If you own or manage a warehouse and are in charge of maximizing the usage you get out of the space you’re provided, there are many options at your disposal. You could think about decreasing the aisle width if you aren’t worried about forklift navigation.
You could build a mezzanine above one or more of your floor-level processes, raise your racks vertically, use trailers for storage in short-term situations, make use of directed put-away, or use many other methods for making better use of the space in your warehouse.
Roofing, alternate construction materials, and exterior/hardscaping space savers are three more important factors when it comes to saving space. If you want to make much better use of your warehouse space, here are 3 efficient methods for doing so.
1. Creative Roofing Materials
Making use of vertical space is one of the most effective ways to get more out of your warehouse space. Many business owners don’t realize that the roof can often be an overlooked area. For instance, if you want a spot for employees to have leisure time or an opportunity to participate in a community garden, the roof is perfect for that.
You can create an entire green roof filled with greenery and vegetables. This is effective for communal purposes, and it also helps to insulate your roof which will cut your energy costs a bit as well. You can also save space by not having to use up valuable ground-level land for a leisure area.
If you’re really looking to save money on energy bills, you can also use the roof as a means to reduce expenses. For instance, you can install reflective materials on the roof that reflect the Sun’s rays away from your building, thus contributing to cooling efforts and lessening the burden on your cooling system.
Another way to lower energy costs via your roof is to install solar panels. Solar panels can take a huge chunk out of energy bills, if not eliminate them completely, depending on their size and how much Sun exposure they receive.
2. High-Quality Construction Materials
If you build the foundation and wall system of your building with higher-quality materials, you can save space and money in many different ways. For instance, ICF construction is a method of construction that uses insulated concrete forms to build the foundation and walls of a building.
The hollow concrete blocks are insulated by a special fluid and interlocked with one another. They are tied together with rebar or metal ties which creates a comprehensive wall system with no gaps or cracks anywhere in the foundation or walls. It improves energy efficiency by a great deal, and it also blocks out noise.
Instead of needing a big fence built around your building to deal with nearby noise pollution, you can implement ICF construction into your building and resolve two issues with one product, leaving that much more space to work with. ICF blocks are also fire-resistant, which could help you save space on other fire protection features you might have otherwise included in your design. Before breaking ground, it’s always best to invest in subsurface leak detection to determine if the foundation is safe from the potential of water damage.
Other high-quality construction materials to consider for your project are industrial concrete floor coatings, which enhance floor durability and reduce noise; fire-resistant drywall, which can improve fire safety; acoustic panels, which can minimize workplace noise; and reflective roofing, which lowers energy costs by reducing heat absorption. Together, these materials make for a more efficient, safe, and comfortable building environment.
3. Efficient Hardscaping
Parking lots, sidewalks, paved pathways, stormwater drainage features, and water retention ponds make up the bulk of land use for warehouses, outside of the actual building itself. The need for parking lots can’t be eliminated, however, the need for the extensive stormwater drainage systems that accompany them can be.
The solution: TRUEGRID PRO LITE and TRUEGRID PRO PLUS. Each of these paving materials is perfectly suited for handling the parking lot needs of any type of warehouse. When you replace an impermeable material like asphalt or concrete with permeable plastic pavers, you eliminate the need for additional drainage features.
TRUEGRID pavers are 98% permeable and can handle even the heaviest of rainfalls without flooding. The water simply drains through directly into a storage basin beneath the surface. Utilizing TRUEGRID permeable pavers eliminates the need for an above-ground retention pond as is so common with big warehouses, and it also removes the need for parking lot sloping, or drainage grate installation. The entire parking lot becomes a drainage grate.
Permeable pavers are a huge space saver for companies in any industry. By eliminating or reducing your detention pond through the use of permeable grid pavers, you can save land that can be used for parking or even outside storage. Gravel filled plastic grid permeable pavers are are great for storing trailers or puting palletized product that can be stored outside. Fork trucks work just fine with these pavers and the instant drainage ensures no water damage on your inventory.The paveers are durable enough to last up to 60 years with almost no maintenance required. They’re also stylish, easy to install, and unbelievably resistant to all types of damage.
Save Space in your Facility by Utilizing These Clever Tips
There are many different ways to save space, and while you might prefer opting for more traditional methods like shrinking aisle size, building a mezzanine, or using trailers for short-term storage, we think you’ll like our ideas too. By making use of your roof space and building your walls and foundation with ICFs, you’ll eliminate the need for outside leisure areas and additional noise barriers.
Of course, the most effective and efficient way to save space is by replacing your impermeable areas like parking lots with TRUEGRID permeable pavement. If you’re interested in saving a ton of land and putting it to better use, call TRUEGRID today to get in touch with a pavement specialist who can get you started.
