Seeking a shelter and shade solution for your mine site or industrial worksite?
If you’re seeking a shelter or shade solution for your worksite, you may have come across a number of different options, making you unsure of what will best suit your situation.
Many of our customers are unsure whether to opt for the more traditional steel shed, or a durable, modern Fabric Structure. Both have benefits and features that can suit different requirements. This article outlines the advantages associated with each and compares them, to help you decide what is the best option for your next project.
4 Essential Questions
When weighing up Shelter options for your worksite needs, it’s important to ask the following key questions:
- Is the Shelter only required for a short- or medium-term contract?
- Is there a chance the Shelter will have to be relocated at some point?
- Is the land on which the Shelter will be located owned by another entity?
- Do you require the Shelter to be installed quickly?
If the answer to all of the above questions is NO, then a steel shed may be best suited to your needs. Sheds are generally long-term and permanently located on the owner’s land. They usually take longer from order to installation than a Fabric Structure. However, if you answered YES to even one question, a Fabric Shelter is likely the better option.
Steel Sheds: The Traditional Choice
The steel shed has been a fundamental, especially in agricultural and logistics settings, for generations. They are reliable and robust, and can add value to a workplace as a permanent building addition. Steel is durable and sheds can stand for decades of use with little maintenance.
Steel sheds generally, however, require a significant amount of time to construct. Before construction, planning permission, builders lead times, groundworks, and other time consuming factors need to be completed. Sheds can also be dark, and tend to have poor ventilation. Heating of the corrugated iron in summer months can lead to a humid and stifling work environment.
Fabric Shelters: The Benefits
Following impressive advances in fabric technology over the past 20 years, Fabric Shelters – also called container shelters or dome shelters – are now used where steel sheds were once standard. Renowned for the speed from ordering to installation, their ease of setting up relocation, and their durability, they are trusted and used by the world’s largest mining, industrial and agricultural companies.
They can be left open-ended or fully sealed with end walls, which can have PA or large equipment doors built in. Mounted on sea containers and engineered to withstand winds up to Australian region D cyclonic rating, they have proven their versatility and durability in a wide range of very harsh and demanding environments.
Sizing & Comparisons
Fabric Shelters range in size, from small 6x6m Structures, to Structures as large as 30m x 40m. DomeShelter Australia’s Fabric Structures are delivered in kit form, complete with all the components required for installation. They are designed to be easily installed by first-time installers, often the clients’ own teams, alleviating the need for a skilled installation team generally required for a steel building. The time taken to install a Fabric Building can be from as little a few hours to a few days.
Steel buildings are generally built for very long-term use when land tenure is not an issue, and the time to contract start is enough to account for the longer lead time associated with a steel building.
Fabric Structures, made from breathable Polyethylene fabric, are also known to be lighter, brighter and quieter than a steel alternative. The high-quality white fabric is generally translucent, absorbs sound and reflects light to provide a more ergonomic and pleasant working environment.
Wide Range of Uses
Fabric Shelters can be used for just about anything that requires a roof for shade and shelter, including:
- Workshops & warehousing
- Equipment & materials storage
- Fuel & tyre depot
- Staff amenities
- Aviation shelter
- General events
DomeShelter Australia
Manufactured in Western Australia, DomeShelter Australia’s Fabric Shelters are transported to site around Australia and exported to over 40 countries. Clients on-site teams usually install in just a couple of days using comprehensive instructions provided.
If you would like more information about how a DomeShelter Fabric Structure can help solve your workplace needs, call our friendly sales team on 1300 193 188 or visit Contact Us to submit and enquiry.
