To VersaTube® Building Systems, a leading manufacturer of pre-engineered steel building components and framing systems, it doesn’t come as a surprise. When Easy Build Structures, an authorized VersaTube® dealer based in Surrey, British Columbia, reported the sale and construction of a customized building to the City of Vancouver for use as a salt storage cover, it represented yet another new market application for the company’s flexible steel building designs. Recently, VersaTube’s steel shelters and canopies found increasing acceptance with the oil and gas pipeline industry as sun shields and pump covers.
In the challenging economic times of 2009, cities and municipalities are seeking cost effective shelter and storage options for their various public works needs. For the city of Vancouver, the often harsh Canadian winter season called for a salt containment facility that would provide a dry sheltered environment with immediate scoop-and-load access to the large salt supply reserves used to combat ice and snow.
Featuring the patented VersaTube® Slip-Fit steel frame system, the three-man Easy Build Structures crew installed a three-sided 40-foot wide by 60-foot long by 16-foot high steel shelter on top of a 9-foot high concrete stem wall using standard tools, a 25-foot boom crane for lifting and placing the trusses, and a platform lift for attaching the roofing and siding panels. The resulting 25-foot high steel building was wired for electricity to accommodate halogen bay lights used for 24-hour salt loading when weather conditions dictate.
Response from Vancouver city officials was positive, stating that “the job was completed to our high expectations and we love it!” Easy Build Structures reports that those same city officials are now considering additional steel buildings as shelters for water tanks and other public works uses.
VersaTube® Building Systems, with plants at corporate headquarters in Collierville, Tenn., and in Casa Grande, Ariz., offers complete engineering and design services to municipal public works departments, construction management companies, general contractors, and architects for 52-foot wide and under clear span structures ranging from simple steel canopy shelters to enclosed steel building solutions. Custom steel framing configurations and building applications are available.
VersaTube® designs, manufactures, distributes and markets pre-engineered steel building components and framing systems for residential, agricultural, commercial, and light industrial building and shelter applications. The heart of the VersaTube® Building System is a patented “Slip-Fit” connection that simplifies assembly of structural steel building frames, thereby reducing construction time. This also allows for the system to be designed with steel frame components that are manageable in size for easy handling and compact packaging. For additional company and product information, go to www.versatube.com.