Rubb

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Rubb Building Systems is a leading worldwide producer of temporary tension-membrane structures used in commercial, industrial, military, indoor sports, and marine applications. The structures, also known as fabric covered buildings, plasthalls, and rubbhalls, are designed to be durable, flexible, easy to maintain and relocatable.

The foundation of most Rubb Buildings is a steel structural frame that is hot dip galvanized after the welding process to provide corrosion protection. This structural frame is typically covered with a heavyweight PVC coated polyester membrane. The membrane is generally translucent, fire-resistant, and waterproof.

There are two major classifications of structures that Rubb manufactures: shelters and buildings. The chief difference is that shelters lack a tension membrane and foundation, and meet a lower standard of building codes.

Rubb buildings feature a steel-frame hot-dipped galvanized after fabrication to meet ASTM A123 specifications. Applied on top of the membrane is a translucent, heavy duty PVC coated polyester membrane, which is tensioned and secured to the foundation. The resulting structure meets or exceeds ISO 9001 standards.

In contrast, Rubb shelters are designed to be easily transportable and can be affixed to natural ground, asphalt, concrete, or other surfaces. While they do feature a hot-dipped galvanized steel frame, the structures are not engineered for building code compliance.

[edit] Quick facts about Rubb

The term “Rubb” derives from the town Rubbestadneset on the West Coast of Norway, where Rubb was founded in 1968 by Finn Haldorsen.
The term “Rubb Hall” can now be used generically to refer to any large fabric-covered building.
Today Rubb has three offices, Rubbestadneset, Norway, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, and Sanford, Maine, USA.
Rubb's largest relocatable hangar to date was built for AirTran Airways in Atlanta, Georgia. The hangar is 270' wide by 210' with an interior peak of over 65'. It is large enough for two Boeing 717 aircraft to undergo full maintenance in a side-to-side configuration.
The United Nations has used these structures as temporary relief shelters in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Cambodia.