Municipal Magazine Feature: Built to Last - 25 Years of Fabric Building Services

“Over the past 25 years, the Fabric Building  Division at Greystone Construction has earned the trust of hundreds of cities, counties, municipalities, DOTs, and private firms, and has covered over 2,000,000-square-feet of salt piles with fabric buildings. We’ve built a reputation for high-quality projects and excellent customer service, having designed and built thousands of fabric buildings across the country for many industries and uses including bulk storage, equipment storage, waste and recycling facilities, indoor athletic facilities, and much more,” said Colin O’Brien, Vice President of Business Development and Principal at Greystone Construction. “We are fabric building experts.”

Working to understand and meet clients’ needs

“Since 1987, the key to Greystone’s success has remained the same — we are not out to simply make a sale, but to build a strong and lasting relationship. Oftentimes, customers don’t know where to start, and in that first initial consultation, we work to understand and identify our customer’s needs then tailor a building solution that best fits their budget. There are many ways to set up these buildings and we work hard to find the best solution for our client,” O’Brien explained.

Best practices for municipal fabric buildings

“With every project, we share our best practices to ensure each customer receives an engineered (when required), high-quality product with a layout that best fits their operational needs. Those best practices include engineering to meet local wind, snow, seismic and unbalanced snow loads; designing for capacity requirements and future expansion; using independent foundations and panels; reducing risk of corrosive damage from materials such as salt with post-production hot-dipped galvanized steel and keeping salt away from building components with independent concrete wall panels with corrosion inhibitors; proper ventilation; and sufficient building clearance for safe operation of equipment. Follow these practices and the result will be a building that is a return on investment for many years to come,” O’Brien said.

A full life cycle solution

“We can do as little as furnish you with a building materials package, or provide a full turnkey solution. We can assist in developing building specifications if you need to put the building out for bid. We have in-house estimators, project managers and building installation crews that travel the country. We even perform service or repair work if required. We’ve been in business for 38 years – when you have future needs, the Greystone team will be available to service you,” O’Brien explained.

A diverse general contractor

“When designing and constructing a fabric building, Greystone adheres to the same high standards in terms of quality, service and craftsmanship maintained in all areas of our business. Greystone is a diverse commercial and industrial general contractor in business since 1987. In addition to fabric buildings, we also build pre-engineered metal buildings and conventional brick and mortar buildings. We build municipal shops and offices, city halls, fire stations, police stations, manufacturing facilities, senior housing and more. We have the expertise and the capabilities to get the job done and do it well,” O’Brien stated.

Clients’ experiences

City of Mendota Heights, Minnesota, partnered with Greystone to build a 65-by-70-foot Britespan fabric building. John Boland, public works superintendent, said, “If another jurisdiction is looking for a new salt storage building, I would recommend looking into one from Greystone. They met with us on-site several times to determine proper size and location. They worked seamlessly with us to get the project completed without any delays.”

City of Willoughby Hills, Ohio, partnered with Greystone to build it’s 72-by-96-foot Britespan building on concrete pier foundations. Road Superintendent Mark Grubiss said, “I would definitely recommend a fabric structure to any municipality. Compared to a wood or a concrete structure, the fabric structure is most cost effective and the warranty on the fabric cover is another reason. We told Greystone up front that we needed our building quickly. We completed the site work early with our own staff and city engineer, then the Greystone crew completed foundations in only two days. After the concrete was cured, the Greystone crew returned, and they installed the steel trusses and fabric cover in just two days. Our teams worked well together. We are very pleased.”

Andy Phillips is the Division Chief for the department of parks and recreation at Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC). Phillips said, "We would definitely recommend the use of fabric structures and have partnered on three of them with Greystone - first to store deicing salt, second to house footing materials for our premier equestrian center, a third to store our engineered soil media. The quality of the materials used and construction methods have proven to be very safe under multiple conditions. Greystone’s commitment to quality workmanship and dedication to providing top-tier customer service make it a no-brainer to work with them.”

Thank You for Trusting Greystone

O’Brien concludes, “As we celebrate 25 years of fabric building services, we extend our deepest gratitude to the municipalities and communities we’ve had the privilege to serve. Your trust and partnership have been key to our success. Looking ahead, we are eager to continue delivering high-quality, customized fabric building solutions that enhance operations and improve communities. We look forward to building many more decades of excellence and innovation.”