Rory Bagley
With major cities like San Francisco publicly promoting their “Zero Waste” goals, you could be forgiven for thinking that landfills are on their way out. However, you would be wrong. There are more than 2,000 working landfills in the U.S. The need for landfills remains high and interest in redeveloping closed landfills has never been higher. Fabric structures are helping landfills thrive from concept design to closeout.
Fabric Structures Are Flexible
Tensioned fabric structures offer flexibility unmatched by other building types. They take less time to put up than traditional structures and can serve as temporary or permanent buildings.
Even more, they contain no unwieldy inner pillars, posts, or support walls. Instead, their interiors are wholly open. This gives operators maximum freedom to organize and use the space efficiently. It also enables trucks, forklifts, and other support vehicles free range to move in and out safely and without impediment.
Fabric Structures Save Money
Tensile fabric structures save landfill operators money in a variety of ways. First, fabric shade structures cost less to build than traditional buildings. Second, they can be relocated and repurposed or reused. Traditional buildings, by contrast, must be:
- Demolished
- Removed
- Replaced
The ability to quickly and easily move buildings is ideal for landfills given that each phase of landfill development and use lasts on average between one and two years.
Custom fabric structures reduce energy costs, as well. Due to their semi-transparent nature, they allow abundant light into workspaces during the day, reducing or eliminating the need for costly artificial lighting. They naturally offer better ventilation than other types of structures.
Fabric Structures Are Safe
Running a landfill requires large and expensive equipment. Both that equipment and the personnel that operate it need protection from the elements and the environment. As a result, landfill operators often have to throw huge sums of money into the buildings on their site.
Fabric structures offer high-quality engineering and top-level safety. They rival what you would expect from a costly permanent structure. Yet, they have none of the drawbacks of such structures and a slew of extra benefits.
Safe and well-engineered fabric facilities extend the functional life of equipment, save money, and help retain the best personnel in the market. They can also be ideal when operators need to meet special standards, such as those that apply when they receive grant funding for special projects.
Fabric Structures Serve Landfills’ Whole Life Cycles
Now more than ever, there is demand for closed landfills as the site of new developments. Increasingly, landfills are being opened with alternative end uses of the site in mind. Fabric structures are the only type of construction that can serve a landfill site at every step of its lifecycle, from opening to closing and after. This makes them an unprecedentedly good investment. Using fabric structures is only one of the innovative ways landfill operators are adapting to the changing demands of their market.