Fabric Structure Buying Process
Whether you are new to the fabric building industry or are a seasoned veteran, our project management process is second to none. We make sure to take the time to listen to our customers and make sure they get the building they need for the budget they have.
1. Information and Advice
The most important step for all of our projects is gathering all the required information so we can give our professional advice based on decades of experience in the industry. With our wide variety of building profiles and sizes, we guarantee to have the right building for you. If your needs don’t fall within our standard line up, our project managers will work closely with our design team to build you a custom fabric structure that fits all your requirements. Based on the building use we can make recommendations on the following.
- Size, Profile, and Spacing based on engineering requirements.
- Foundation options
- Building add-ons: Doors, Eaves, End Walls, Ventilation, etc.
2. Design Process
Winkler Structures has a fully staffed in-house design team that works closely with you and/or your project manager to ensure your no compromise fabric structure meets your specific requirements. Click here to learn more about our engineering capabilities.
3. Order Process
When it comes to actually ordering your building we make it much easier than you ever imagined. Our project managers have experience in helping customers navigate their way through permitting, building codes, government grant applications, insurance, and more. We will work hand in hand with officials and engineers to ensure a smooth transaction. All you have to do is arrange a delivery date and we take care of the rest.
4. Installation
At Winkler Structures we pre-qualify all of our contractors and installers. Our crews take great pride in their work and it shows in their quality. Our fabric structures are designed to be built safe and fast with some projects being done in only a few days. Rest assured, we value quality from production to installation.
Features & Options
Doors
- Steel Roll-up Doors (up to 16’ wide)
- Overhead roll style doors that are ideal for small storage buildings
- Continuous curtain of solid steel makes this door durable, attractive, and effective
- Canvas Roll-up Doors (up to 20’ wide)
- An outside mounted roll up door, designed similar to a truck tarp. Rolls up and down with hand held roll pipe and is a cost effective option for your building
- Accutrack Doors (up to 25’ wide)
- An outside mounted track door that uses an advanced design to ensure easy opening and closing. This door is constructed using canvas and pipes in combination with our engineered track system. Accutrack doors can be operated with an electric or hand winch style opening mechanism
- Gives an unprecedented ability to let natural light come in through the fabric while maintaining strength with the steel pipe reinforcements throughout the door
- Cable Doors (up to 60’ wide)
- Custom designed to have a very wide span. An engineered design using canvas and steel cables brings you a light door that can be custom-built for even your largest machinery
- Commonly used in the aviation industry to account for large wing spans
- Bi-Fold Steel Doors (up to 100’ Wide)
- High quality construction for long lasting, reliable operation. Designed to work on virtually any building
- Ideal for aviation hangars, farm storage buildings, and commercial/industrial shops
- Quality steel construction, single lever locking system and heavy duty electric openers ensure a dependable, easy to use door system
Vents
Ventilation is key to having a climate controlled tension membrane structure. We will custom design the frame work into our steel frame to allow for a wide variety of ventilation and fan options. We will work closely with industry leading ventilation designers to combine their expertise with our customizable frame, ensuring you get the right ventilation for your project every time.
Ventilation can also be built right into the tension membrane to give you free flowing air throughout the building. Canvas can be replaced with large mesh vents on the end walls and structurally supported ridge vents can be built into the roof. Let our experienced design team help you get the ventilation you need at an affordable price.
Eave Kits
Eave attachments ranging in size from 1’ – 6’ and everything in between can easily be designed and attached to your building. We use the same high quality materials that we do in our structures to ensure your investments are protected.
Common Eave Uses
- Cover outside feed bunks on cattle confinement buildings
- Keep moisture away from your foundation wall
- Additional storage along the length of a building
End Walls
The custom nature of our buildings requires a very detailed approach to end walls. Our project managers will work closely with the design team to ensure you get the exact end wall you need to get the job done. We use the same industry leading steel and fabric that we do on our buildings to ensure quality throughout the building. Door sizes, ventilation options, and protection strength are all taken into account when designing our engineered end walls.
Foundation
Our design-build structures can be customized and engineered to go onto almost any foundation. Our project managers will help you decide what foundation is best for your building, keeping in mind cost to strength ratios and ensuring you have a competitively priced total package.
Recommended Foundations
- Concrete
- Poured concrete pony wall
- Poured concrete piers
- Precast concrete blocks
- Precast concrete walls
- I-Beams Columns
- Steel pony walls
- Steel base rail
- Supported by either auger anchors, duck bill anchors, or cross anchors
Materials
To have the highest standard in quality you have to start with the best quality materials. Here at Winkler Canvas we don’t settle for anything but the best when it comes to our fabric and steel. We have worked closely with our industry leading suppliers for decades to ensure their product is tailored exactly to our needs. The result is an unprecedented ability to custom-fit our structures to your exact specifications for any location or industry.
Fabric
Let our advanced light weight, high strength material work hard so you don’t have to. Our specialty polyethylene material (NovaShield Membrane Structure Fabric) has amazing strength-to-weight ratios that allow for easier, faster, and money-saving installations. This technologically designed fabric will stand up to any weather condition; including rain, wind, hail, snow, and heat. With its advanced UV protection coating you never have to worry about sun exposure degrading your structure and with a 15 year warranty, you can rest assured that we stand behind our quality.
Fabric Options
- Polyethylene Fabric comes in weights from 7-12 oz.
- Multiple colour options
- Certified Fire Resistant material available in most colours
- Clear heavy-duty long lasting greenhouse material
The Fabric Membrane Advantage:
- Light Transparency – Our buildings allow the majority of the light to pass through the fabric membrane, which means huge savings when it comes to electricity costs. In our buildings there is no need for any artificial lighting during the day time.
- Climate Controlled – Cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter! On average our buildings are 10-15 degrees cooler in the hot summer sun. The same goes for winter, with our buildings being 10-15 degrees warmer.
- Durability and Safety – Novashield is the only polyethylene membrane to successfully combine long-life UV resistance with flame retardant properties. Our membrane fabric products pass the most demanding certification standards including:
- California Fire Marshall
- ASTM E84
- NFPA (Large and Small Scale)
- CAN/ULC S-109 (Large and Small Scale)
- UBC31-1
- FAR 25.863(a)
- 1 (B.s1.d0)
- DIN4102
- Customizability – With multiple colour options and the ability to mix and match the colours on a single cover, we let you decide what your building will look like. Whether you need to match your companies branded colours on a commercial site or make a zebra striped building because that’s what your kids asked for, you won’t be disappointed. Attaching massive banners and company labels are a breeze with our never settle attitude and creative design team.
Frame
With over 3 decades in business, Winkler Canvas has the experience and know how to design a building for any situation. Our engineered frame designs, superior steel, and no compromising attitude are what set us apart from the competition. Our buildings are designed to stand up to any weather and can be engineered under any building code worldwide. Winkler Canvas was among the first companies in the fabric structure industry to gain both A660 and ISO 9001 certification and refuse to cut corners. No wind or snow load is too much for our superior cross purlins, unique truss design, and Allied Gatorshield steel.
The Gatorshield Advantage:
- Allied’s signature process produces superior corrosion resistance by utilizing a triple layer of protection. First 99.99% pure zinc is applied followed by a conversion coating. Finishing the process is a clear organic topcoat that seals in the protection and produces a smooth shiny appearance. Gatorshield provides 50% more zinc than any of the inline galvanized competitors.
- We guarantee a minimum 50 ksi yield and 55 ksi tensile on our products with the ability to achieve higher properties with different steel chemistry. Compared with many alternatives that demonstrate a 30 ksi yield, Gatorshield demonstrates the unique ability to offer the same strength in a lighter weight tube – up to 33% stronger!
- Gatorshield tubing is capable of being fabricated using several different methods including hole punching, cutting, flattening, bending and more without the degradation of the coatings. All of these operations can be performed without cracking, flaking or otherwise damaging the integrity of the coating. Because of this, we are able to make extremely custom alterations to our frame designs without compromising the steel.
- Due to its 99% pure zinc coating; Gatorshield can be easily welded. Contrary to popular belief, all galvanized products do not perform the same with regards to welding suitability.
Winkler Structures and our employees are certified to the highest level. Whether your building is being used in a certification heavy industry like the Oil and Gas fields, or just a small hay shed on a local farm, we use the same level of quality and procedures for all of our manufacturing.
Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB)
The CWB Group is an industry supported private sector organization providing welding certification, management systems registration, and training services to over 7600 companies in 34 countries. Supported through the Canadian Welding Bureau, CWB Institute, QUASAR, and the Canadian Welding Association membership, the CWB Group provides a comprehensive and integrated service to the welding and joining industry.
The Canadian Welding Bureau was formed by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) over 60 years ago. The purpose of the Welding Bureau is to administer Canada’s national welding standards, which are embedded in the national building code and other industry specific documents. Funded by industry, and acting on behalf of the Canadian public, the Welding Bureau plays an important role by certifying welding companies that create products for use within Canada as well as the welders and welding consumables used in their creation. Within the Structural and erecting industry it is mandatory that all companies be certified by the Welding Bureau. However, many non-welding companies choose to be voluntarily certified, as the Welding Bureau is the only organization that issues nationally recognized credentials.
International Organization Standardization (ISO)
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an independent, non-governmental membership organization and the world’s largest developer of voluntary International Standards. They are made up of 163 member countries that are the national standards bodies around the world, with a Central Secretariat that is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
International Standards make things work. They give world-class specifications for products, services, and systems to ensure quality, safety and efficiency. They are instrumental in facilitating international trade. ISO has published more than 19 500 International Standards covering almost every industry, from technology, to food safety, to agriculture and healthcare. ISO International Standards impact everyone, everywhere.
Canadian Standards Association – A660 (CSA-A660)
The CSA-A660 Standard was developed to assist code enforcement officials in reviewing building permit submissions incorporating steel building systems, and to help purchasers receive a quality certified building. The CSA-A660 Standard requires that the manufacturers’ production facilities, staff and quality assurance systems be certified by an independent certification agency. As part of the CSA-A660 compliance, the manufacturer will provide a “Certificate of Design and Manufacturing Conformance” signed and sealed by a licensed Professional Engineer for each building project. A sample copy of a Certificate is enclosed.
With the publication of the 2005 National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) a provision applicable to Steel Building Systems is added for the first time.
Specifically, the Article is as follows:
- 4.3.4.3 Steel Building Systems 1) Steel building systems shall be manufactured by companies certified to the requirements of CSA-A660, “Certification of Manufacturers of Steel Building Systems.”
FAQ
How long does the cover last?
20-25 years if properly maintained.
How long does maintenance take?
Our fabric structures are virtually maintenance free – a couple of hours per year is sufficient.
Can I get insurance and building permits for your structures?
Yes, all of our buildings are engineered and insurable. Building permits should be no problem.
How does weather affect the cover?
Our covers are virtually immune to weather damage. Hail, rain, and snow bounce/slide off our engineered pitch. Our buildings can be engineered to withstand any wind or snow load rating, worldwide.
How long does it take to install a building?
Our buildings can be installed in as little as a day or up to 2 weeks. Depending on the size and foundation.
Can you move one of your buildings to a new location?
Absolutely, our buildings can be deconstructed and moved with ease.
Can you construct your building on top of an existing foundation?
Our design team will custom fit the base plates to go on any foundation, new or existing.
Do you ship outside of North America?
We have shipping solutions for worldwide shipping. Contact our head office directly for details.