Columns are the first thing people trip over in a metal building. They block the forklift aisle, hide behind the tractor and decide where the wall can go. A clear-span building removes them, so the whole floor between the side walls is open, whether that is forty feet or a hundred and fifty.
The trick is in the frame. Instead of interior posts, the rafters and columns are built deeper and heavier, sized so each frame carries the roof across the full width alone. That takes more steel per frame, but it also means fewer frames, a simpler floor and a layout you can change without touching the structure.
We build clear-span for aircraft owners, farm equipment dealers, fabricators, indoor arenas and anyone whose job needs open floor. We will tell you at what width the extra frame weight stops paying off, because there is a point where a single interior column line is the sensible choice.
Cost climbs with span. Going from forty to sixty feet is a modest step. Going from one hundred to one hundred fifty is a big one, because frame depth, flange size and the foundation all scale up. Eave height adds to it. We price a few widths for you and show where the money jumps, so you can place the building at the right size rather than just the largest one you can afford.
Think about the doors, too. A wide span with a short sidewall is useless for a tall piece of equipment. Door width, header height and the clearance under the lowest frame member should be settled on day one, because they are far harder to change than a wall panel.
Wide frames mean long members, and long members mean careful shipping. Delivery needs a clear route and a place to stage steel, and some rural roads and tight lots do not allow it. We check the route and the pad before ordering. Where trucks cannot reach, we plan for smaller pieces or a staging area nearby.
Erection is fast once the frames arrive, but heavier frames need a bigger lift and a more careful set. A hangar that spans a hundred feet takes more planning than a forty-foot shop even if the crew is the same size. We give you a lift-by-lift schedule so you know when the building is open to the weather.
Wind load is applied to the whole building, and in an open-span building the frames take it without help from interior walls. Roof drift, deflection and bracing are checked by the engineer, and the foundation is sized for the reactions the frames deliver. When you move to a wider span, the foundation changes too, so footing and anchor bolt design is part of the same conversation.
Codes depend on the city. Some still list the International Building Code, while the state has adopted the edition. We confirm which edition your jurisdiction applies at the time of permit application.
Aircraft hangars are the classic clear-span use. At Tulsa International, one airline maintenance base alone is reported to cover about 3.3 million square feet of hangar and shop space, which tells you how much open floor aviation consumes. Our aircraft hangar work and the aviation industry page show how we plan door size and fire separation for general aviation owners.
Farm and ranch owners use clear-span for equipment storage and indoor work areas, where a post in the middle of the floor costs real money in turn radius. A fabricator also prefers open space because a layout can shift with the work, without a column in the way of the next machine.
We start with the largest object that must pass through the door and the largest piece that must fit on the floor. Then the frame engineering, then the foundation. We pour with the engineer's reaction numbers in hand and set bolts with templates so the base plates sit where the frames expect them.
Because the frames are heavy, we bring the right lift and crew. Each frame is set, braced and tied into the next before the crew moves on. Roof and wall panels follow. The detail that most owners notice later is that the building looks wide and clean inside, with no wall of posts. See how our rigid frame erection process handles each lift in sequence.
The frames cost more. The savings show up elsewhere. You have fewer footings, no column protection, simpler floor layouts and more usable square feet. For a hangar or a dealer shop, usable space is the entire point. For a plain storage building, interior columns every thirty feet may cost less and work fine.
The Altus Air Force Base training facilities announced a few years ago, valued at $56 million, include new aircraft hangars, an example of the kind of open-floor building that public agencies now treat as routine. Private owners get the same structural logic at a much smaller price.
We erect clear-span buildings across Oklahoma, from the metro areas to ranch country. Around Will Rogers airport and Tinker, hangar demand and airport rules shape the design. Out west, farm-scale spans are more common. Either way, we start with the site, the slab and the door.
A rigid frame system is the base for most of the buildings we sell, and a pre-engineered metal building without interior columns is simply the same system pushed wider. Agricultural owners who want an indoor work area can read about agricultural buildings, and municipal buyers can see our approach for government and municipal buildings.
Ask us about door systems early. A bi-fold or hydraulic door can be taller than a sliding door, and the header and frame must be designed for the weight. Getting the opening right in a clear-span building lets the whole width of the floor do its job.
Give us the widest equipment, the tallest door and the budget. We will price a few spans so you can see the cost curve.
Pre-engineered frames can span well over a hundred feet, but practical limits come from cost, shipping size and the foundation. We usually recommend a width where the frames stay reasonable. Past that, one interior column line is often cheaper.
No, it changes where the strength is. The frames are sized to carry the full span, and the engineer checks them for wind and roof loads. The tradeoff is cost, not safety.
Sidewall height is set by the frame design and cost. Taller walls need heavier columns and bigger foundations. Tell us the tallest vehicle or equipment you expect and we size the eave from there.
Yes, if we plan for it. A mezzanine adds load to the floor and connects to the frames in places. Our mezzanine work covers it. Telling us now lets us leave the right openings.
The volume is what matters, not the lack of columns. A tall, wide room needs more energy to condition. Good insulation and a sensible eave height help.
Tell us about the site, the building and the schedule, and we will set up a review of scope, schedule and permitting.
See the services, building types and industries we plan and manage across Oklahoma.