In the built environment, ‘span’ is the term given to the length of a structural component that bridges between two supports. A large span structure has a span of over 40 metres, with the continuous space created between these two supports defining the function of the building itself. These wide, unobstructed spaces are highly suitable for machinery, equipment and visual continuity. Therefore, as industries such as aviation and warehousing grow and evolve rapidly, there are surges in demand for structures that can maximise the space within and cater for larger scale activities.

Various industries have their own demands and structural challenges that can be fulfilled with large span structures. Let’s take the aviation industry as our first example. As the world has started to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, there is an expected increase in flight demand, of which there will be more aircraft that require maintenance, repair and overhauling (MRO), and aircraft hangars for serviced aircrafts and the technicians carrying out works. The design of aircraft hangar structures is required to span between 40 – 100 meters, to accommodate for both narrow-body and wide-body aircrafts.

 

With the increased popularity of e-commerce industry, logistics companies have to keep up with the demand as the industry ventures into new, large-scale operations. Warehouses are growing bigger and more high-tech, requiring the buildings to have increasingly large capacities to store goods and support the automated storage & retrieval systems to be integrated within the structures. Large span structures are easy to install and can quickly expand the warehouse storage capacities to handle greater volume of goods.

 

Another sector that requires large span structures is the mining industry. Both on-shore and off-shore mining activities require storage buildings to protect their machineries and the mined products such as ore, coal, and others. As energy trends shift towards cleaner green energy, there are higher demands for essential metal ores for products such as nickel and cobalt, of which require robust storage facilities. Usually, these mining sites are located in remote areas, which pose challenges for the operator to obtain sound and adequate material to construct proper storage facilities. The easy transportation and assembly of large span structures is why it has been widely adopted in this industry.

 

Other common uses for large span structures are sports halls, stadiums, art venues, event spaces and exhibition halls just to name a few. Although the basic principles for the structural design of large span structures are the same, there can be adaptations of different features, materials and structural detailing to support the functional and aesthetic needs of each industry.

 

 

For the past 30 years, ADAS^® has been a key player in providing one stop solutions worldwide with various lightweight structures to meet each of these demands. More recently, we have been developing ADAS^® Large Span Structures, which are strong, durable, reliable and cost effective due to their modular structural designs.

 

Our Large Span solutions feature the highest quality materials such as hot-dip galvanised steel frames and PVC or PTFE tensile fabric. These fabrics have a translucent quality that allow light to permeate, but can also be combined with the transparent ADAS^® ETFE Skylight as an excellent option to maximise natural daylight. With these non-stick, durable materials, ADAS^® Large Span Structures are incredibly low maintenance.

 

 

 

ADAS^® has the capability and expertise to design, fabricate, deliver and install large span structures as a complete solution. Our structures are accompanied by pre-analysed and pre-fabricated modular components, making transportation and on-site installation smoother and more efficient. Additionally, whether it be ventilation, lighting, or integrated racking, ADAS^® Large Span structures are highly customizable to meet your project requirements.

 

As such, we also provide a five to ten-year warranty on our structures as a mark of confidence in our solutions.

 

Interested to find out more? Don’t hesitate to contact us today at [email protected]!