What Exactly Is An Industrial Marquee – Temporary Warehouse Experts Explains

What is an industrial marquee?

If you have heard someone use the term “industrial marquee” and wondered what the words mean, you certainly aren’t alone. It’s obvious that you won’t be partying until down in one, but what are they for and when are they used? Even more important, what precisely are they, and why are they called industrial marquees?

Temporary Structure, Industrial Marquee, Temporary Clear Span Building, It’s Only a Name

Simply put, an industrial marquee is a temporary industrial building; a building that is removable, relocatable, and is often used for interim warehousing, operational space, or on-site storage. You may hear other phrases like “storage tent” or “industrial tent” used to describe these structures, as well.

Whether they’re referred to as a building, a tent, or a marquee isn’t really all that important. What is important is that you know which one you’ll be getting and that you know how to tell the difference when ordering.

Is it a Building or an Industrial Marquee?

A temporary industrial building can be similar to a marquee in many ways, however, the biggest difference is in the structure’s frame. The frame of an industrial temporary building is engineered to higher specifications and a stronger profile, meaning that it meets the standards for several nations with regards to wind loading and overall structural safety. There isn’t much chance of it collapsing in the worst weather that the US has, and your local building inspectors won’t need to worry themselves as it will meet their codes.

On the other hand, an industrial marquee in its literal form is a large tent that has been used to host parties and weddings and has now been repurposed for storage or warehousing. It is a structure that is made up of an aluminum frame (this is much smaller than the frame of an industrial temporary building and not nearly as stable) and has hard or side walling added, as well as a PVC roof.

A marquee frame cannot be used for a long period of time or be classified as a building. Your local building control agency may ask for it to be removed if they note that it has been in one place for around a month. The structure also may not stand up to winter weather, especially the weight of snow or the speed of the heavy wind, it could become a serious hazard for anyone that is working in it or around it.

What Causes the Confusion?

The existing confusion may be attributed to several key features that the two structures have in common. Both types use a PVC roofing structure, both utilize aluminum frames (although an actual building utilizes far more aluminum to make a stronger profile) and both are installed in a similar fashion.

The PVC roof that is used for industrial temporary buildings is definitely a feature that is shared with some marquees. However, the industrial structure’s roof is higher grade material that is designed for long-term use, fast and easy to set up, inexpensive, and quite easy to replace if it is damaged. The material also lets in a lot of natural light, which can help to keep energy bills low.

Aluminum framing is great for structures that have to be relocated on a regular basis, such as marquees, industrial marquees, and many types of temporary buildings. Even the thicker profile of an industrial temporary building is lightweight, easy to maneuver, and transports well. While commonly thought of as being not as good as steel, aluminum doesn’t rust, and it is flexible enough to bend slightly under pressure or impact, which adds more strength.

It’s basically the lightweight features of aluminum that help marquees and temporary buildings be fast and easy to install, as well as incredibly affordable. Marquees and buildings are both fixed to existing ground bases using anchors, stakes, or pins, with a variety of different methods that can fully eliminate the need for permanent, expensive groundwork. This means that they are also quite easy to disassemble and relocate and that they leave behind a minimal trace that they existed.

It’s easy to see that this list of commonalities could cause confusion as to whether an industrial temporary building is also an industrial marquee, or not. Serious issues can begin when a supplying company intentionally attempts to pass of an extremely temporary marquee as a longer-term industrial building.

Recognizing the Difference

The biggest difference is in the frame. A marquee has a much smaller profile, so it has a frame that is smaller in size, lighter and is not designed for long term use. An industrial temporary building has a profile and frame that are thicker, stronger, and that may be guaranteed for up to ten years or more.

One indicator of a marquee frame being used is the size between each frame leg and the height of the walls. Many times with a marquee, the bay distance is about 3 meters, with the wall height being a maximum of merely 3 meters. Temporary buildings often have longer bay distances of around 5 meters, and their walls can be as tall as 6 meters or more.

Are you still worried about the industrial marquee in your building?

Talk to someone who works in the building industry, a local surveyor, or someone in the regulatory affairs office.

Find out more by visiting our blog. Call us today or request a quote for immediate assistance!