Uses for Fabric Buildings

When the photocopier emerged on the office scene decades ago to replace Gestetner and carbon copies, most people were skeptical of its value or the likelihood that offices would find a need for multiple copies. Instead of failing miserably as predicted, it opened up other industries and technologies, including fax, print advertising and others. This, in turn, enabled the growth of other businesses. Think of the ideas and inventions that the computer has spawned. 

Similarly, the emergence of fabric buildings (often called “tarpaulin buildings”) has enabled the refinement and development of many more business and personal applications that were not feasible a decade or two ago.

In rural communities, retention of the population base has become the primary focus, with a steady outflow of residents moving to bigger centres where there are better facilities of all sorts. Combined with a lack of money to stimulate infrastructure development or business support, this lack of services has become critical to community survival or failure. Fabric buildings may offer an answer to cost effective development of local resources. One of the major costs, for example, involved in swimming pool construction is the enclosure. With the very short outdoor season in Western Canada, a three-month season to repay the cost of a swimming pool is far from sufficient. However, a fabric canopy could extend the season by three more months, making capital costs more affordable. Along Lake Winnipeg, a local community spent several years considering the viability of an amphitheater for its summer patrons, opting eventually for a simple stage. Had the choice of a fabric canopy been considered, cost would have been significantly reduced and the project proceeded more quickly. While many rural communities have developed golf courses, opting for a fabric pavilion would have expanded their reach and ability to serve larger groups than the small clubhouses that they build can do.

Whether urban or rural, open-air restaurants are popular eateries and the fabric building is the perfect answer to this venue design. They can be seasonal, extended season operations or even designed as year-round facilities. In like manner, rural and urban centres may want to look at the low cost versus the benefit of providing baseball diamond dugout canopies or umbrella sunshades for the spectators. In the country, rodeo stands and staging areas could use such low-cost coverings.

Many  cities now employ transit stop canopy shelters made of fabric. Apartment complexes and some hotels have maximized usable space by installing rooftop canopies while others have enclosed courtyards in fabric domes. Think of the many outdated seniors homes. Their tiny suites are far from inviting. Expanded leisure space can be quickly created by enclosing the unused greenspace that many have. Auto dealers know that shoppers prefer to examine their potential purchase in the comfort of an enclosed showroom. A simple shade saddle, inflatable dome or tension-fabric building costs a fraction of a traditional showroom, provides better lighting and easier access and egress for vehicles. This, in turn, increases sales potential.

While the evolution of fabric structures (or “tarp structures”) may not equal the impact of the computer or photocopier, it is a game-changer, and allows for creative communities, organizations, businesses and individuals to capitalize on the opportunities created.