Bulk material handling across the Great Lakes region presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities. With access to major waterways, ports serve as critical hubs for moving commodities to both domestic and international markets. With this opportunity comes the need for storage solutions that can withstand fluctuating weather conditions to protect material inventories and keep operations running efficiently year-round.
Many facility operators have turned to tension fabric buildings to meet these demands. These structures offer a flexible and cost-effective approach to enclosed bulk storage, particularly for facilities that require large volumes, efficient material flow and reliable protection from the elements.
SOLID STEEL FRAMING
Historically, many fabric structures relied on hollow-tube, web-truss framing, which often fell short in demanding bulk storage environments. Legacy Building Solutions was the first industry supplier to instead utilize structural steel I-beam framing. This approach brought the credibility of conventional steel building design into fabric structures. It also enables far greater customization; rather than selecting from standard web truss building sizes, users can specify storage targets and construct a facility designed to their exact requirements.
A key advantage of rigid-frame, I-beam engineering is the ability to achieve long clear spans without interior columns. Clear span design allows buildings to provide substantial space for flat material storage. Large, open interiors can handle high volumes while also accommodating loader and truck activity. Furthermore, users can easily adapt their overall layouts as operational needs change.
Efficient handling of grain, fertilizer or other bulk materials often requires the integration of conveyors, catwalks and other equipment into the storage facility. Rigid-frame fabric buildings can be optimized with these needs in mind. Engineers can design each individual I-beam to support specific hanging loads, such as overhead conveyors, without adding unnecessary cost elsewhere within the framing structure.
By suspending certain pieces of support equipment on the building frame, the floor area is kept more open and accessible. To efficiently maximize that floor space, many operators use precast concrete retaining walls to organize different products within the building. The end result is a highly adaptable interior that supports both storage and material flow for current and future operations, all under one roof.
INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT, BUILDING MATERIALS
A building’s fabric cladding itself also contributes to environmental performance by moderating temperatures, keeping the facility cooler in the summer months and warmer during the winter. Additionally, the translucency of tension fabric allows natural daylight to illuminate the interior, reducing the need for artificial lighting during daytime hours and improving visibility for operators. At the same time, modern polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fabrics are more durable, engineered with reinforced weaves and protective coatings that provide enhanced longevity.
In any bulk material storage application, maintaining a clean, dry environment is essential. Moisture intrusion or trapped humidity can lead to reduced product quality, and these risks are amplified in regions like the Great Lakes, where weather conditions can shift rapidly.
Legacy’s rigid-frame tension fabric buildings offer effective passive ventilation using ridge and soffit vents that allow warm, moisture-laden air to rise and exit the structure, drawing in cooler air from below. This natural airflow is sufficient to regulate humidity levels in many applications. In other situations, such as in grain storage facilities, mechanical ventilation systems may also be required, in which case the ventilators can be applied to the I-beam frame as a hanging load that is accounted for in the original structure design.
Whether it’s humidity concerns or the corrosive nature of the materials being stored themselves, corrosion is another critical factor that can impact the structural framing if it isn’t properly protected. Hot-dip galvanizing was the industry standard method of frame protection for many years; however, it’s important to understand that the zinc layer with galvanizing primarily serves as a sacrificial layer that is slowly eaten away by corrosion over time.
More advanced systems involved preparing the steel surface, applying a zinc layer, and then finally adding epoxy paint to create a more complete barrier between the steel and its environment. Legacy Building Solutions commonly employs these epoxy coating systems to fully protect against corrosive elements and reduce maintenance demands. Epoxy has proven to be a highly effective choice for facilities that experience corrosive conditions.
DELONG COMPANY, INC. – PORT MILWAUKEE
A recent Legacy Building Solutions facility project involved the construction of a 120- by 580-foot facility for the DeLong Company at Port Milwaukee. The structure provides capacity for approximately 1.7 million bushels of DDGS (distiller’s dried grains with solubles).
The facility incorporates precast concrete walls and supports overhead systems including a 1,000-lb/ft conveyor and catwalk. The building’s open layout, combined with durable PVC fabric and engineered steel I-beam framing, enables DeLong to efficiently load up to 6,000 metric tonnes per day while maintaining product quality in a challenging Great Lakes environment.