Purchasing Fabric Structures
Points to consider when purchasing fabric structures:
Our job is to support you with information when you are considering purchasing fabric structures. David Burston has been marketing and installing for the industry and Allshelter since 2005, so there is a level of bias here. He has sold over one thousand structures, a number of which have survived cyclones and high wind events, so he has a depth of experience. He has also installed over 200 structures from West Africa in Senegal to New Caledonia.
The Allshelter range is vast, everything from small post mounted structures to 18m+ high mining giants. Their quality is second to none and they back their product. Plus most of their structures are engineered for a fifty year, whereas the industry standard is 25 years. Always check the weight of the shelters if you are comparing different brands, Allshelter is often 50% heavier.
What has changed over the last decade and a half, is that one-in-a-hundred year storm events, often hit several times a decade rather than once in 100 years. The strength of the fabric structures have to be able to withstand these conditions, so compared to 15 years ago the weight of steel in the structures have increased, plus the size of the footings.
You can still buy lighter cheaper fabric structures, but the value of an Allshelter is a cheap insurance policy against storm damage, plus they have a 10 year warranty on their products.
Time lines - Allow for manufacture and freight time when purchasing fabric structures. They have their Express Shelters that they often have on the shelf or can be shipped within 2 weeks. These are for 20 and 40' containers and range in width from 6m to 17m wide.
For the standard shelters normally allow 4 to 6 weeks for manunfacture for up to 20m wide structures.
Large structures will take 8 week +, with the very large ones, shipping may start while the manufacturing is still in progress, allowing the installation to start, and the factory to make space in their yard.
Receival - You will need a 2-3 ton forklift to unload the structure stillages, otherwise the delivering truck will need a hoist.
Laydown area - You will need an area for the stillage/s and a flat area to join the frames, close to the structure. If the area is undulating, have plenty of blocks so as the frames are level when you put them together, as the spigots will slide together a lot easier.
Wind ratings:
An important consideration when purchasing fabric structures is the wind rating for your site. The wind rating page will give you an indication of what wind rating you will require for your structure. If you are within 10km of the coast, near a large water source or on land with no or few trees or buildings, it will be rated as a Terrain Category One, as the wind accelerates over the flat surfaces resulting in the next level of wind rating.
If your site is on the ridge of a hill, in a valley or surrounded by hills with little vegetation, you will have more savage winds than a open space with trees. If in doubt, go to the next higher wind rating.
Always check with your local council as they have extensive storm event records and their required wind ratings are based on these local events, rather than generic figures.
Orientation:
Fabric structures will have a curved roof, which gives them their strength for a given weight of steel. Some have a higher apex to allow for the sized machinery that will be used inside them.
You need to allow around 45° for storm rain to enter if the wind is blowing from the open end. This means that if you have a container mounted structure on 20' (6m) containers 7m wide and 6m apex, the rain will be blown in one end and almost out the other.
This is why, when purchasing a fabric structure, it pays to consider how you can best orientate your structure to limit both sun and likely storm rain from limiting your productive work area. Sometimes it pays to lengthen the structure to ensure you have the desired workspace in all conditions. By having the ends open in hot regions, the heat will rise to the apex and out the ends, creating air movement even in still conditions.
When you are preparing your site consider how you are going to manage your excess water. You need a slight slope starting inside the shelter and the apron outside so as the water naturally drains away from your work area. If you are on a sloping site make sure that whatever equipment you use to maintain the drains has easy access around the structure.
Purchasing fabric structures with endwalls or retrofit?:
Allshelter fabric structures are engineered to take end walls, while some of the lighter structures from other manufacturers need to be reinforced if you are to retrofit partial or full end walls.
The photo is of post shelter design 20m wide x 7m high doors at Mount Isa Mines, after the EPA required the open ended structures to have doors.
If you have issues with rain entering the structure it may pay to use a partial end wall to block in the top area of the apex. These walls can be designed to come down to whatever level that suits you.
If you decide later that a full end wall with a door would be a useful addition, then this can be supplied. Allshelters have a serial number and can be easily trace as to their exact design.
In areas of cold winters and hot summers some of our clients use shipping containers across the back of the structure as a temporary end wall in winter to stop cold winds, then remove it in summer to allow the breezes.
When you are purchasing fabric structures we can supply shipping containers:
We have a number of suppliers around Australia who can supply sound weather tight shipping containers. You may also have local sources of containers which can save you the expense of transporting the containers long distances.
When we supply containers when you are purchasing fabric structures, these are the things we look for;
- Rust - All containers have rust as they have been in a salt water environment. Make sure the rust can be wire brushed and repainted with high quality marine grade paint.
- On the top endge of the containers have a hollow section top wall support. This gives more area to weld brackets to. Some containers have a flat bar at the top. These are slow to weld and not as strong when welding the frame bases.
- Even bottom section. If there is too much damage from fork lifts, it makes the welding of the anchor cleats a longer job.
- They are weatherproof. The doors shut and seal.
- We sometimes manage to get the same colour but this is not always possible.
- If they have Russian writing, beware. The steel can be very hard to weld with frequent blow-outs requiring multiple rewelds.
- Make sure the roof of the container is sound, as this can be the first area to rust out.
Contact Taurus
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Taurus Fabric Build Mob: 0400 030 835, Email: [email protected],
Office: The Bunker, 79 McLeod St Cairns QLD 4870, Australia