Sustainable Fabric Structures

The challenge is enormous

Industrial buildings like sustainable fabric structures aren’t built for beauty -- they are built to address the needs of various industries. For example, structures built to house salt and sand for road de-icing must be resistant to the harsh weather outside and the corrosive materials housed indoors. Fortunately, innovative engineers have discovered a new, lightweight building material that suits multiple industries: fabric.

Legacy Building Solutions has been erecting beautiful industrial structures around the country, and this salt and sand storage building constructed for Five Rivers Distribution in Van Buren, Arkansas demonstrates the firm’s melding of design, function, and environmentalism. Made from polyethylene fabric and polyvinyl chloride fabrics stretched over a hot-dip galvanized steel frame, the building measures an astonishing 14,000 square feet and provides the customized shelter and security Five Rivers Distribution requires.

Unlike inefficient industrial buildings of yore, this fabric structure utilizes recycled materials, and is both reflective and translucent, allowing the building to stay cool even while natural daylight illuminates the indoors.

Though industrial buildings are rarely lauded for their architectural beauty, anyone can appreciate the light and life fabric brings to these functional structures.