Regulations and quality standards for temporary buildings
What are the key temporary building regulations, what quality standards do they meet and how durable are temporary buildings? You might expect us to say very durable, but not all temporary buildings are created equal. With so many different building codes, quality standards and acronyms, it can be quite confusing to understand what they all actually mean for safety, quality, building regulation compliance and importantly, durability.
This article explains exactly what you should be looking for in-terms of quality and compliance standards when purchasing or renting a temporary building. Ultimately, these quality standards and regulations will determine the durability and compliance of your building.
What are temporary building quality standards?
Temporary building quality standards encompass a set of guidelines and regulations designed to ensure that buildings, despite their “temporary” name, meet rigorous safety and compliance criteria.
If you are unsure about what of the various quality standards for temporary buildings, fear not, our knowledgeable team will explain all in this article. If you would prefer to speak to an expert, our team are only a call or email away…
Design Quality
Design quality is often overlooked and whilst there isn’t a technical code for design quality for temporary buildings, it is a hugely important step in ensuring your building is fit for purpose and will stand the test of time.
It is possible to throw up a building quickly without due consideration for its intended use, local conditions and complete lifecycle. Our approach is consultative and design led, meaning we invest time in understanding your business, the challenges you face, and how you intend to use the building. This means we can provide a considered and well thought out design, optimising your budget and providing a quality solution that meets your short and longer-term needs.
To achieve this, we always recommend a site consultation so we can design a solution that will exceed your expectations whilst offering a robust and value for money solution. For us, every detail matters and if there is a better design solution, or a different installation method, we will put it forward for your consideration. Our design team will refine and develop the plans together with you until you are completely satisfied that we have engineered the best solution for your needs.
Temporary building codes and calculations
Ready for your first code? As part of the design process, our engineering team will complete detailed wind and weather loading calculations to ensure the design will be suitable for your local environment, these are called “zonal calculations”.
what are zonal calculations?
Once you have your building design, next we need to complete zonal calculations. Zonal calculations are structural calculations that divide a temporary building into different areas, or “zones”, so that design loads can be assessed accurately for each part of the structure. In temporary building design, these zones are most commonly used for:
• Wind loads
• Snow loads
• Site exposure conditions
• Localised structural forces
Rather than applying one general figure across the whole structure, our engineers consider how wind, snow and imposed loads affect different roof, wall, edge and corner zones. This helps ensure the building is designed for your real site conditions. We never take a one size fits all approach. You may find that some providers design to the maximum snow and wind loadings to save time. This can often lead to over-engineering the building and it will significantly increase the cost.
Eurocode standards for temporary structures
Our temporary buildings and structures meet various different euro codes and we always include structural calculations in our price, no hidden costs. But what is a Eurocode? A Eurocode is a European structural design standard used by engineers to prove that a building or structure has been designed safely. Here are the codes our buildings comply to:
EN 1991-1-1: Eurocode 1, General Actions, Densities and Imposed Loads standard. This means the temporary building is designed around realistic everyday loading conditions, from the weight of the structure itself to the weather conditions it will be exposed to.
EN 1991-1-3: Eurocode 1, General Actions, Snow Loads. This standard deals with snow loading on roofs and other exposed parts of a structure. EN 1991-1-3 helps confirm that a temporary building can withstand snow accumulation, protecting roof structures from excessive loading during adverse winter conditions.
EN 1991-1-4: Eurocode 1, General Actions, Wind Loads. EN 1991-1-4 ensures temporary buildings are assessed for wind pressure and site exposure, helping the structure remain stable and secure in high winds in exposed locations.
What are Structural General Rules
Structural General Rules are the part of Eurocode compliance that deals with the core engineering principles behind the building’s frame and structural elements. Specifically for our temporary buildings and structures, these are:
• EN 1993-1-1 2006: Eurocode 3: Design of steel structures – General rules
• EN 1993-1-8 2006: Eurocode 3: Design of steel structures – Design of joists
• EN 1999-1-1 2007: Eurocode 9: Design of aluminium structures – General rules
These structural codes, specifically demonstrate building strength, stability and durability needed for safe long-term use. In simple terms, Eurocode 1, General actions deals with the loads and forces applied to a structure. The structural general rules help prove that the frame, beams, bracing, and other structural elements are strong enough and stable enough for the building’s intended use.
Planning permission regulations
Temporary building planning permission and building regulations are linked, but they are not the same thing. We have created a handy planning guide to explain, in detail, when you may need planning permission for a temporary building or structure.
Engineering and production standards
The next stage of the process is manufacturing the building. Once you have approved the design and placed an order, we move onto this phase. Our manufacturing partner, uses cutting edge technology in their advanced facilities, including robotics, CNC laser cutting, and high-frequency PVC welding technology. It truly is state of the art. Each component is inspected and signed off before it leaves the factory. This means there is no room for poor workmanship.
These technologies ensure precision and consistency in every building we produce. The building is manufactured in an ISO-certified environment, ensuring that all manufacturing processes adhere to the highest international standards for quality and safety.
Installation safety and compliance standards
So, the building has been designed and manufactured, the final phase is installation. Our installation teams have a range of qualifications to ensure a safe installation and a quality end product. Our installation teams are directly employed, in-house. They hold a number of qualifications including IOSH, NEBOSH and PASMA. As a business we also hold Constructionline Gold accreditation with ISO:14001, ISO:9001 and ISO45001 certification.
While these standards are not a requirement to meet building regulations, it further demonstrates our overall commitment to providing a high-quality, durable temporary building that will stand the test of time. These technologies ensure precision and consistency in every building we produce. The building is manufactured in an ISO-certified environment, ensuring that all manufacturing processes adhere to the highest international standards for quality and safety.
Temporary building regulations covered! Start your project?
Our diligent and robust approach to the design quality, regulations and compliance standards set us apart in the market. Our temporary building experts help you every step of the way to ensure your building meets the highest standards of compliance and quality to give you an exceptional end product.
