Enter the fast-build, relocatable building. Forget any preconceptions of basic tent-like structures – today’s portable buildings come with every mod con,from air conditioning and dehumidifiers to highdensity racking. And it can all be dismantled and taken somewhere else when you’ve finished with it.

“In a world of constantly changing market demands,permanent structures for port facilities and warehouse assembly plants can impede growth and transition to new opportunities,” says Ian Patterson, spokesman for the Rubb organisation, which manufactures relocatable buildings in the UK, Norway and the US. “Modern port facilities are required to accommodate increased storage capacity and faster transfer of goods from the waterfront into the distribution chain. In this situation the size and position of the warehouse is critical in creating a classic intermodal cargo facility.

“With its capability and experience in the ports market, Rubb continues to produce innovative solutions for the construction of storage facilities that often require unique answers.” Customers are also thinking about the future, says Amanda Clarkson, marketing manager of Collinson, which represents Finland’s BestHall in the UK and Ireland.

“They want to keep their options open or perhaps they have plans for a future move or expansion,” she says.“For example,we supplied and built a 2,200 sq m BestHall tension membrane building for Martin Butterly at their Drogheda Port site, to increase onquay storage and improve efficiency.

“The company wanted a relocatable building to give them more options when the port is developed; also, they wanted a distribution point on the quay to improve transport efficiency.”

And when speed is of the essence, there’s another advantage – sometimes it can be easier to get planning permission if a structure is viewed as “temporary”, she points out.

The “portable” option can offer a number of advantages for port or terminal operators, says Ms Clarkson. “These include lower cost compared to traditional buildings, minimum foundations required, speed of construction and natural daylight reducing energy requirements,” she says. “There is also the issue of fire safety; the PVC fabric (used by BestHall) melts at 300°C, allowing the heat and smoke to escape, whilst the frame remains intact to between 400° and 500°.”

Flexibility of design is a key point; BestHall buildings, for example, are available in widths up to 100 metres and virtually any length and height to suit. Ian Patterson says a primary advantage of the Rubb design is the ability to be created in virtually an configuration to suit the client’s needs.“Rubb structures can assume a great variety of shapes and efficiently span large distances, offering exceptional versatility in the interior racking and equipment systems.”

A major factor in many ports is the limited amount of land available for new construction, he adds. Belfast Harbour Commissioners provided the Rubb design team with a very firm brief to erect the largest possible building on the available land at the Northern Ireland port. Careful consideration had to be given to the design because of restrictions created by the nearby dockside traffic.

By producing a building with high legs, Rubb was able to install a 32 metres span by 60 metres, maximising all possible space available. This was the fifth storage building Rubb has supplied for Belfast, bringing the current total of storage area constructed to 14,347 square metres.