A Quick Guide to Rack-Supported Buildings

If storage is the most important factor for your next facility, a pallet rack-supported building might be the best option for your team. Of course, you’ll want to take a full assessment of your current and future storage needs before making any decisions. To help you along your journey, we’ll walk you through some rack-supported building basics.

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What is a Rack-Supported Building?

In traditional structural steel frame buildings, a “skeleton frame” of steel columns and I-beams or trusses creates the foundational framework for the walls and the roof. After construction, workers can then install freestanding storage equipment like various pallet racking. This is by and large the most common construction style for today’s warehouses.

Rack-supported buildings, in contrast, utilize racking systems to provide the structural support for the building. Instead of a structural steel framework, the racking system itself provides the basic structural components to support the roof and walls.

In most cases, facilities will use automated storage/retrieval systems (AS/RS). These systems can maximize storage space and facility operations but are not the only type of rack-supported building. Pallet rack-supported buildings also provide some key advantages over strictly steel frame buildings, but more on that later.

Are Rack-Supported Structures Different?

You might hear the terms rack-supported building and rack-supported structure used interchangeably. While both rack-supported buildings and structures incorporate racking as the main structural component, it’s often the case that structures lack some key building features — like walls.

A T-shed rack-supported structure, for instance, uses cantilever racking to provide an alternative to covered yard storage. In this kind of installation, a center column supports the steel trusses that extend past load arms to create shelter to protect from sunlight and rain.

What Does the Construction Process Look Like?

First, let’s walk through the construction process for a strictly steel frame building. Typically, workers will pour the concrete foundation first and then erect the structural steel framework. Next, they will install the roof decks and siding. Once workers finish the underground work, they will pour the concrete for the slab. 

Once the curing process is complete, workers will erect the racking system one frame at a time. Across this process, workers will face quite a few challenges. For one, space is at a premium. Workers will often face access and height limitations when installing racking, leading to under-optimized storage space.

With the construction of rack-supported buildings, installation begins with pouring the concrete slab. Afterward, workers will erect the racking. This provides workers an environment with ample space. Often, workers will assemble multiple frames while they are lying on their side and then stand them up on the slab. After racking is up, workers will install the walls and roof.

Since much of the work happens at ground level, parts of the installation, like bolt-up, are easier. This construction method also provides greater accuracy with alignment, along with other advantages.

During the construction of rack-supported buildings (pictured), workers erect racking before installing other elements like the walls or the roof — allowing for better-optimized placement of racking in dense storage environments.

Advantages of Rack-Supported Buildings

With rack-supported buildings, workers can essentially work toward erecting the building while installing the racking system instead of completing building construction and then moving toward installing the storage system. As you can imagine, this can save quite a bit of time during the overall installation and construction process. But that’s not all:

• Lower initial construction costs — By utilizing racking as building supports, much of the steel framework components used with traditional steel frame construction won’t be as necessary.
• Maximize vertical storage capacity — Since pallet racking will often run all the way to the ceiling, rack-supported buildings maximize every inch of vertical space.
• No building columns — Planning out a racking system often means working around building obstacles like support columns. This is not a concern with rack-supported buildings.
• Tax benefits — Some states will offer tax benefits for rack-supported buildings.

While you’ll find plenty of benefits of using a pallet rack-supported building, these structures are not for every application. If you need dynamic storage for a diverse inventory and constantly shifting SKUs, a rack-supported system may not provide the flexibility you need to maintain storage optimization.

In a rack-supported system, racking is permanently in place. Moving racks around can be a significant pain. So, when are rack-supported buildings a good choice? 

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Where Do Rack-Supported Building Work Best?

As you can imagine, deciding to use a rack-supported building system over traditional steel frame construction is not the perfect solution for all environments. When choosing your preferred construction method, you’ll want to consider a few factors:

• Does your business require the ability to change the building configuration?
• Will you need to add or remove storage throughout the building’s lifetime?
• What is the preferred height of your building?

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These questions can help you make an informed decision. When it comes to rack-supported systems, they are preferable when:

• You need to maximize your storage density (I.e., storage per cubic foot)
• Land is at a premium, so a small footprint is desirable
• The site has high wind or seismic considerations

Rack-supported buildings are best for storage purposes only. If facility operations include processing or manufacturing, rack-supported might not be the right choice. Some ideal environments include:

• Maintenance shops
• Climate-controlled warehouses
• Lumber storage
• Freezer or cooler exterior structures

Plan Your Rack-Supported Building with East Coast Storage Equipment

Pallet rack-supported buildings offer facilities an optimized construction process if storage is the main purpose of the warehouse. Not only can you save on material costs, but construction often happens faster than with traditional steel frame construction methods.If you’re considering a rack-supported building, teaming up with a qualified team is the first step of the process. At East Coast Storage Equipment, we’ve got decades of hands-on experience working with many different types of storage solutions, including rack-supported buildings. We can assist with everything from design to installation. Reach out today to learn more about how we can help.

Hiring a pallet rack systems installation crew is more than just asking, “When can you be here.” Warehouse pallet racking is a large capital expenditure with long-term expectations. It deserves careful consideration through the entire design, engineering, manufacturing and, yes, installation process. Meaning that your expectations for excellence from your design team has to carry through to your installation team.

How do you ensure that you get such a team on board to construct your pallet racking system? Here are 5 Key Questions you should ask upfront before settling on an installer.

5 Key Pallet Rack Installation Questions

1. Is the crew comprised of experienced, professional rack installers?
2. Is your team backed by a full-service materials handling systems integration company?
3. Is safety a priority?
4. Is your team insured & equipped to handle the build?
5. How do you handle difficulties on-site?

Question 1 – Is the crew experienced and are they professional rack installers as opposed to temporary labor? The E-Distribution team of professional rack installers are experts at their craft. They understand the intricacies of each system which is ever more critical today as pallet racking systems have become more complex and often have multiple storage solutions within the same racking configuration, think pick modules for example.

Other rack systems must be configured with automation – whether it’s autonomously guided vehicles (AGVs), pallet shuttles, robotic picking arms, or built-in order picking technology. An experienced professional will know what to be prepared for and how to handle any on-site challenges with the installation process.

Question 2 – Is there a full-service materials handling systems integrator backing the installation team? The value of a one-company, full-service solution is that support is always readily available and job urgency is shared across every division. If difficulties come up on-site, a team like E-Distribution will dedicate the necessary resources to solve the challenge and keep the rack installation progressing. In addition, E-Distribution is unique in that we have a custom fabrication shop that can manufacture any special, custom parts or additional safety components such as rack or column guards, overhead protection, safety rails, etc. No need to wait for a custom order from a manufacturer.

Question 3 – Is Safety a Priority? Seems like something that should be a given but it’s not always. Workplace safety is a top priority for E-Distribution and our teams follow OSHA guidelines and any building code and customer-specific requirements, if any.

Question 4 – Is the installation team insured and fully equipped to handle the build? E-Distribution installers are fully insured, and our team brings all necessary equipment for the installation and is trained in proper use techniques. Whether heights, facility temperature, floor inconsistency, etc. our project foreman knows the questions to ask and pitfalls to watch out for to best prepare the team. We typically perform an onsite inspection before the build to ensure that we roll-in with everything we need to complete the project.

Question 5 – How do you handle difficulties on-site? Even with an abundance of preparation, our experience teaches us that you can plan for the unexpected but something unexpected may still happen. An experienced crew has an instinctual way to handle some matters and in general when you are well prepared you are better situated to handle difficulties quickly and reliably to keep the project moving forward. In addition, the E-Distribution installation team has the support of our full-service company behind them for engineering, operations, and even sourcing if needed.

The E-Distribution installation team is a trusted source for pallet rack systems install, relocation and tear-down. We have the experience, resources, training, and equipment to reliably construct simple to complex material handling systems and storage solutions in any warehouse climate or facility configuration. Our crew is responsive, professional and dedicated to meeting customer deadlines and expectations. Call today to schedule your next project or talk to our design team to get started on future warehousing system plans.

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