TEXTILES.ORG
The U.K.’s Ministry of Defense has used structures by Rubb Buildings Ltd., Gateshead, U.K., for more than 35 years. Now it’s seeing the benefits of the company’s postuse storage, assessment and refurbishment service.
In 2010, work began on the construction of six Rubb military warehouses for Operation Herrick in Afghanistan. The 25-by-100-meter Expeditionary Forces Aircraft Shelter System (EFASS) structures were deployed in Helmand province.
These structures, among others, began returning to Rubb in 2015, with the first two to be converted into five new aircraft hangars. When a structure returns to Rubb, it is inspected and cleaned and any necessary repairs are done so it’s fully refurbished, says Rubb sales manager Andy Knox.
“We will then add the components needed to turn this building into two shorter hangars measuring 25-by-40-meters, each featuring one Heli-Door and one closed gable end,” he says.
The remaining 20 meters of hangar modules will be used to create another hangar as more buildings return from Afghanistan.
“There are numerous EFASS military shelters deployed around the world,” Knox says. “Many will be returned to the U.K. to undergo refurbishment work to bring them back up to A1 (new) condition. A typical refurbishment to bring the building back to ‘good as new’ will cost between 10-15 percent of the cost of a new hangar.”
The modular nature of the EFASS means that the aluminum framing system, steel components and PVC covers can be reused to create a variety of configurations to suit changing requirements.