Design & Engineering

Design & Engineering

Not all fabric structures are created equal. We understand the difference.

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Versatile and durable temporary structures

We specialize in custom fabric structures and turnkey solutions. No matter the size or shape of your project or how long you need your structure, Sunbelt Rentals is well-equipped to meet your needs.

Not all fabric structures are created equal.

Structures designed for the needs of single-day events, such as weddings, aren't designed for the needs of a job site, and not every fabric structure vendor understands the difference. When you ask about wind or snow ratings, if you hear, "A tent's a tent," or "What's a wind load?" from a vendor, it's time to move on.

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Form Meets Function

You have a lot of options when it comes to your temporary fabric structure. Just as it’s important to select the right tool for the job, you need the right structure for your unique project. Sunbelt Rentals will help you narrow down your options and provide a proposal to meet your needs.

Aluminum frames, fabric tops, wall covers, flooring, doors, and customizable amenities — no matter your location or current conditions, our range of options means we can design and install the right temporary-structure solution for your space and storage requirements. Our team of experts will work with you to identify and custom-design the ideal structure for your project. This may be an extreme-weather MegaStructure™ for longer projects in industrial settings, a versatile Super Series™ structure for seasonal use and easy relocation, or one of our other structure options best-suited for your needs.

Your Solutions Partner

Sunbelt Rentals is much more than a typical temporary fabric structure provider. We are your solutions partner. Our team of problem solving, engineering-focused and innovative professionals focus on how to best serve you. By understanding your unique situation — timeline, location, weather, industry and space requirements — our team designs and engineers the best structure solution for you.

Sometimes that solution includes a change to your structure. Because of their unique design, Sunbelt Rentals' temporary fabric buildings can be dismantled, reconfigured and even relocated to a new location on the same job site. Because the temporary structures are modular in design, they allow for not only easy set up and removal but also expansion or reduction for future projects. A temporary fabric structure can even be attached to a pre-existing building by using Sunbelt Rentals connecting-tent system which attaches to your existing industrial fabric structure with a seal or by installing the temporary structure in very close proximity to a current structure, avoiding any renovation expenses.

Even when a fast installation is essential, Sunbelt Rentals brings together custom engineering and expert project management to deliver the right solution for your needs. In a recent December, an extreme winter blasted the northern U.S. with extreme winds and temperatures dipping below 24°F. This created severe risks for a nuclear power plant in the region. To prevent further equipment damage, this company needed a solution – fast. Sunbelt Rentals' engineers designed two customized structures to accommodate the unique specs of the plant’s equipment. Installation within the restricted area that housed the equipment took a two-phased approach and was completed within 12 days. Expert project management and installation of this unique space resulted in zero downtime for the plant operations. When you need a serious space solution, we get it done.

Industry-leading Innovative Design

Sunbelt Rentals is the industry leader in design and engineering. Our competitors attempt to replicate our design approaches, and many aren’t even capable of projects we are uniquely qualified to plan and install. Recently, Sunbelt Rentals covered the world’s largest gas engine with a massively tall temporary structure that was able to withstand winds up to 130 MPH. Sunbelt Rentals is one of the only temporary-structure providers in the world capable of executing a project of this scale.  As another example, in 1999, Sunbelt Rentals was the first to use insulated Guardian steel sidewalls on temporary fabric structures. This design — first used on an on-location movie set — was a solution for our client’s unique security needs. Today, many of our competitors mimic this ingenious hard-wall approach, and we continue to offer it today for customers requiring greater security or insulating properties.

A successfully engineered project requires a thorough understanding of your project needs, and the right technology to present the proposed solution in a visual way, to ensure everyone is on the same page. Our engineering and design professionals use 3D computer-aided design and drafting software when initially designing your fabric building solution. With this program, we can create and lay out parts in three dimensions using solids modeling to virtually assemble your structure on the screen before it ever reaches the field, so you know we’ve got you covered from every angle.

Our team typically creates three types of drawings to support every stage of planning and interaction:

  1. Client: These drawings are built simply with basic measurements, such as width, length and height, and show the basic plans and layout.
  2. Engineering: These are technical drawings that clearly and fully define requirements of parts, assemblies and structures. These drawings define the materials used, strength and size of materials and the finished length of the temporary structure.
  3. Manufacturing/Installation: These are the most detailed. Drawings of this stature break the assemblies down into parts, providing complete details on materials and components for the installation team.

Fabric Structures Engineered for Strength AND Fast Installation

You don’t have to choose between a durable semi-permanent structure and fast installation. From the ground up, Sunbelt Rentals will design your structure to stand tough over the life of your semi-permanent or short-term lease. And when time is a factor, we can install it FAST — often in a matter of days.

Sunbelt Rentals' off-the-shelf structures are properly engineered and certified to withstand the design criteria found across much of the country. All structures are designed to shed heavy rainfall, and some standard structures can tolerate basic wind speeds up to 130 miles per hour, and ground snow loads up to 30 lbs. In addition, all of our structures can be customized using the same components to increase capacity and meet your needs, without sacrificing the fast reaction times for which we are so well-known.

A major benefit of temporary structures is that they can be installed on nearly any ground surface, and a foundation is often not necessary for a structure to be strong and stable — even in extreme conditions. One of the benefits of Sunbelt Rentals' aluminum box frames is that they are incredibly lightweight and durable. This means fast installation and a strong final product suitable for semi-permanent or short-term use. These structures are also specifically engineered for strength and stability, and anchoring that is expertly designed and applied is one key to the strength and longevity of these structures.

In addition to anchoring, prior to installation, Sunbelt Rentals' professionals may recommend soil testing to determine whether a site’s soil is suitable for the structure — a crucial step in making an informed site selection decision. In cases of poor soil quality, standard anchors or heavy ballasts may not be ideal options an we can offer alternatives. On sites experiencing soil issues, helical anchors can be an ideal solution to increase holding power. This was the case recently for a project we completed in southern Louisiana. Following massive flooding, a school district brought in Sunbelt Rentals to install five temporary classrooms. Even though the soil tested poorly for strength, we used helical anchors on the existing ground surface to provide the needed strength and stability for one of the structures. 

Each structure we install has been engineered to ensure it is durable for extreme conditions over the long-haul. As one example, standard off-the-shelf MTS™ semi-permanent warehouse structures are engineered to withstand winds up to 130 mph and snow loads up to 30 lbs. The peaked arch profile with biaxially tensioned membrane is designed to shed snow quickly — preventing accumulation that could lead to structure damage or failure.

Designed for Maximum Value

Once you have the right structure, our expert project managers will talk you through amenity options to complete your temporary facility.

With over one-million square feet of tents and frames in our warehouse – along with our extensive inventory of flooring, lighting, stages and other accessories – Sunbelt Rentals' fabric structures and event accessories can be fitted with virtually any accessory found in new construction, from flooring to lighting and everything in between.

  • Anchors
  • Custom Fabric
  • Fabric Tops
  • Door Options
  • Flooring
  • Lighting Systems
  • HVAC/Dehumidification
  • Insulated Steel Sides
  • Water Services
  • Custom Graphics

Sunbelt Rentals has been the best in the business for over 90 years, and there’s not much we haven’t seen. Our team is comprised of experts who pride themselves on ensuring each customer’s needs are met in a professional and timely fashion. We bring a culmination of experiences across a variety of industries and climate conditions to every project. That means no one is more capable of flawlessly handling your next project than Sunbelt Rentals

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Find out how Sunbelt Rentals can help with your next project.

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Oil & Gas

Often times, companies such as oil refineries and utility plants experience significant delays due to the environments in which their employees work in. Whether it’s because of the frigid cold temperatures in the North or the extreme heat of the South, working conditions can be the key factor in deadline setbacks.

Aviation

Sunbelt Rentals offers multiple solutions for temporary aircraft hangars. From temporary space to repair a downed aircraft to semi-permanent hangars for twin-aisle aircraft, Sunbelt Rentals has the solution. With each hangar project, Sunbelt Rentals strives to provide custom solutions to meet all the requirements of our clients.

Construction

Sunbelt Rentals has provided construction shelters for concrete pours, plumbing installations, and masonry jobs to protect operations from wind, rain, and cold. This is especially important during harsh conditions to maintain proper curing, as well as to keep crews working, regardless of the weather outside.

Environmental Remediation

Sunbelt Rentals offers a wide variety of temporary storage enclosures designed specifically for pollution containment and environmental remediation. Large structures can be utilized to enclose a hazardous material spill, which purifies dangerous gases by using negative pressure filtration equipment.

Business Continuity

Relocation, expansion, and new construction create the need for temporary space to continue business as usual. From a single, relocatable office to a complete multi-sectional facility, Sunbelt Rentals will deliver a high-quality, innovative solution customized to your requirements.

Manufacturing

Sunbelt Rentals can provide your business with an immediate, custom-built maintenance tent that can be leased temporarily or semi-permanently, depending on your need. Our custom fabric structures can provide shelter for large-scale applications from equipment storage tents to pipe welding and fabrication.