The International School of Beijing, an elite K-12 day school where tuition runs as high as $35,000 per year, just inaugurated two new pollution domes this week (although the school prefers to call them “sports domes”).

Six tennis courts fit inside one dome, while the other covers a track, a small soccer field, and courts for handball and basketball.

Mary Wenstrom, a physical education instructor, said the domes were built so that children weren’t stuck inside on days of severe pollution. The school monitors air quality and limits outdoor sports on days when the air is too dangerous, she explains.

“Last year we had 39 days when the kids could not go outside for recess at all or for physical education, out of 180 school days in the year. That is well over a month of school when kids could not go outside,” Wenstrom said. The domes contain air filtration systems and temperature control systems, so that students can safely exercise all year round.

The domes are just one example of the changes Beijing is undergoing as the city experiences its worst winter pollution on record. A combination of coal smoke, vehicle exhaust and an unusual weather pattern known as an inversion have blanketed Beijing in toxic smog several times this month.

Not everyone can afford a pollution dome for their children, but Beijing residents are already responding to the pollution by flocking to buy air purifiers, don face masks, and download air pollution apps on their phones. The Beijing municipal government has thoughtfully started to provide pollution forecasts (click on this link to see them: http://zx.bjmemc.com.cn/ ), as well as detailed pollutant breakdowns for air monitoring stations across the city.

Beijing officials say they are working hard to clean up the city’s air—but that it will still take a long time. Meanwhile, expect more pollution domes on the horizon.