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When
local engineers in
Angelica, N.Y. began to
search for a cover for
an existing water
reservoir because
current systems were
failing, it didn’t take
them long to discover a
fabric covered building
was the perfect
solution. "The wide
clear-span space and how
the building is
engineered and designed
really impressed me. There is nowhere for
snow or rain to collect
and leak into the
manufactured water
supply," says Phil.
Hunt
Engineers, Architects
and Land Surveyors, P.C.
were commissioned by
Angelica to design a
$2.5 million water
improvement development,
which included covering
the existing one million
gallon water reservoir.
A 90' wide x 230' long
fabric covered building was the
logical choice. "Budget
and maintenance costs
were major
considerations in the
planning stages," says
Davis. "A concrete tank
was completely beyond
our financial means.
This building met the
fiscal responsibilities
of our tax base and is
almost maintenance
free.”
"A
concrete tank was
completely beyond our
financial means.
The
fabric covered building met
the fiscal
responsibilities
of our
tax base and is almost
maintenance free."
Phil Davis
The water
reservoir had been
protected by a floating
canvas cover that
required ongoing
maintenance and repair.
Because of recent new
state department of
health regulations and
the continual threat of
contamination from
wildlife and debris, the
floating cover was no
longer suitable. “We now
have a structure that
was efficient to install
and able to withstand
heavy snow loads and
winds that are close to
hurricane levels," says
Davis. fabric covered
buildings are rated for
wind and snow loads
across North America and
are available in widths
from 30 to 160 feet.
“The new improvements
meet the community's
expectations and the
building has become a
landmark for Angelica,"
says Davis.
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Animals and debris can
no longer contaminate
the
water reservoir because
of the
protection provided by
the Titan building.
According to the
construction inspector,
the
new fabric covered building water
reservoir
cover
has become a village
attraction.
A
crane lifted the
building's steel trusses
over
the
existing water reservoir
onto the foundation.
An 18
inch concrete beam was
constructed
along
the bottom of the Titan
for added
support and ground
insulation.
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When Capital District Salt and Cargill needed
to purchase a structure to cover their salt stockpiles at
Cargill’s 200,000 ton
Port of Albany regional distribution center
in Albany, NY, a fabric covered steel truss building was the ideal
choice.
Originally
contracted to haul salt from Cargill’s salt mine in Lansing,
NY to the Port of Albany, Capital District Salt now manages
the daily operation of the distribution center. "Cargill
needs stockpiles to relieve truck traffic and pressure at
the mine. These huge piles let us deliver salt to Cargill’s
customers quickly," says Vincent Logan, Capital District
Vice President.
Giant tarps were
once used to cover the 50 foot high pile from the weather
but the tarps proved to be cumbersome and not always
completely effective. Cargill and Capital District decided
to explore other storage options. After extensive research,
they decided to build a fabric covered structure to house a
100,000 ton stockpile.
Measuring 150’
wide x 555’ long, this is one of the largest fabric covered
buildings in the world. This structure offers distinct
advantages for salt and sand storage over other buildings. The clear-span environment, corrosive resistant
materials, and quality engineering make this the perfect
building for this application. It is a strong,
environmentally secure way to protect salt from the
elements.
Once
site preparation and foundation piles were complete, an
installation crew of ten arrived to install the fabric
covered building. Vincent Logan
stood amazed, shaking his head; "I have never seen guys work
like this in my life. They barely talk to each other. They
don’t have to; they each know their jobs. And they don’t
stop! It’s not that they’re rude, they’re just busy
working."
Capital District Salt’s building carries a design load of 55
pounds per square foot and will withstand 60 mile per hour
winds. The structure is designed with a one day snow-shed.
The center purlin at the ridge is lower than the top edge of
the truss. It serves as a divider bar. The weight of the
snow presses downward across the purlin, creating a break in
the snow. The snow simply slides off.
From preliminary site work to move in was a
mere 12 weeks. "We couldn’t be happier. Each of the
contractors came in, did their job and they did it on time,"
said Logan.
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The 83,250 sq. ft. salt storage facility
took
only 12 weeks to construct.
Only 2 days were required to erect
the steel frame.
This fabric salt storage facility is able to
house a 100,000 ton stockpile of salt.
The 150’ W x 555’ L x 72’ H clear-span
area
provides a tremendous work environment.
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In 2003, the
Village of Bartlett in Illinois purchased four fabric
covered buildings to cover their aerobic digesters at their
waste water treatment plant. Located just 40 miles from
Chicago, the facility handles the waste water for 26,000
people residing in three different counties. "We have
twelve individuals employed with the sewer department who
take care of the treatment plant as well as nineteen lift
stations and the total sewer system within the Village of
Bartlett," says Ron Johnson, Waste Water Supervisor. "This
treatment plant is considered a medium to large size
treatment facility."
The four
fabric buildings are 62' wide x 90' long and
cover two sludge tanks each. "One of the problems we had in
the past was controlling the temperatures during the winter
as well as containing odors. Since we have had the
fabric buildings we've been able to hold the heat in
during the winter so the bacteria can do it's job and we no
longer have odor complaints from nearby residential areas,"
says Johnson. "The aerobic digesters take in sludge from
two parts of our facility. One part is the waste activated
sludge from the activated sludge system, and the other is
the primary sludge from the primary clarifiers. The basic
operation of the clarifiers is to stabilize the organic
matters in the sludge. From here we take it to a sludge
press and put onto farm fields."
"The fabric building system is working
very well for us;
the building is not going to deteriorate
and it's pretty
much maintenance free."
-Ron Johnson
The Village of
Bartlett chose fabric covered buildings because of the building's ability
to perform in a corrosive moist environment. The galvanized
steel frame system is clad with a triple-coated
anti-corrosion barrier and a Gatorshield coating. The
polyolefin characteristic of the cover fabric is inert to ammonia gasses and is not
biodegradable. "We looked at a PVC system that was designed
to completely cover the digesters, but that would have
caused us problems of getting to the sludge for sampling,
temperature readings, etcetera," says Johnson. "We also
looked at aluminum and corrugated steel structures, but the
high moisture levels in this type of environment would
quickly deteriorate metal structures. We designed each of
the fabric buildings to have a side access so we could
open it up to lower a hoist down within the tank, clean the
digesters or install equipment."
Another benefit with the fabric
buildings is the translucent qualities of the fabric
membrane. "We don't need any natural lighting in the
fabric buildings, nor do we require the installation of
explosive proof fixtures or personnel needing to change
light bulbs. The white cover provides us more than enough
natural light inside the building, even on gray and overcast
days. The fabric building system is working very well
for us; the building is not going to deteriorate and it's
pretty much maintenance free," says Johnson.
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The four 62' wide x 90' long fabric buildings cover two sludge tanks each.
The buildings were installed
over
the existing sludge tanks and designed
with
side accesses for installing equipment and
cleaning the digesters.
Natural light penetrates the membrane
cover, eliminating the need for artificial lighting.
The fabric covered buildings provide odor
control
and year-round temperature moderation.
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