28mm Thickness 1m Length Prefabricated Steel Structure Building

Steel Frame Prefabricated Steel Structure Building Project Helping Mainline Mouldings Overcome A Critical Storage Issue
We were tasked with extending the storage space for the company’s products and linking the new warehouse to the existing building to eliminate the need to rent extra space.

We took on all aspects of the works including drainage, footings, concrete floor, dock loader, electrics, concrete walls and internal elements from plastering to fitting doors.

The Drainage Challenge
Drainage of water from the site was an early problem. This critical storage issue was twofold; firstly the roadside ditch was heavily blocked, and many attempts to unblock it had been unsuccessful, so it looked as though we’d need to lay a new pipe under a main road. Secondly, the original plan for a settlement pond to drain the water away wouldn’t work. After digging some trial holes, we realised that the clay would hold the water, so it would not drain away.

The first issue was to investigate the best way of getting the water flowing away from the ditch. After some thorough investigating, we found the outlet pipes and cleared the blockage, saving thousands of pounds.

This also helped with the second problem, since a smaller settlement pond could be built closer to the ditch so the water could then overflow into it, away from the site.

Improving the Design
When we looked at the original plans for the building, its link section was designed with a flat roof. With the architect, we agreed it would be better to put a pitch roof and a valley gutter, for consistency of materials used and for longer, better weather protection.

Gutter Design
The client was also keen to get the best solution for the valley gutter. The building needed downpipes inside the building, but it was important to try and keep these to a minimum. So we considered different options, including a symphonic gutter which was not cost-effective.

We agreed the best solution would be a bigger gutter with larger diameter downpipes to decrease the number of downpipes and inspection chambers required.

Speed of Delivery
In the first meeting that our sales director had with the customer and the architect, the customer said he wanted completion over the next two to three years. But in January 2014, he received notice on a unit he was renting, making his deadline became much tighter. At this stage, there were still a lot of details to finalise and the lead times of the building manufacture were also a consideration. We agreed the building could be ready to move in by the first week of August.

We decided to get some of the preliminary work underway on site as soon as the detail was finalised. This did put some pressures on getting designs finalised for the foundations and floor details but it was essential if we were to deliver the project early. It also focused our attention on getting the fabric of the building completed so it was ready to move in. We knew that some of the outside areas could be finished while the building was being used.

We also had to think about some of the materials we were using, especially in the area where the dock loader was going to be. Originally we thought this should be built with shuttering and wet poured concrete to create the walls for the docking area. With time a real issue, we decided that using pre-cast concrete panels and a pre-cast dock loader would save time and money, which it did.

Onsite
It was important not to disrupt the existing business’s day to day running. We minimised disturbance as the job progressed. For example, there was some concrete that needed breaking near the existing building. It was nearly a meter thick in some places, and the process for breaking it up was very time consuming and noisy. We made sure we only did it at evenings and weekends, when no-one was around.

Conclusion
Mainline Mouldings extended storage space was delivered on schedule. For our customer this helped him overcome a critical storage issue when his existing storage space became unavailable. The day to day running of the business continued throughout with minimal disruption.

Our sales director said “despite the challenges of drainage issues and time constraints we delivered. Our goal is to help our customers in any way we can – even when the issues are outside the scope of our brief and this project was a major achievement for the team”.