Factors To Consider For Warehouse Construction - Part 1

Factors to consider for warehouse construction – part 1
Warehouses are seeing a great demand and are an integral part of the logistics
value chain, forming the node, which allows for the collection, sorting and
dissemination of goods within the supply chain. This growth in market size will
be attributed to an increase in the demand for smart warehouses. These
warehouses use IoT to track products and are made with materials that help
increase efficiency and speed across the supply chain. Therefore there is a need
to note all of the factors that need to be considered while warehousing
construction so that it is sustainable and durable to meet the modern
requirement.
Factors to consider for warehouse construction –
Take account of any special accommodations that you may have to make for
your products. Are your products hazardous? Flammable? Fragile? Make sure
that the proper accommodations can be made at your desired warehouse
location. Don’t waste time and resources finding a warehouse space and then
outgrowing the space shortly after. Save time and effort by estimating projected
growth to be able to figure out an accurate idea of the storage your company
needs.
Given below are a few factors that need to be considered for your warehouse.
Flatter floors for warehouse

The concrete slab floor of your warehouse acts as a wearing surface. The soil
beneath it is the ultimate support, it is therefore important that the soil beneath
the floor is stable and well compacted before the concrete is poured. Completion
of test borings of the soil beneath the warehouse is essential as the first step in
creating a sound floor. If a lack of stability is indicated by test results, further
steps must be taken before pouring the concrete slab. Large concrete floors for
commercial and industrial buildings must be designed and constructed using the
greatest possible economy that results in a serviceable slab for the anticipated
service life of the slab. To accomplish this goal, the construction of floor slabs
requires close communication between the owner, architect, engineer,
contractor and material supplier. To address this situation, careful attention
must be given to the many factors that influence floor performance which
include: sub-grade and adequacy of its bearing capacity, Moisture content of
the sub-grade and sub-base, Concrete quality, Adequacy of the structural
capacity, Deformations and Sub-slab details.
Floors take the most burnt in a warehouse, so it needs to be constructed

perfectly to avoid mishaps and for restoring functionality and durability. When it
comes to warehouse flooring, your movement and storage needs will ultimately
determine your flatness requirements. We make decisions about warehouse
floor flatness based on the kinds of racking layouts and forklifts an operator
needs to use, your warehouse floor will almost always fall into one of two
categories: “free movement” [ In these areas, forklifts can be driven freely
along non-defined routes], or “defined movement’ [In these areas, the trucks
run in defined and fixed paths with the help of some kind of guidance system].
Flatter new floors for warehouse
For warehouses, there is a demand for flatter floors. Methods incorporating long
strip concrete placement are required now. Long strip construction involves
laying the floor in long narrow strips – typically two aisles wide. This allows
formwork to be set very accurately to the correct height, and the strip is
screened, giving you very precise flatness across the width of the aisle. This
process helps to get a floor with fewer joints, fewer cracks, less maintenance
and exceptional durability. There is now shrinkage-compensating concrete and
steel fibers available that helps you to build jointless floors for high-intensity
traffic and high-bay warehouses. Its high impact resistance and crack control
increase the durability of your floors without the need for the mesh.
Aisle of warehouse floor needs to be three to four times flatter than

conventional concrete floors. Therefore upon floor installation, the flatness and
levelness in the future lift truck wheel tracks need to be corrected to improve
truck rideability. There are two usual methods to address this problem: to
install a self-leveling overlay or to grind the high spots. Skilled technicians then
use highway straight edges to cut high spots and fill low spots for accurate
longitudinal flatness.
Flatter floors for warehouse
Super Flat floors are being constructed with tighter tolerances than conventional
floor slabs. Level and flatten warehouse flooring is crucial for the proper
circulation of handling equipment. The floor in a warehouse working
environment with narrow aisle machines must be extremely level. The flatness
of the warehouse floor is vital for safe and efficient logistics operations. A non-
flat floor not only disrupts activity but can also affect the driver’s safety and the
lifetime of the warehouse equipment.
Laser screening technology is being used in warehouses as it cuts, vibrates &

levels the concrete in a single pass. The levels achieved with Laser screed
technology are far higher than any other system to create wide panel floor
construction. Using the technology will substantially reduce joints resulting in
chances of floor cracks from construction joints. Then finishing can be done with
a troweling machine.
Improving flatness of already existing floor in the warehouse
Apart from new flooring, there are two ways to improve the flatness of an
existing floor. The first method is an overlay onto an existing warehouse floor.
This could be an overlay of concrete. The other method is to grind the floor. The
intensity of grinding depends on the difference between the current situation
and the desired result. This may vary from sanding down a few humps here and
there to deploying heavy machinery throughout all aisles.
PEB as building material for warehouse
Most of the warehouses are standard box type buildings as the design and other
infrastructure for any warehouse depends on the storage requirements. PEB is
the best option for it. These structures are made from heavy-duty, industrial-
grade steel frames, they are extremely resistant to the inorganic elements.
There’s no need to worry about rotting, mould, termites, and other issues that
can arise when natural building materials are used for framing. You can even
protect your steel frames from corrosion by applying a barrier coating that
prevents corrosive elements from contacting the steel. This greatly reduces the
likelihood of rust and extends the lifespan of your warehouse. To provide
weather covering for roofs and walls from external conditions, steel structures
need to be covered fully/partially as per functional requirements.
PEB for warehouse
There are a lot of reasons behind the people’s preference for the pre-engineered
steel buildings over traditional ones. The main reason is that the quicker build-
up process and cheaper costs of the steel buildings make a preferred choice.
Their long span time, durability, resistance to rust, fire and bad weather
conditions are the most common and unique advantages of the steel buildings
which make them people’s choice. Pre-engineered steel building designs have
versatility features; allowing you to customize large fabricated buildings.
Pre-engineered buildings are engineered to be the safest construction elements

that will withstand the extremities of Nature. Thus it can withstand the load of
strong winds and blizzards. Pre-engineered steel structures, when encapsulated
in insulating panels, are energy-efficient. These structures are portal frame
construction comprising primary and secondary framing and bracing systems. A
combination of these three elements and weather covering sheeting results in
stable steel buildings instead of individual frames.
The pre-engineered metal building system is advantageous for warehouses

because it very economically allows for the creation of large column-free
enclosures. Nowadays different color/color combinations are used to make
building more aesthetic & elegant.
Warehouse Roofs
Roofing is one of the most exposed parts of a warehouse building system facing
harsh weather conditions. You must identify the most appropriate roof for your
warehouse depending on location, size, usage and time. When choosing
warehouse roofing, look for materials with a track record of longevity. Certain
roofing materials endure, even under hostile conditions, resulting in a lengthy
lifespan.
There are different types of warehouse roofing available, some of the popular
ones are –
Liquid-Applied Roofing – This roof can be custom-fitted, as they can be

painted around or on any existing roofing structure. Liquid materials are
monolithic and can fill in seams, cracks, or other gaps in the roof, which will
enhance the roof’s water resistance A benefit of liquid-applied roofing is that it
may be applied to existing roofing structures. Additional features include
coatings being highly elastic, which allows them to be applied to contoured
surfaces. The roofing also has disadvantages, like low permeability and
requiring uniform thickness.
Metal Roofing – Metal roofing is a bit expensive option. But the upside is that
the metal roof will outlive almost everything else in the building. It’s not an
exaggeration that some metal roofs will last 100 years or more. It comes in
three basic forms: sheets, tiles, and look-alikes. The look-a-like option just
means the metal is designed to look like something else such as a cedar shake.
Asphalt shingles Roofing – Asphalt shingles roof is flexible, affordable, and

can be customized. It includes three types, which are premium shingles,
dimensional shingles, and strip shingles. It is an excellent choice to consider if
you need a roof that offers superior protection against fire, water leaks, and bad
weather.
Single-ply Roofing – Single ply roofing membranes are constructed using

flexible sheets of compounded synthetic materials. Strength and flexibility are
added benefits. The prefabricated sheets of singly ply roofing membrane
systems are manufactured with consistent quality. The sheets also offer
versatility in methods of attachment and possess a broad applicability. Single-
ply membranes are available in two primary categories: thermosets and
thermoplastics.
Built-Up Roofing – The main benefit of a built-up roof is its insulating

property. The roof is made up of a few layers of sealants and membranes, and
finally, most are finished off with gravel as the top layer. Another benefit of this
roof type is its pleasing finish, gravel is much more pleasing to the eye than the
black rubbers and plastics of other roofs, and the gravel is much more forgiving
to foot traffic.
Warehouse Roofing
Modified Bitumen Roofing – For modified bitumen roofs, the bitumen is

mixed with a rubber membrane to make it malleable enough to be formed into
sheets. The roof is still thick, normally two plies, but it is nowhere near as
heavy as a built-up roof, making it easy to install. It is also cheaper than many
other membrane roofs.
TPO Roofing – TPO stands for thermoplastic polyolefin. It a single-ply roofing

membrane that covers the surface of the roof. The name is a bit misleading
because rather than being a plastic, TPO is one of a few different types of
rubber, usually a blend of polypropylene and ethylene-propylene rubber.
Composite Roofing – Composite roofing is probably the most commonly

selected roofing and cladding materials for warehouses. It comprises a pre-
assembled roofing structure with insulation and support sandwiched between
the upper and lower roofing panels; and can easily be fixed and assembled to
construct the roof.
Twin Skin Roofing – The Twin Skin Roof is similar to the Composite roof in the
respect that the same materials and products are used, but generally speaking
this option is the cheaper of the two in materials costs. It does offer the
flexibility to the Building owner of selecting the thickness of the insulation they
require, and they can hand-select the specific top layer of their choice.
Conclusion
We have discussed three important factors that need to be considered for the
warehouse. They need to be created with experts as any inefficiency on these
factors might lead to a bigger financial loss for the warehouse owner. Modern-
day warehouses require systems that can enable fast-track work systems. So
select wisely.

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Factors to consider for warehouse construction – part 1

Factors to consider for warehouse construction –

Flatter floors for warehouse

Floors take the most burnt in a warehouse, so it needs to be constructed

Flatter new floors for warehouse

Aisle of warehouse floor needs to be three to four times flatter than

Flatter floors for warehouse

Laser screening technology is being used in warehouses as it cuts, vibrates &

Improving flatness of already existing floor in the warehouse

PEB as building material for warehouse

Pre-engineered buildings are engineered to be the safest construction elements

The pre-engineered metal building system is advantageous for warehouses

Liquid-Applied Roofing – This roof can be custom-fitted, as they can be

Asphalt shingles Roofing – Asphalt shingles roof is flexible, affordable, and

Single-ply Roofing – Single ply roofing membranes are constructed using

Built-Up Roofing – The main benefit of a built-up roof is its insulating

Modified Bitumen Roofing – For modified bitumen roofs, the bitumen is

TPO Roofing – TPO stands for thermoplastic polyolefin. It a single-ply roofing

Composite Roofing – Composite roofing is probably the most commonly

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