Two Reasons Why Concrete Is Used to Build Warehouses

Posted on: 29 June 2017

Whilst many older warehouses that exist today are made from materials such as steel, wood or brick, a huge number of modern warehouses are made from concrete. Here are two reasons why this is such a popular choice of construction material for warehouse building projects.

Fire safety

A warehouse fire can not only destroy massive quantities of expensive stock and equipment, but it can also put employees lives at risk. If the building itself is damaged, the entire business may need to be closed whilst it is repaired.

Unfortunately, this type of structure is more susceptible to fires than a lot of other commercial buildings. There are a number of reasons for this; for example, the inventory stored in warehouses is often either made from flammable materials or stored inside flammable containers (such as cardboard, for example). Additionally, the day-to-day activities that take place in a typical warehouse often generate a lot of combustible waste materials; if these materials are not disposed of quickly and correctly, they can increase the risk of a fire breaking out.

Building a warehouse with concrete can help to prevent a fire from causing serious damage to the building and its contents. Concrete is extremely fire-resistant. This is because the main components which make up concrete (namely, aggregate materials and cement) are chemically inert and are therefore not flammable.

This quality makes concrete an excellent choice of building material for high-risk commercial environments like warehouses. Fires which break out in a warehouse storeroom which has concrete walls and floors will not spread easily; it could take several hours for the flames and smoke to reach other parts of the building. This means that fires which develop in a concrete warehouse can usually be contained and quenched before too much damage has occurred.

Security

The stock and machinery housed inside most large warehouses are extremely valuable. Theft of even a small proportion of these goods could have a hugely detrimental effect on a warehouse business's profitability. The delays and the additional costs associated with replacing stolen stock and equipment could even result in the enterprise being temporarily shut down.

As such, most business owners have security in mind when selecting the construction materials for a new warehouse. Concrete is widely considered to be one of the best substances for creating a secure building.

Due to this material's ability to withstand massive amounts of pressure without breaking apart, it offers excellent protection against professional thieves' attempts to enter a warehouse by, for example, cutting through its exterior with power tools or using a large vehicle to destroy and drive through its walls.

It's also worth noting that concrete delivers even more protection as times goes on; unlike say, wood, which can deteriorate over the course of several years, concrete actually gets stronger, denser and less porous as it ages.

Share