The incorporation of steel in removable industrial buildings

Without a doubt, it is an essential element, which provides maximum security to any aluminium or wood construction.

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As industrial warehouses and tents have gained ground over conventional construction warehouses in sectors such as industry and logistics, the use of steel has also become more and more popular in enclosures and roofs. And, in 2015, at Vall we made the leap to using this metal directly in the manufacture of structures. Since the mid-20th century, steel has been the main structural material for traditional construction and civil engineering buildings. It has been used for more than a century in the construction of high-rise buildings, bridges or marine platforms. The Brooklyn Bridge (1883), the Eiffel Tower (1889) or the Empire State Building (1931) are not just icons of the use of steel in civil engineering. They are examples of the great strength and durability of steel. Its hardness and resistance have made it an essential element in construction, with a very affordable price, a production method that respects the environment and a 100% recyclable waste. So at Vall, we think that such a useful and solvent material in the fixed construction sector should also be the great ally of removable constructions. In fact, it has been since World War II. Although, its popularity is still far from reaching its maximum level.

Brief history of steel in removable structures

The manufacture of removable steel structures became widespread during World War II, given the need to build barracks, warehouses and other structures at high speed with high resistance, efficiency and with the possibility of being transferable. After the war, this type of structure continued to advance to shape a new type of market; that of prefabricated buildings. Advances in the use of steel in the construction sector have provided this material with more specific properties and the possibility of offering a wide range of finishes and qualities. So it's not uncommon to find more and more steel in prefabricated or collapsible buildings. However, its use as a structure in tents or removable industrial buildings has burst onto the market, especially during the last decade. Globalization and the volatility of the markets have led to production models based on efficiency and this implies lowering building costs, which is why removable warehouses have been gaining ground over conventional construction buildings. In addition, the need for companies to have scalable and portable production and storage spaces has also increased to adapt to the changing situation of each business or project in a highly competitive and internationalized business framework. And these properties can only be acquired through detachable ships. This sector, which, in its beginnings, was widely covered by aluminium structures, has recently begun to require properties that aluminium cannot always cover, whether due to size, resistance, durability or aesthetics. This is how steel structures have broken into the sector and are gaining popularity, day by day.

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The great advantage of steel as a structure for industrial buildings is also the main reason why at Vall we decided to take the step towards this type of structure and diversify our range of products: overcome limits with which the aluminum structures ran into. Aluminium structures are highly resistant, versatile and efficient. And aluminium is also an economical, respectful and 100% recyclable material. However, this type of structure has limitations when it comes to providing large open spaces, both in width and length, as well as in height. They allow a type of modular construction according to which, by joining several of these structures, we could obtain covered spaces of any length and width, but inevitably that space would be internally delimited by columns. With steel, this does not happen. We have managed to build completely diaphanous warehouses of 9,000 m2, without the need to place a single column or horizontal guide. Likewise, the use of steel has allowed us to consider the third dimensional axis (height) as a possibility to gain space; thanks to steel, structures can also be taller. This advantage is only possible with steel structures. The resistance and hardness of this material are what allow it to cover large dimensions, completely diaphanous, maintaining maximum stability and safety. The advantage of gaining height is especially useful in logistics centres, where not only can the land area be used to the maximum, but also storage space can be gained at the top. But, in addition, steel is also an increasingly valuable structural material in the industrial sector, especially for the construction of those plants that are expected to last indefinitely, in the face of very demanding working conditions and very adverse weather conditions, without losing the greatest value of detachable buildings: the low economic cost. The most valued advantages of any removable industrial building (regardless of its construction material) are price, efficiency and sustainability. And steel meets these three conditions:

• It is a very cheap material, both when buying it and when working with it.
• The production of steel is respectful with the environment, since it requires a controlled expenditure of resources such as water or electricity.
• It is a totally and infinitely recyclable material. In fact, 40% of the steel used in the market is recycled.

But, in addition, steel adds a series of properties to the construction of industrial warehouses and tents that make them much more resistant and durable buildings, even surpassing some benefits of conventional masonry constructions:

• Steel is highly malleable, for which can be manufactured in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
• It is a very resistant and rigid material. Used as a structure, it can support great weights, forces or actions, such as the force of the wind or rain, the weight of snow or the violence of earthquakes.
• Steel is hard and durable and its properties can remain unchanged for more than 100 years.
• It is highly tenacious, which makes it very difficult to break the entire assembly or any of its parts.
• It is elastic and versatile and its physical and mechanical properties make it suitable for any type of application.
• It is ductile and its welding or connection is easy and of great quality.

In addition to all its inherent properties, with the appropriate treatment, steel can offer high resistance to corrosion, oxidation and wear, with which its properties would be protected even in particularly humid areas or with great exposure to water or humidity or sea ​​salt.

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There are a series of essential requirements when building removable industrial buildings. And any construction material that is intended to be used for its construction must provide them without exception. Steel fulfils them all:

• It is an ideal material for rapid construction.
• It is prefabricated in parts, it is easily transported and assembled.
• It offers many possibilities of shape and size.
• It allows scaling its size, reducing or increasing it, according to the needs of the project or company.
• It can be disassembled to recover the land intact and can be moved to another location, with the same features.
• Its maintenance and repair is easy, fast and very economical.
• It does not require a foundation, beyond the anchorage to the ground.
• Make the most of the available space, with a result of useful meters much higher than that of conventional work.
• All the elements that make up the structure can be reused or recycled after dismantling.

The future of steel in the construction of removable industrial warehouses

Today, the acquisition of industrial warehouses and tents with a steel structure continues to be a minority. Aluminium structures continue to be the purchase and rental preference for those customers who are looking for an economical and efficient solution to their covered space needs. This is mainly because the dimensions made possible by the steel structure are not always necessary. The majority of clients who request a dismantled building see all their needs covered with an aluminium structure; the traditional material of this type of construction that, in addition, is cheaper to acquire in the market. However, in the process of construction and assembly of removable industrial buildings, all costs end up being equal enough so that there is no relevant economic difference between an aluminium structure and a steel one. Moreover, taking into account the added properties of steel, resistance, durability and open space, the value for money favours this material over aluminium. That is why at Vall we work to provide steel structures with greater scope and popularity, while at the same time researching to optimize their cost and maximize their qualities. Not so much to compete against aluminium structures, which will continue to be more profitable and efficient depending on the circumstances, but to compete in the market with conventional, fixed and unalterable construction buildings. Because, without a doubt, steel structure industrial buildings manage to meet the needs of customers who, until now, did not see removable buildings as a definitive solution to their challenges.