Structured To Work For Agribusiness

Size

In many ways this is the single most important decision in your project. It is a juggling act managing space requirements, budgets and sometimes site restrictions.

It is important to consider for future expansion in this area as there is nothing more frustrating than having your hard earned expansion stilled by lack of space.

Shape

Shape is another thing to consider. Don’t let anybody push you into a box that is not the right shape for you.

Why struggle for years with an inefficient layout when this can be streamlined with a little planning.

Height

Have you considered your current and long term requirements in this area? Maybe you have been planning for some larger machinery or some higher pallet racking.

Extra height is not as expensive as you might think.

Foundations

TechSpan’s engineering experience starts underground. All designs include foundation details which can be customised to suit your location and soil. Our buildings are held down with engineered cast-in hold down bolts.

Watch out for low cost alternatives that use light weight plates and brackets that are only fixed down with low strength masonry anchors. No short cuts should be taken in this critical area.

Bay Spacing

The Bay spacing refers to the spacing of the portal rafters lengthways down the building. Our normal bay spacings range between 6 – 8 Meters.

We can accommodate spacing both smaller and larger than this to suit individual requirements.

Columns

All columns on TechSpan buildings are constructed using universal beam. These are of solid one piece construction from top to bottom.

These are painted using our signature triple coat protection system zinc-rich primer long lasting shield against corrosion. For exceptional protection, columns can be hot dip galvanized.

Sliding Doors

Sliding Doors are the most versatile and cost effective door option, having virtually limitless configurations. From a standard opening, to a whole sliding wall. Large doors are no use if you cannot open them! We insist on over-engineering our door hardware to ensure many years of trouble free operation.

Purlins & Girts

TechSpan use high tensile Australian 450 Grade roll-formed purlins and girts on all buildings. Low grade imported alternatives are not considered by our engineers.

Personnel Access Doors

Most larger buildings require one or more PA doors as the larger doors normally cannot be opened from the outside. For this reason it is often useful to locate your PA doors near your larger doors.

Depending on the size of your building, Council Regulations could require you to have further PA doors around the perimeter of your building for use as fire exits.

Cladding

The majority of TechSpan buildings are clad with high tensile roll formed cladding. The two main options are Zincallume or Colourbond finish.

Zincallume is the most cost effective while Colourbond gives you the opportunity to personalise your building. Gutters and downpipes offer further room for creativity in this area.

Many past projects have blended the two by using Colourbond cladding on the walls and Zincallume cladding for the roof. TechSpan use double zinc coated cladding for even our Colourbond has a layer of zinc under the color for superior corrosion protection.

Insulation

Insulation is often an area that is passed over in shed design. The benefits of working through this are long lasting and rewarding.

Options include Anticon or Sisalation, Roof Insulation Blanket and Air-cell. Anticon is almost essential for most buildings as nobody really likes condensation dripping everywhere on those cooler mornings. 

The roof blanket offers further benefits – cooler in summer and warmer in winter. It is truly surprising what difference it actually makes. Please consider these requirements carefully.

Air-cell in is a premium insulation product which offers superior insulation qualities while maintaining a very low profile of just 8mm thick. It looks like foil backed “Bubble Wrap”.

Ventilation

Natural roof ventilation serves two very important functions on your building. It provides temperature relief by allowing the hot air that gathers up in the ridge of your building to escape, creating a convection current thus drawing cooler air in through the lower openings. Provision can be made to have these seasonally adjustable.

The other benefit of roof ventilation is it allows unwanted fumes to escape from the building. Maybe the old tractor is not running like it used to, or perhaps those welding fumes are a bit overpowering. It is surprising what results can be achieved with natural ventilation.

The two most popular options are Ridge Vents and “Whirly birds”. The TechSpan team can help with your requirements.

Open Sides

Open sides on buildings are a useful option for allowing easy access to your covered area. Depending on your situation you may like to have one end or one side open — possibly even no walls at all.

Internal walls can be constructed should you need “half and half”. TechSpan designs are all fully flexible and can cater for the combination that best suits you

Mezzanine Floors

Including a mezzanine floor in your new project design is a cost effective way of increasing the floor area of your building without increasing its footprint. TechSpan can accommodate all your requirements in the area including stairs and balustrading.

Skylights

Skylights are a great way to take advantage of natural sunlight to light your building. The team at TechSpan has many ideas in this area for both roof and walls. Investment in this area will pay itself off many times by reducing the ever-rising cost of electricity used.