What Is a Thermal Fabric Structure?

Big Top’s fabric structures are versatile solutions for companies serving nearly every industry. The list of benefits that our shelters provide goes on and on, but one key advantage that our customers continually praise is the thermal performance of our fabric buildings. In fact, our thermal fabric structures are designed to deliver outstanding energy efficiency benefits.

UV Protection for Your Staff, Materials & Equipment

The fabric roof of a Big Top shelter is formulated to repel 99.95% of harmful UV-A and UV-B radiation for an impressive UPF rating of 2,000 and conventional rating of 50. This offers superior protection for your environmentally sensitive materials and will help to preserve the paintjobs and electronics of your equipment and vehicles.

A Comfortable Workplace for Your Employees

By shielding the interior from excessive sun exposure, a Big Top fabric structure offers natural climate control. In fact, the interior of our shelters maintains a pleasant temperature that is, on average, 15 degrees cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than the outside temperature, without the need for running an HVAC system around the clock.

Energy Savings

Thanks to the thermal protection that our fabric buildings provide, energy costs are much lower than what a permanent building would require. Another way Big Top’s fabric shelters deliver energy efficiency is by:

Allowing Natural Light to Illuminate the Interior

Not only is the fabric roof heat-reflective, but it is also translucent and will allow plenty of natural sunlight to illuminate the interior. This eliminates the need for artificial lighting and the energy costs that go with it.

Cost Savings for Your Bottom Line

Our fabric shelters deliver long-term cost savings with superior energy efficiency, but they also provide short-term cost savings when installed. That’s because they cost less to build and can be assembled at a rate of 2,500 square feet per day, much quicker than permanent structures. Plus, we can handle all of the construction with our turnkey installation services, saving you the cost of having to hire an outside contractor.

Furthermore, our buildings do not require a concrete pad as a foundation. They can be anchored to nearly anything, from dirt and gravel to ecology blocks and shipping containers, further helping you save money. They can also be disassembled and shipped to a new location should your operations relocate, sparing you the expenses of having to construct a new building. And, because our shelters can be deemed as equipment for the IRS, there may be tax advantages that can help you save.

A Custom Design for Your Business

At Big Top, we specialize in creating custom buildings for our customers serving oil and gas, mining and mineral, marine, aviation, waste management, military, construction, and other industries. There are myriad ways we can design your shelter, but no matter the ultimate result, you can count on reaping the energy- and cost-saving benefits that have made our fabric structures the go-to solution since our founding in 1979.

To learn more about the thermal protection offered by our fabric structures, or to start designing yours, contact Big Top today.