If you’re in the process of revamping an existing structure or constructing a new building, you may be wondering if fabric structures are right for you. Fabric buildings offer affordable and realistic alternatives to conventional buildings and can be used for warehouses, office spaces, showrooms, stages, and more. At the end of the day, you’ll have a customized space, engineered and built by professionals.
In this blog post, we aim to help you learn more about some of the ways that fabric structures differ from brick-and-mortar and regular or pre-fabricated builds, and why they may be just the solution you’ve been looking for.
The Benefits of Fabric Buildings
If you’re looking for a new structure to house your business, you may be considering a fabric building. Fabric structures are an increasingly popular choice for businesses of all sizes because they offer many benefits over traditional buildings.
Fast Installation
Fabric structures can be set up in a fraction of the time it takes to construct comparable buildings made of traditional materials. Their assembly and installation feature simple instructions due to advanced engineering and design. This is a major benefit when you have regularly changing requirements or if you need to be mobile. For example, fabric structures are useful for trade shows and concert series that routinely relocate to different cities and regions.
Cost-Effective
Fabric buildings are an affordable and practical choice for any business that needs to grow. These structures are built with lightweight, flexible materials that can be easily assembled on site. Fabric buildings come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so they can be customized to fit your project’s needs.
Fabric buildings are easy to assemble, and the materials required are less expensive than those used in traditional structures made of metal or wood. This makes them cost-effective compared to similar-sized traditional structures. They involve minimal architectural planning, faster build times, and less expensive materials.
Fabric buildings also accrue savings in the overall assembly and installation process, as well as low to nonexistent maintenance costs.
Energy Efficiency
Steel buildings are built with steel sheeting, which can block natural light. They also increase thermal bridging, which means your heat and air conditioning will work harder in the winter and summer months. This can lead to higher energy bills every month!
Fabric structures drastically reduce these concerns. Depending on the fabric chosen, the material can have up to 12% translucency—that means lots of natural light coming into your space. What this also means is that fabric buildings are extremely energy efficient. Your lighting costs will be completely eliminated or greatly reduced.
Sustainability
Compared to conventional constructions, fabric building solutions require less energy for heating, cooling, and lighting, which is something many people are looking for in our environmentally-conscious society. Built with an excellent ventilation system that allows air to travel freely, fabric structures create a dryer, healthier environment for the building’s occupants and materials while lowering cooling and heating expenses and energy requirements.
Furthermore, by allowing more natural light to enter workspaces, fabric structures increase cost savings, productivity, and can lead to a happier workforce.
Low Maintenance
Fabric structures are incredibly strong and resistant to adverse weather and environmental factors. Fabric buildings are strong and easy to maintain, with a typical lifespan of 15 to 30 years. They’re also simple to clean – only needing mild soap and water – which means that they last longer before having to be replaced or repaired. Due to the minimal amount of maintenance necessary and the absence of harsh chemicals, maintenance will also have less of an impact on the environment.