and extreme snowfall in this Northern Arctic location. Completed in the winter of 2013, the 15m diameter, 900m3 dome shell consists of a robust aluminum frame and toughened single glazed panels.

Pippa Bailey, Managing Director at Solardome Industries, comments: “The SOLARDOME® PRO system was only possible due to the innovation and dedication of the Solardome team, and we are very proud to be an award finalist.”

Solardome is an area finalist for the ‘Business Innovation of the Year’ award in the Federation of Small Business (FSB) Worldpay UK Business Awards 2014. The National winner will be announced in May by leading business woman, Karren Brady CBE. www.fsb.org.uk/uk-business-awards