The Shipping Container Shed (often also referred to as a Shipping Container Shelter), is fast becoming a preferred warehouse, storage and workshop option for some of the world’s leading mining and industrial companies.
Shipping Container Sheds: An alternative to steel buildings
Preferred now over traditional steel sheds which for decades were the only option, the Shipping Container Shed is seen increasingly on many city, regional and remote industrial sites. For many uses and situations, they offer significant advantages over steel sheds.
What is a Shipping Container Shed?
Developed by DomeShelter Australia over 20 years ago, the Shipping Container Shed is a cost-effective structure that is built by mounting an arched steel-framed roof, over which, a piece of high-quality fabric is stretched and secured at all ends to a number of sea containers.
The whole roof structure is defined by its mounting system, which consists of standard sea containers used as walls on either side of the arched roof. Containers can be mounted up to three high and end to end to achieve the desired length. This method of mounting has led to this type of structure being called a Container Dome, in reference to the dome-shaped roof.
What are the benefits of a Shipping Container Shed?
Shipping Container Sheds are used in the mining and industrial sectors for workshops, warehouses, equipment and materials storage, staff amenities, aviation hangars and fuel and tyre depots. Just about anything that requires a roof on a work site.
By adding end walls, large equipment access and personal access doors, the shelters can become fully sealed units, capable of withstanding all weather conditions.
Where steel sheds were once popular and widely used, Container Sheds are now well accepted due to the:
- ease of transport to site,
- ease and speed of installation,
- their ability to be dismantled, and
- relocated with equal ease.
Also, the high-quality fabrics used are
- strong,
- durable and
- highly UV resistant.
The fabric and steel roof structure associated with the Shipping Container Shed is manufactured off-site and transported to site in kit form. Once on-site, it can be installed (most often by the client’s team) in as little as 1-3 days depending on size and complexity. Experienced installation teams are also available for those clients who require this service.
Benefits of using a Shipping Container Shed are covered in more detail below:
Ability to transport to remote sites
Shipping Container Sheds have a reputation for their ability to be transported and installed on the remotest sites efficiently. Therefore lowering overall project costs and getting the project up and running much quicker. On project completion, the Container Shed is dismantled back into kit form and taken off-site to be stored, sold or used again elsewhere.
Just as they can be assembled quickly, they can be just as quickly demobilised and relocated across the site or off-site to cater to changing work needs. Mounting the fabric roof structure on standard sea containers often alleviates the need for expensive and ground-disturbing footings associated with steel buildings, making the installation and relocation process quicker and cheaper.
Steel sheds, by comparison, comprising corrugated iron sheeting and heavy-duty steel sub-structure to support the iron roof, are heavy and bulky to transport to site and require skilled trade teams to install. Once installed they are generally fixed and cannot be relocated.
Ease of exporting
They can be exported by loading into sea containers in kit form, which makes transport to site from the end port quick, easy and efficient. As a result, DomeShelter™ Container Domes are now located in over 30 countries around the world, in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia.
Up to 1000m2 of shelter space can be packed into a single container. Standard size structures can be available to ship within just days of order and customised designs are also available to meet client’s specific needs.
Alternative Mounting Options available
In addition to sea containers, the arched steel roof structure can also be mounted on steel posts or concrete walls or, in some cases, a combination of sea containers one side and steel posts the other. The various mounting options provide for a wide range of uses.
Are Shipping Container Sheds the new disruptor in the industry?
Four key questions help to ascertain whether a Fabric Shelter is preferable to a Steel Shed:
- Is the structure permanent or only required for short to medium term?
- Is the structure likely to need relocating during its lifetime?
- Is the land on which it is to be located owned by another entity?
- Is it required to be installed quickly?
Steel sheds generally suit situations where a long-term permanent workshop or warehouse solution is required, typically installed on the owner’s land and order to installation time is not critical.
In most mine sites, the criteria of semi-permanent, relocatable and speed to contract start date are important issues that need to be addressed. In these situations, a Shipping Container Shed becomes a very viable solution. The total lifetime cost of ownership can be assessed and compared with alternative shade and shelter solutions.
Mining, like every industry, is constantly looking for innovations that can save money, increase productivity and improve safety and efficiency. Those companies that don’t innovate, tend to be overtaken by those that do and eventually have these innovations foisted on them by economic necessity after they become the new normal in the industry.
Whilst steel sheds have stood the test of time for over 200 years in various forms, smart companies are seeking alternative ways to save money and become more efficient to stay ahead of the innovation curve. The Shipping Container Shed offers the perfect solution, with significant time and money-saving features that ensure it will continue to grow its market share throughout the world.
Contact a DomeShelter™ Consultant to start a conversation about your shelter needs.
