Easi-Span® precast transportable concrete buildings are providing secure, weathertight, and durable housing for Dominion Telecom''s fiber optic equipment. The telecommunications company purchased thirteen 30 x 110 ft buildings to house equipment used to regenerate data signals along fiber optic cable lines from Indiana to Virginia.
The 30 x 110 ft size was chosen because the buildings are designed to be leased to several tenants that will "co-locate" their own equipment inside. With five door openings on both long sides of each building, the interior space can easily be subdivided into large or small interior equipment rooms. The buildings also include a temporary backup power battery room and an emergency generator room, making the power system fully reliable in any circumstance.
The contract called for an extremely tight construction schedule, so Easi-Span buildings were the perfect choice to ensure completion of the project ahead of schedule. In addition, the buildings used to house the equipment were specified for maximum security and resistance to the most extreme weather conditions.
"The Easi-Span building was the answer to our needs," said Roy Harrison of Dominion Telecom. "It was set up quickly -- within a day in most cases -- and even a severe wind and rain storm didn''t dampen the process."
Crews on site in one of the Virginia locations began erecting a building under clear skies. But, as the day progressed, the sky darkened and winds up to 45 mph blew in, bringing with them heavy rains. Within hours, the concrete floor of the Easi-Span building was covered with inches of rain, but the erection process continued. Because the concrete is made to withstand the elements, protection that might have been needed in traditional construction (with wooden or steel frames and walls) was not necessary. Once the walls and roof panels were placed onto the poured concrete slab, they were caulked for weathertightness and the rain was no longer a threat.
Easi-Span buildings'' weathertight features include: the turn-down roof that caps the walls with an architectural ribbed edge to protect the roof joint from direct exposure to driving rain and provides a drip edge to prevent moisture penetration; the above-door rain guard with its drip edge protection to increase watertightness; the step-down floor, recessed so that the wall joint is below the top of the floor, providing even more watertight capability; and the unique post-tension design that provides another level of superior weathertight construction.
"This is a typical installation for Easi-Set and Easi-Span buildings," said Ashley B. Smith, vice president of Smith-Midland Corp. "Because of the ease of installation, a typical 30 x 110 ft building can be erected in most cases in one day by a three-person crew using a crane."
Easi-Set and Easi-Span buildings are used as fiber optic regenerator huts, switching stations, cellular phone sites, weather monitoring stations, for military storage, evidence and ammunition storage, pumping stations, water meter enclosures, emergency generator shelters, gate houses, irrigation system housing, food or bottle storage, restrooms, concession stands, sports dugouts, ticket booths and general or hazmat storage buildings. Available sizes range from 10 x 12 ft to 40 x 170 ft, plus custom designs for special construction needs. The buildings are UL-752 bullet resistance tested and wind load tested up to 130 mph (standard) or up to 150 mph (custom); are fire resistant to a standard fire rating of 1.5 hours (additional protection is available in custom applications); and earthquake resistant up to a Seismic Zone 4.
Dominion Telecom was pleased with the overall outcome of the project, particularly the way deadlines were met for each individual building erected.
"The project was a testimony to the cooperative efforts of Smith-Midland and other contractors involved," Harrison said. "We had some unusual circumstances because of time constraints on the project and the variety of erection sites, but using Easi-Set buildings allowed us to meet each of our deadlines."