Super tents become supermarket

Temporary H-Line structures provide grocer with interim solution.

When a food retailer in Freiburg, Germany, needed temporary space while undergoing a recent redevelopment, temporary tent structures became the ideal space for an interim sales hall.

A tent system solution was developed and implemented through a collaborative venture involving grocer EDEKA Handelsgesellschaft, architectural firm Müller + Huber and structure manufacturer RöDER Zelt- und Veranstaltungsservice GmbH, Büdingen, Germany. The primary goal of the partners was to create a temporary space where staff and customers felt at home.

The installation is comprised of two Röder H-Line hall tents, each measuring 20 by 45 meters with side heights of 4.20 meters, giving the halls a total useable area of 1,800 square meters. About 1,600 square meters are dedicated to sales space, with additional space for offices, staff areas, restrooms and cooling units.

The hall’s roof is comprised of a double-layer thermal roof panel. Side walls are made from 40-millimeter insulated panels, which in themselves fulfill a major part of the air conditioning prerequisites. The two halls are linked by a walkable roof rail that can be heated in the event of snow or frost. The room-height Trevira® ceiling cladding (fire protection classification B1) and the box-shaped cladding of the roof rail give the interior retail space character.

The hall floor, with a load capacity of 800 kilograms per square meter, is covered with tough, gray-melange PVC, which fulfills all hygiene requirements. Office and staff rooms have windows, and the emergency exits are positioned to meet local regulations.

In collaboration with the heating company Helot, an air conditioning system combines heating units and air-cooling systems that provide a pleasant environment on both hot summer days and cold winter nights. The lighting system ensures the appropriate lighting conditions and supports the presentation of the extensive ranges of goods.