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Portland Parks and Recreation last week unveiled four new indoor tennis courts at the Portland Tennis Center on Northeast 12th Avenue, and they’re all encased in a bubble.

The 25,000-square-foot inflatable structure is 40 feet high and was designed by Richard Brown Architect. The bubble was provided by Yeadon Fabric Structures of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Brown said that use of a bubble structure was a first for his firm and for Portland Parks and Recreation, but proved to be most cost-effective.

鈥淧arks did an analysis on which would be most cost-effective, a steel building or an inflatable structure,鈥� he said.

But getting necessary permits was a bit of a challenge, Brown added.

鈥淲e had some land use issues we had to resolve because it’s a fairly tall building, and had to make our case for why we could put such a large building close to the street,鈥� he said.

Those issues were resolved, Brown said, and he made the case that the building is somewhat camouflaged because it is 鈥渢he color of the Oregon gray sky鈥� and that it curves away from the sidewalk.

The four indoor courts in the bubble are taking the place of eight of the 12 outdoor courts next to the original tennis center building, which was constructed in 1973, Brown said. That building also holds four indoor courts, so the site now has eight indoor courts and four outdoor courts.

The new courts, with bleacher seating, will be available for year-round use, Brown said, and be accessible by ramp for people with mobility issues.

鈥淚t also has backup power and generators in the event of a power outage, and there’s a skylight in the middle that brings in natural light,鈥� he said.

Skyward Construction served as the general contractor for the bubble courts, Brown said, and completed the work in about five months.

More than 100 outdoor tennis courts are in city parks, said Andre Ashley, sports manager for Portland Parks and Recreation, and the Portland Tennis Center’s bubble brings the total of indoor courts to 12. The other four are at the St. Johns Racquet Center on North Burlington Avenue, he said, but they are available to the public only part-time.

鈥淲e lease those out (to Portland Public Schools) for after-school tennis and education, but they’re still available in the morning,鈥� Ashley said.