Architect: Post Frame Perfect for Tight Spaces, Tight Deadlines
Jim Delmont, architect at Design Club, Inc., in Harrisonville, MO, has recently built or renovated several convenience stores using post-frame building systems. He is quick to rave about post frame’s flexible design, speed of construction, and cost effectiveness when compared to other types of building systems. Here’s a sampling:
- “With post frame, the speed of construction, even in restricted spaces, is incredible. We just built a new convenience store right in front of an older structure—an ice cream store as large as a barn—which we tore down when the new store was opened. Business was uninterrupted, which the owner appreciated.”
- “You can do so much more with a post-frame building. The architect isn’t controlled by the structure. There are expansive, flush walls with no columns sticking out into my workspace. It’s like working with a smooth, clean slate on which you can use many different materials, both inside and out.”
- “Using post-frame construction allows me to be as flexible as the contractor needs to be. With wood, if we need to add another truss, we add it. I can beef up certain areas, make clear spans, leave places for mechanical rooms, and, unlike steel, bury [columns]in the wall and not lose space.”
- “Today, budgets are controlling design. Architects would be wise to realize that using wood over steel allows them to stay closer to their budget.”
- “Absolutely, there is flexibility in materials with post frame. Personally, I often use mortarless brick systems that truly resemble normal brick.”
- “My message to architects interested in post frame is this: Try it. I just used a new program to design a post-frame car dealership here in Harrisonville. I framed it and designed the interior in 45 minutes, all because of the building system’s simplicity. That’s the real beauty of post frame for architects.”
Delmont will discuss his work on a Historical Society Museum and a carwash-to-convenience store conversion at the post-frame design workshop on Wednesday, February 29.
A carwash-to-convenience store conversion
A new convenience store in Archie, MO
