Heavy duty option

Tensile construction uses a steel superstructure framework wrapped with heavy-duty architectural membrane. The high strength-to-weight ratio of steel reduces frame weight requirements and cuts down on foundation work.

There’s a common misconception that all tension membrane buildings, or tensile, are somehow ‘tent-like’, when in reality the opposite is true.

The fact they don’t look exactly like traditional buildings is a positive in a lot of ways. For one, there are a lot more design and profile shape possibilities with tensile than there are with a traditional building, and for two, the construction method is solid.

Stability

At Collinson, we take into account the exact same criteria when designing a tensile building as someone would for a traditional build. The buildings are tailored to the individual conditions of a site—wind and snow loadings, for example, and site ground conditions. We’ve created tensile buildings in The Outer Hebrides, where wind speeds are high. In fact, one of our tensile buildings at Back Football Club on the Isle of Lewis withstood recorded wind speeds of 130mph for between 5 and 7 hours back in 2014, and was undamaged—unlike a lot of the buildings nearby.

Collinson tensile buildings are permanent structures and comply with current building regulations.

Relocatable

The buildings can be re-located but there are factors to take into account. It’s not just a case of picking it up and moving it. The buildings are designed to suit the conditions of a specific site, so it may mean the structure isn’t suited to the new location. The best thing to do would be to always check the design factors against the conditions of the new site.

All our buildings come with a 25-year warranty on the steelwork and a 10-year, non-reducing warranty on the membrane covering. In terms of life expectancy, the membrane will last 35 years at least, and that’s without any maintenance. After several decades of use, it can also be recycled.

Planning permission

Any permanent new build—or, come to think of it, most temporary buildings that will be in place more than 28 days—will need planning permission, even if you own the land. Bear in mind that your Local Authority might have certain conditions that you’ll need to agree to for them to approve the application. It’s also possible to extend a tensile facility, or to have a tensile addition on an existing build—but again, both of these need planning permission.

The buildings are particularly suited to handling and storage. Whereas traditional buildings need central supports, which obviously create obstructions that can make day-to-day operations a challenge, tensile buildings can span up to 100 metres clear span. 

That means an internal space without supports in the way—not only better for employee movement and mechanical handling, but actually increasing your available floor and storage space.

Damage

For any structure, damage tends to take place at low level where there are pedestrians and moving vehicles. 

Subject to design requirements, we’ll usually clad the bottom three metres of the building in steel—not only to better protect against damage, but for increased security for the contents of the building.

Tensile buildings are subject to the same fire regulations as traditional buildings. We use a membrane cover that’s been manufactured with a fire retardant, to prevent fire spread. In terms of numbers, the fire retardancy complies with BS 7157:1989 and BS 7837:1996, via Test Method BS5438, test 2B: 1989.

As well as our unheated buildings for waste management and general storage, we also have a fully heated and insulated building that complies with Part L2A building regulations.

With any of our building types, it’s quite straightforward to incorporate renewable energy sources for energy efficiency. Our tensile system is efficient in itself, because the membrane roof lets natural light in. It’s a nice environment to spend time in.

Cost

Because they’re prefabricated and modular for the most part—and they’re lightweight, due to the high strength-to-weight ratio of steel meaning less is needed—the cost of materials and foundations is generally much less for a tensile building than for a conventional building.

We’re also able to create tensile buildings that are attractive to look at. We have both standard and bespoke designs available. So, these can be traditional ‘portal frame’ looking, or architecturally enhanced for a more aesthetic appearance.

“The specialist membrane we use also comes in many different colours, which can be mixed and matched to create different visual effects. Plus, company logos and images can be screen-printed onto the building.