Temporary by name, temporary by nature?

Temporary warehouses often have the same snow and wind loadings as a permanent building argues Aganto

It depends on someone's perception of temporary, but when it comes to temporary warehouses people's perception is often incorrect - particularly in terms of durability and quality.

The word temporary itself is the misleading factor and can, for obvious reasons, create an impression of inferior quality and short-term use. The truth is temporary warehouses have the same snow and wind loadings as a permanent building and come with a ten year guarantee on the frame. This means they meet the required British Standards for structural safety and can be in continual use for up to 10 years fully complying with UK Building Regulations.

Classifying these buildings as temporary is really targeting businesses 'in the know', or with a genuine temporary need such as short-term growth, warehouse refurbs or fires. It is, however, also homing in on the real commercial benefits of using one of these structures. Temporary reflects the hire options and also the installation method. Hiring gives total flexibility and keeps commitment, investment and risk low - all factors that sit well with today's economic uncertainty. The installation method of anchoring buildings down to existing level hard standing eliminates the need of traditional foundations associated with permanent or steel buildings and, more importantly, creates three of the major benefits - speed (a matter of days), low cost and minimal disruption.

When the need is temporary the alternatives of hiring off-site is often the first option considered and can provide an adequate solution. The ability to keep all warehousing on site however, even for a short period, creates the obvious benefits - tighter control of stock, reduces transport time and can improve lead times.

Temporary warehouses can not only solve your storage problems, but they can create significant commercial gain. The rapid delivery and installation time of just days enables businesses to see a far quicker return on investment than if they used a steel or traditional warehouse. Costs are kept low with the non-disruptive installation method and hire contracts can be incorporated into monthly budgets. Purchase options require a larger initial outlay than hire, but usually come with a buy-back clause retaining flexibility.

Buildings come in a range of sizes from 5m spans through to 30m, eave heights up to 6m and unlimited length. To create large spaces buildings can be gutter-linked together or linked to an existing building. Varying levels of insulation can be created depending on the goods being stored - canopies and basic structures provide security and weather protection and insulated buildings will create a temperature controlled environment.Temporary warehouses also score highly with their green credentials - the aluminium frame is a very easy and energy efficient material to recycle and the insulated walling system is 100% recycled and recyclable.

Wights Salad, a supplier of top quality tomatoes recently benefited from a temporary warehouse after ongoing growth and expansion meant the company were running out of space in their existing warehouse for the storage of packaging materials. Aganto designed and installed a 15m wide by 20m long building with a 6m eave height. In order to keep the cardboard dry we included within the specification a thermo roof which would provide the required level of insulation to eliminate any condensation. Green walls were also supplied to comply with the local planning requirements.

Commenting on the temporary warehouse and Aganto, Geoff Faulkner, factory operations manager at Wights Salad says: "We were very impressed with how Aganto listened to our requirements and objectives and then provided a fast temporary warehouse solution that met those needs perfectly, right down to the green walls." Temporary warehouses are considered to be the most popular type of temporary building, but due to the modular flexibility of the structure there are many other specifications and applications available, including canopy buildings that can be linked to existing warehouses.

The Benson Group is the UK's fastest growing packaging manufacturer, operating out of four sites and producing printed cartons for customers in both the food and pharmaceutical industries.With quality standards becoming increasingly tighter the Group needed to find a quick way of ensuring all the loading and unloading to and from their warehouse was carried out under cover. Once they learnt about the quick installation method of anchoring buildings down to level hard standing they realised this was the fast and cost-effective solution they needed, that wouldn't compromise on quality. The canopy structure installed by Aganto was 15m wide by 10m long and linked to the existing warehouse building with a 10m portal beam to enable unrestricted access to and from both buildings.

With any misconceptions around quality and 'temporary' now clarified, these structures should be seriously considered by UK industry for any additional storage or operational requirement - whether it be for 3 months or ten years.