Wide-Span Light Gauge Steel Buildings

In theory yes, but in practice camp dining halls have specific constraints that make columns a real operational problem, not just an aesthetic one.

• Food service line: a column in the wrong position interrupts tray flow and creates bottlenecks when 300+ workers are queuing in a single sitting.
• Table layouts: rectangular dining tables in rows lose 20-30% of usable seating capacity when you have to route around columns.
• Emergency egress: Saudi Civil Defense requirements for assembly buildings specify clear exit routes, and interior columns reduce the number of compliant layouts available.

A 200-person camp dining hall that gets its table layout right can seat the same headcount in a smaller footprint than one that does not. Column-free span is a functional requirement, not a preference.

For a camp dining hall, the standard planning figure is 1.2 to 1.5 m² per seated person, including table, chair, and circulation. That covers the dining area only. It does not include the serving counter, kitchen pass-through window, or storage.

A practical example: a camp of 500 workers eating in two sittings needs a dining hall for roughly 250 seats at a time. At 1.4 m² per seat, that is approximately 350 m² of floor area, which lands at around 12 m wide by 30 m long under our standard portal frame.

For open-plan offices, the figure is typically 6-8 m² per workstation including circulation, meeting corners, and shared space. Send us your headcount and intended use. We will confirm the floor area and frame size before we quote.

A standard portacabin, or light steel frame house, is built on a 3 m or 6 m structural grid with columns at regular intervals. It works well for rooms: offices, bedrooms, clinics. It does not work for open spaces where you need 10+ metres of unobstructed width.

A wide-span LGS building uses a portal frame: two columns at the sides and a single rafter spanning the full width. This removes all internal structure from the floor plan. The insulated wall and roof panels are the same sandwich system used in portacabins, but the structural logic is completely different. You would not use a standard portacabin frame for a 200-person dining hall for the same reason you would not use it for a warehouse. Different function, different structure.

For a permanent or semi-permanent installation, a reinforced concrete pad or strip foundation is the standard approach. The portal frame columns bolt directly to cast-in anchor bolts. We provide the anchor bolt layout drawing as part of the structural package, so your civil team knows exactly what to prepare before the frame arrives.

For temporary camp buildings where relocation is planned, a steel grillage base or compacted aggregate with steel soleplate is possible, but the span, load, and site conditions need to be reviewed before we can confirm this. Do not assume a temporary foundation works for a building over a certain size without checking with us first. The consequence of getting it wrong is a building that moves under wind load or settles unevenly.

For a typical dining hall of 200-300 m², the on-site installation time is 15 to 30 working days from foundation-ready to handover. This assumes the civil foundation is complete and the site has clear crane access.

The breakdown is roughly:

• Portal frame erection: 3-5 days depending on span and bay count
• Roof and wall panel installation: 5-10 days
• Doors, windows, and trim: 3-5 days
• MEP first fix and fit-out: 5-10 days

Factory lead time runs in parallel. Structural steelwork is fabricated in 7-15 days from our Riyadh factory after drawings are confirmed. The total time from brief to handover is typically 4 to 6 weeks for a standard dining hall or open-plan office. Tell us your NTP date and we will give you a milestone schedule before you commit.

Yes. The portal frame end walls and side walls can be infilled with aluminium-framed curtain glazing, strip windows, or a mix of opaque panels and glazed sections depending on the brief. This is most commonly specified for project management office buildings and client-facing reception buildings where appearance matters.

For dining halls on construction camps, full glazing on the south or west elevation is generally not recommended. The solar gain in a Saudi summer will push AC load significantly higher and create comfort issues even with double-glazed units. North-facing and east-facing glazed elevations are more practical. We flag these points at the drawing stage, not after the building is finished.

This is a legitimate concern. A 12 m wide, 30 m long dining hall has roughly 360 m² of exposed roof. That is a significant heat surface in a Saudi summer. The approach we use is the same principle as in our portacabin range, applied at a larger scale:

• 50 mm rockwool or glass-wool sandwich panel as the base roof spec
• Heat-reflective coating on the outer steel skin, reducing surface temperature by 15-20°C compared to uncoated steel
• Designed roof slope and drainage so ponding water on a flat large roof does not accelerate heat transfer into the ceiling
• AC sizing input based on floor area and occupancy count, which the MEP contractor uses to size the units correctly

The difference from a portacabin is scale, not approach. All of these decisions are made at drawing stage, not retrofitted after handover.

Technically yes. The portal frame is bolted, not welded, and the sandwich panels are removable. But a wide-span building is significantly more labour-intensive to relocate than a standard portacabin. The frame sections are heavier and longer, the roof rafter requires a crane to lift and lower safely, and the foundation connection needs to be cut out cleanly.

If relocation is a planned requirement, we need to know before we design the building. The base plate detail, anchor bolt pattern, and MEP disconnection points are all designed differently for a building that will move versus one that will not. Trying to relocate a wide-span building that was not designed for it usually results in damage to the rafter and panel joints that makes re-erection impractical.

Realistic relocation cost for a 300 m² dining hall: roughly 40-60% of the original installation cost, not including transport. Worth planning for upfront if the project programme requires it.

Saudind handles the complete design and build under a single contract. Structural drawings, fabrication, delivery, and on-site installation are all included. You do not need to appoint a separate structural engineer for the building itself.

What we provide in the drawing package:

• Floor plan and elevation drawings
• Portal frame structural layout with member sizes
• Foundation anchor bolt layout for your civil team
• MEP route drawing: AC sleeve positions, electrical conduit, drainage interfaces

If your project requires a third-party structural review or a stamped drawing for permit submission, let us know at enquiry stage. We can accommodate this. It affects the drawing timeline, not the construction approach.