Table of Contents
Introduction
For those who are unfamiliar with Shelter Structures or showing interest in our brand’s warehouse structural solutions, this article introduces our innovative approach. Our structural design revolves around frame structures constructed from aluminum alloy, specifically tailored for warehouse needs. These frame structures seamlessly incorporate PVC fabric roofing panels and a host of complementary features, including wall packages, ventilation systems, lighting setups, and more. Our warehouse structures are renowned for their versatility, serving as ideal options for temporary, semi-permanent, and even permanent storage solutions across various applications.
In contrast, traditional warehouse building structures typically feature with concrete as the predominant material, although there are also structures made of other materials, such as wood. This article mainly focusing on comparing our structures with the conventional concrete & structures, to see what advantages can be of our approach.
Construction components of concrete & steel structures and Shelter Structures alu & fabric structures
Let’s take a brief look at the difference in terms of how the two warehouse structures are constructed. For the concrete structures, the main components can be included as:
Concrete
Concrete is the main material of traditional warehouse buildings, it provides the main structural strength and form the warehouse buildings.
Reinforcement bars
These bars are normally made of steel. Steel bars or mesh grids embedded within the concrete to enhance tensile strength, resist cracks, and improve structural integrity.
Warehouse Formwork
Molds or structures used to shape and support the concrete during pouring and curing.
Foundation
Foundations’ main purpose is to support the warehouses’ load, acting as the base of the warehouse buildings. Foundations can be shallow or deep, depending on design and soil conditions.
Columns
These are vertical structural elements that support the warehouses, which are normally made of the combination of concrete and steel reinforcement bars.
Slabs
Horizontal surfaces forming warehouse floors and ceilings, which are designed to contribute the loads to supporting beams and columns.
Walls
In traditional concrete warehouse buildings, walls are made of concrete or concrete blocks. These materials provide the features of durability, strength, and ability to withstand the extreme external elements.
Joints and connections
There are various joints and connections being used for traditional concrete warehouse buildings. Such as expansion joints and reinforcement splices etc, their normal materials are steel, concrete, adhesives and anchors etc.
Other amenities
Traditional permanent concrete warehouses can have various and comprehensive supporting facilities/ amenities, the functionality is the most extensive.
Regarding Shelter Structures alu & fabric warehouse structures, the construction components are relatively simple compared to those traditional concrete warehouse buildings, which can be seen as:
Aluminum framing
Our frame structures are supported by aluminum alloy profiles ( Hard Pressed Extruded Aluminum Alloy 6061/T6) in different sizing to withstand different weather conditions and reinforce the structural stability.
Fabric roof panels
PVC fabric roof panels are our standard, according to insulation or transparency feature or other customers’ specific requirements, these roof panels can be modified and reinforced. For example, PTFE membranes, or double layer PVC roof panels etc.
Various types of wall packages
Our wall packages provide protection for the internal assets and personnel. According to the external elements, various wall packages can be implemented, for example, PVC wall package, steel composite wall package, ABS wall package etc.
Aluminum purlins, cables and bars
Besides the profiles to support the entire structures, aluminum purlins, cables and bars are complemented elements to provide the stronger stability for the entire structures.
Joints and connections
Our joints and connection parts are made of carbon steel, normally can be seen as Q235. Using carbon steel as materials, it aims to provide stronger connection capacity between profiles and profiles, making the structures more stable and not more tough.
Foundations
Shelter Structures provide independent and strip foundations in various usage scenarios and on different erection ground surfaces.
Other amenities
Compared to the amenities in traditional concrete warehouse buildings, to ensure the functionality of our warehousing solutions, Shelter Structures provide utmost facilities, systems and packages to meet clients’ special requirements. For a brief example, industrial ventilation system assures various vents and HVAC packages are utilized according to specific needs, cassette floor package assures special operation for certain scenarios etc.
Advantages of Shelter’s structures
Compared to brick and mortar buildings, our structures have more advantages in onsite usage scenarios, temporary usages for emergent cases, with flexibility of relocation and re-usage functions etc. Let’s have a deep exploration.
Cost effective
The cost effective feature of our structure is not only limited to a single aspect.
- Lower material cost
By using lightweight materials of aluminum and fabric membranes, the material costs are less expensive than concrete, steel and bricks.
In terms of material usage, our structural design is more scientific, as it utilizes relatively fewer materials while ensuring structural stability at a technical level.
- Transport and shipping saving
Due to the lightweight of the materials, transportation costs are extremely saved, as well as for international freight.
- Maintenance saving
Fabric and aluminum structures generally require less maintenance over their lifespan compared to concrete buildings. This can result in lower long-term operating costs.
Best for temporary and onsite storage
Our structures are versatile and have the features of rapid installation, which indicates the rapid deployment, in terms of temporary and onsite storage. According to the sizes of the structures, erection can be finalized between 2 days to 2 weeks. Traditional warehouse buildings are never able to be erected under this time frame. That’s why our structures had been used under many scenarios which needed relocation.
Our structures can be designed to withstand different environmental conditions, including wind, snow, and rain, ensuring they can be used in various climates, which makes “onsite” becoming reality.
Flexible in re-usage and recycle
Our structures are made of premium aluminum alloy, which are lightweight, durable and corrosion-resistant. Talking about our fabric membrane for roof and walls, it is typically long-lasting and can achieve effective coverage and protection. These two main materials and components, can be dis-assembly when the warehouse tents are temporarily not necessary, and can be reused in same/ another location; what’s more, the structures can reassembled into a larger or smaller warehouse tents when necessary, using either a portion of the structure or more of it.
Furthermore, aluminum is also known as recyclable material, it can reused to create new aluminum products, reducing the need for conserving resources.
Versatility and adaptability
Our fabric and alu structures are highly versatile in warehousing area. Besides the structural aspect, we provide solutions to accommodate your specific requirements, and to expand to meet your changing needs. This adaptability can eliminate the need for costly renovations or building expansions in the future.
In all, Shelter Structures structural design along with our dedicated solutions, offering adequate advantages for our clients who have temporary, changing and onsite needs, considering more for cost, caring about saving times, and simultaneously catering to functionality of storage.
Conclusion
In summary, Shelter Structures’ innovative aluminum alloy frame design, complemented by PVC fabric roofs and a range of versatile amenities, offers a cost-effective, rapidly deployable, and environmentally conscious solution for various storage needs. Our structures prioritize efficiency, reusability, and adaptability, making them an ideal choice for clients seeking flexible and sustainable warehousing solutions.
