Modular Building Info

With safety and security at the forefront, prisons and military bases need observational guard towers to monitor what goes on from day to day. These towers contribute to securing the premises, and are essential to the overall protection of the property.

Porta-King, a St. Louis-based manufacturer of pre-engineered structures has recently completed work on several customized guard towers for several prisons and military bases.

Porta-King’s, PK Structures, customized towers have been utilized along the perimeter of prison grounds, and to monitor range practice and fighter pilot training at a number of military bases. Porta-King has also completed similar guard tower projects for the FBI and local police departments.

For each job, Porta-King was able to provide detailed drawings for approval and on-site review prior to the fabrications of the towers. This design consultation service and installation is available anywhere in the U.S.

According to Porta-King Vice President Gregg Pearlstone, every guard tower is custom designed to meet the exact application specifications.

Another advantage that Porta-King can offer customers is the supply of prefabricated steel or anodized aluminum buildings to shelter personnel and the equipment on top of the observation tower. “As one of the largest manufacturers of prefabricated guard booths, we can supply a turn-key guard tower project. We take complete responsibility for the fit and finish of the entire project,” Pearlstone said.

The experts at Porta-King have designed pre-engineered structures for decades, and are happy to create a customized design plan to meet any specifications. Unlike many competitors’ systems, Porta-King’s PK Structures guard towers utilize a “truly” prefabricated design. All clips and angles used to assemble our towers are welded onto the appropriate structural steel components at our factory. This greatly enhances the on-site assembly time when compared to other similar structures.

Porta-King’s guard towers are constructed utilizing all steel components and can be painted with a durable polyurethane acrylic paint or an optional galvanized steel finish to resist corrosion. The structures are designed in strict compliance with the 2006 International Building Code, and will meet wind and seismic requirements for the area they will be installed.

Porta-King has been a leader in custom-designed prefabricated construction solutions since 1969. In addition to a full line of guard towers, Porta-King manufactures a wide variety of modular buildings used for interior applications such as in-plant offices, break rooms, conference rooms, computer rooms, equipment enclosures. They also provide preassembled buildings for use as guard booths, parking booths, smoking shelters, turnstile shelters and countless other exterior applications. Porta-King’s pre-fabricated building systems provide shelter, storage and security solutions for virtually any working environment. For more information, visit the company on-line at www.portaking.com or call 800-284-5346.

Preassembled and Modular Structures Provide Improved Parking Control in Atlanta
Hartsfield International Airport benefits from building retrofit provided by Porta-King at significant savings

May 21, 2008: ST. LOUIS, MO – For decades, Porta-King has supplied and prefabricated anodized aluminum buildings to the largest international airports in the United States. Recently, Porta-King completed a significant project at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, GA to retrofit parking facilities as a part of a new revenue control program.

Some two years ago, airport officials purchased prefabricated buildings from Porta-King. Based on the airport’s new approach to parking revenue control, airport officials either needed to replace or retrofit 16 buildings in order to upgrade and install special electronic housing. Thanks to Porta-King’s pre-fab construction, they were able to remove the original structures from the airport premise and ship the units to St. Louis for off-site retrofitting in order to upgrade and comply with the airport’s current methodology and framework.

According to Gregg Pearlstone, Porta-King vice president, preassembled and modular structures have become pivotal parts of these redesign efforts, and remain in the forefront as airports continue to review plans for long-term expansion and remodeling design. The biggest reason is simple — versatility.

“Traditional construction is centered on creating something permanent that will be fixed in one orientation, in one location until it is torn down,” Pearlstone said. “Modular and pre-assembled buildings are attractive to airports because they can be moved as their use or the design footprint of the airport changes.”

In the case of Hartsfield International, Pearlstone indicated that Porta-King was able to retrofit parking cashier buildings at a savings of $150,000-$200,000. “In addition,” he said, “we shipped four buildings that could be used on campus for mobile security posts. Plus, we designed an interior garage office that is currently being used for valet parking, along with a taxi starter booth used by management staff governing taxi cab drivers in queue at the terminal site.

Pearlstone’s company Porta-King is one of the nation’s leading providers of prefabricated building solutions for airports. The company has also managed building solutions for international airports like O’Hare in Chicago and JFK in New York, as well as smaller regional airports nationwide.

Porta-King’s airport projects have resulted in the implementation of a variety of their prefabricated building products. These structures are used for a wide range of applications including: parking revenue control, security, airport shuttle shelters, outdoor smoking shelters, rental car agency offices, garage offices, baggage screening shelters, pay and display shelters, ticket kiosks and office partitions.

“For good reason, airport managers have placed the safety of passengers, personnel and equipment at the top of their priority list,” Pearlstone said. “And they’ve identified products like ours as both an immediate and long-term solution for providing the necessary protection and flexibility required in today’s airport environment.”

Porta-King has been a leader in providing modular solutions for airports and other industries since 1969. In addition to prefabricated buildings and shelters, Porta-King manufactures custom-designed shelters, a full line of modular wall systems and enclosures and structural mezzanines. Porta-King buildings provide shelter and storage solutions for virtually any working environment. For more information, visit the company online at www.portaking.com or call 800-284-5346.

Companies needing to expand and organize their usable work space are “looking up” rather than “out” by installing premanufactured mezzanine structures. Mezzanine solutions give facilities the opportunity to expand quickly and affordably, with very little time or capital lost during the installation process. Businesses are also recognizing the opportunity to maximize their usable space without the hassles of on-site construction.

That’s exactly what happened in Orange County, NY when the Department of Public Works (DPW) was in search of a unique workspace solution. “They were looking for a way to take their existing garage and office space and utilize it to capacity without having to expand the building,” said Gregg Pearlstone, Porta-King vice president. “Since the facility houses an automotive center complete with road equipment, tools and tires, DPW needed an efficient, cost-effective way to utilize square footage to capacity. Our mezzanine proposal provided a custom solution that fit the bill for the client’s specific needs.”

According to Pearlstone, mezzanines are especially popular in warehouses and manufacturing facilities with high ceilings that allow for upward growth. “They give companies and government entities like DPW the opportunity to turn existing, unused ‘air’ space into a usable, secure environment for office expansion, production or storage,” he said.

In the case of DPW, the mezzanine unit provides a secure, safe storage area for tires with the inclusion of a specially adapted tire lift. “The key here being,” added Pearlstone, “that they now have the infrastructure in place to manage other related functions in the future including heavy equipment such as motors.”

Pearlstone indicated Porta-King’s pre-engineered mezzanines are designed with the customer’s schedule in mind, with an installation process up to 40% faster than competitive mezzanine systems.

Porta-King’s mezzanine products come with a number of unique features, including a single piece panelized guard rail system that installs directly onto the deck of the mezzanine, as well as fully pre-assembled stairs. Porta-King mezzanines feature pre-installed beam to column and purlin connections. The beam to column mezzanine connections are AISC Type 1 and Type 3.

In addition to the traditional indoor mezzanines, Porta-King also offers outdoor models for use as guard towers, observation towers and elevated platforms. All Porta-King mezzanines meet the 2006 compliance specifications of the International Building Code.

“We’re a solutions provider for our customers,” concluded Pearlstone. “From conception to application installation, our projects are solution-oriented and are custom designed to meet the specific needs and applications of the business at hand. From an economy of scale perspective, we also give business owners the opportunity to better utilize their square footage allocations without the high cost of new building construction or expansion.”

Porta-King has been a leader in prefabricated steel mezzanines since 1969. In addition to a full line of mezzanine systems and solutions, Porta-King manufactures pre-assembled buildings, steel and aluminum shelters and custom modular wall systems. Porta-King pre-fabricated buildings provide shelter, storage and security solutions for virtually any working environment. For more information, visit the company on-line www.portaking.com or call 800-284-5346.

In recent years, the United States has updated its food security models giving food processing and distribution facilities the opportunity to strengthen their security measures and prevent potential acts of intentional contamination. Food safety awareness has also been further heightened by worldwide aspects related to terrorist and bioterrorist activities.

When is comes to implementing security plans, careful precise planning is a definite must. Every inch of a processing or distribution plant must be accounted for in terms of total operational awareness and coverage. For company staff assigned the responsibility of laying out security, guard and access control systems, there’s nothing more important than attention to detail.

The very detail-driven nature of security lends itself well to custom products that can be built efficiently to suit any prescribed design. St. Louis-based modular building manufacturer Porta-King provides the food processing and distribution industry with custom guard booths, towers and buildings designed to suit new and existing layouts demanding a specific set of dimensions, options and features to be effective. The company has been in the business of manufacturing custom security facilities for some 40 years.

Porta-King offers custom design as a standard, because it allows customers a key component of their overall plan that will work around their existing framework. Providing a wide-variety of security products is a unique aspect of the business. What works for one particular customer’s layout and schematics will more than likely not be an exact fit for the next customer – that’s why Porta-King provides custom design solutions at no additional cost.

Porta-King customers can also choose between galvanized steel and anodized aluminum construction. Most Porta-King guard building models can also be designed to include ballistic rated construction. On-site installation and field support are available to help customers become fully operational as quickly and effectively as possible.

By building structures in-house and providing the option of off-load and anchoring, Porta-King is able to eliminate the inevitable downtime and hassles that come with traditional construction. “Turnkey installation and field support give customers the efficiency and quality they require.

Porta-King manufactures a full line of towers and platforms to create elevated structures. The company’s PK Structures mezzanine systems are a cost-effective way to add pre-engineered height and perspective in order to elevate security personnel for an unrestricted view of an entire operation.

Preassembled and modular building manufacturer Porta-King offers three versions of preassembled products from the basic and economical Duraluminum to the top of the line, customizable Durasteel.

Porta-King’s Modular Systems offer the flexibility required to suit any application. The company’s pre-assembled buildings and shelters are designed for a multitude of applications. In order to ensure the versatility of design applications Porta-King constantly modifies its products to accommodate today’s environmental demands. Their approach is customized to meet any architectural design.

In addition, Porta-King manufactures a full line of structural steel mezzanines, modular wall systems, catwalks and work platforms, which are all designed in compliance with the latest national code (IBC 2003). They also offer security buildings and shelter facilities consisting of guard booths and parking booths.

The Porta-King line up of preassembled products currently includes:

Durasteel Buildings – featuring built-in strength, durability, security and aesthetics.
. Durasteel portable buildings combine the strength of steel for long-lasting durability and security with the beauty of seamless construction for optimal eye appeal.
. Blend those qualities with a variety of tough acrylic finishes, custom designs and a wide range of options to achieve a modular building for any application, and also meet ADA guidelines.

Durasteel PC Series – offering the strength of steel and economy of aluminum.
. The PC Series is a line of pan constructed pre-engineered steel buildings that combines the durability and strength of Durasteel, yet incorporates a more economical method of construction.
. Every structure meets or exceeds the specifications of any other pre-engineered steel building manufacturer. Plus, Porta-King offers a variety of acrylic finishes, custom designs and other options to meet specific design requirements. For additional flexibility, wall panels can be replaced on-site in the event of damage.

Duraluminum – providing the maintenance free, low-cost alternative to steel.
. Porta-King stands apart from every other prefabricated building manufacturer because it is the only company that uses all maintenance-free anodized aluminum components standard. As compared to other prefabricated building manufacturers using mill-finished aluminum, the Porta-King product eliminates painting, rusting and surface deterioration.
. Buildings are shipped pre-assembled and Porta-King’s non-weld construction process means it’s simple and fast to replace damaged building components.

Porta-King features a designated area on its website for easy access by the architectural community. The site offers instant access to standard AutoCAD drawings and CSI specifications for all product lines. Porta-King clients also have the added benefit of receiving design assistance from the company’s personable and knowledgeable sales staff.

Porta-King has been a leader in custom-designed buildings and shelters since 1969. In addition to preassembled products, Porta-King manufactures a full line of modular wall systems and enclosures, shelters and structural mezzanines. Porta-King’s pre-fabricated buildings provide shelter, storage and security solutions for virtually any working environment. For more information, visit the company on-line at www.portaking.com or call 800-284-5346.

Preassembled and modular building manufacturer Porta-King has introduced a new line of modular tall walls, designed for use in facilities that require walls to be higher than standard modular walls can accommodate.

Porta-King’s modular tall walls can be used for a variety of applications in buildings where modular walls are needed to run as high as floor to ceiling. The walls are commonly used for dividing warehouse or manufacturing space, and creating equipment enclosures.

“We have a number of clients who use our modular products to create dividing walls, rather than constructing a more traditional modular enclosure which would include a roof,” Porta-King Vice President Gregg Pearlstone said. “The modular tall wall products fit that application perfectly, even in buildings with extremely high ceilings.”

Porta-King’s modular tall walls are one-piece panel designs that can stand up to 40 feet tall. The modular design of the walls allows them to be assembled easily for use.

Standard panel construction of Porta-King’s tall wall products consists of a solid polystyrene core, featuring a painted, stucco embossed galvanized steel finished surface on each side. The modular tall wall panels are all built to meet Class 1 fire ratings.

The walls can be designed to include windows and doors, as well as framed cutouts to accommodate conveyor runs, overhead crane pass-throughs and or other necessary custom wall penetrations.

Porta-King has been a leader in modular wall products since 1969. In addition to a full line of modular walls, Porta-King manufactures steel and aluminum pre-assembled buildings for guard booths, steel smoking shelters and equipment shelters to cover turnstiles or other equipment. Porta-King also manufactures custom all steel structural mezzanine systems. Porta-King buildings provide shelter and storage solutions for virtually any working environment. For more information, visit www.portaking.com or call 800-284-5346.

The Company
FBO Air is a company that sells and repairs aircraft for individual and corporate clients. They operate out of a hangar at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Avoca, Pennsylvania.

The Problem
The traditionally built office area the company was using in the hangar was in disrepair and out of date, taking up too much square footage and providing too little usable space. It also wasn’t providing the professional atmosphere that their customers expected when they visited FBO Air for a purchase or repair. The entire hangar was in need of an update, so the company made the decision to remodel at the request of the company’s President.

How Porta-King Helped
A big goal of the remodeling process was to determine an efficient solution that provided usable, professional office space, without taking up too much room in the hangar. They priced traditional and modular options and decided Porta-King provided the best option and the most efficient installation process. So they chose to build modular with Porta-King.

Porta-King proposed and built a mezzanine with modular office space on the upper level, and a partially enclosed modular area below. The idea was to provide a professional place for business, as well as a usable space for the mechanics. The upper level of the structure was fitted with FAA office room, management offices and a parts room. Each room has individual heating and air conditioning controls. Carpet and shelving was installed in each. The area left unenclosed on the bottom level was used for tool storage and work space.

Everyone involved was happy with the result, and the president of FBO Air was brought in to review the project. He was thrilled with the product, the price and the speed in which it was installed. The project was finished in the third week of January ’07 and FBO Air has received numerous compliments and inquiries about their modular construction solution from customers and others who have come through and noticed the new space.

The Results
Professionalism – FBO Air has a professional appearance and presence inside their facility to support the image that their customers hold for the company.

Versatility – A big reason the company decided to go with Porta-King is the versatility of the product. Modular building products can be easily uninstalled and moved to accommodate any necessary changes in the future.

Cost-Effective Solution – FBO Air certainly saved both time and money in choosing to implement Porta-King’s modular solution. But because modular buildings are legally considered equipment rather than real estate, the purchase can also be depreciated off the books and save them tax revenue.

St. Louis based modular building manufacturer Porta-King has introduced a new line of pay shelters to keep parking patrons dry and keep automated machines up and running through bad weather. The rise in popularity of automated parking cashiers continues to change the landscape of the parking industry and is fueling a surge in pay shelter demand. Since most machines require patrons to exit their vehicle in order to pay, parking facility managers are seeing the importance of keeping customers comfortable, especially in inclement weather.

Parking industry professionals recognize that customers usually have a choice when choosing a place to park. This new line of shelters represents one of the changes managers are adopting to make their option more attractive. Rainy weather presents even more problems than patron comfort. When customers don’t have shelter, their money has the potential to get wet between the billfold and the machine. Wet bills can cause serious mechanical problems with the attendant machines.

In addition to protection from the elements, parking patrons also enjoy the safety of visibility with Porta-King shelters. Units can be equipped with conventionally wired or solar powered lighting systems. Dusk to dawn lighting is also available and exterior lights can be added for improved visibility. Standard tempered glass windows in all walls allow light into the shelter while providing better visibility for patrons while making transactions. This gives customer’s a view of the inside and outside of the shelter at all times.

The company’s new line of pay shelters is ideal for a variety of applications, including airports, universities, municipalities and all pre-pay parking facilities. Many credit the superior aesthetics of the shelters as a key characteristic in their versatility. The shelters are constructed of a 2” x 2” x 11-gauge welded steel tubing, and feature tempered safety glass, with the option of acrylic and tinted glazing. The buildings can be equipped with heat for added customer comfort. All Porta-King buildings ship fully assembled and completely pre-wired.

Porta-King has been a leader in custom-designed shelters since 1969. In addition to exterior shelters, Porta-King manufactures pre-fabricated buildings, a full line of modular wall systems and enclosures and structural mezzanines. Porta-King buildings provide shelter and storage solutions for virtually any working environment. For more information, visit www.portaking.com or call 800-284-5346.

In the wake of 9/11, U.S. airports identified the need to make significant changes not only to the way they conducted passenger screening and onsite security, but also to the way airports were designed and built.  Preassembled and modular structures became pivotal parts of the immediate redesign efforts, and remain so as airports now look at long term expansion and remodeling design.  The biggest reason is simple- versatility.

Traditional construction is centered on creating something permanent that will be fixed in one orientation, in one location until it is torn down.  Modular and pre-assembled buildings are attractive to airports because they can be moved as their use or the design footprint of the airport changes.

Porta-King is one of the nation’s leading providers of prefabricated building solutions for airports.  The company has provided building solutions for international airports like O’Hare in Chicago, JFK in New York and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, as well as smaller regional airports.

Porta-King’s airport projects have implemented a wide variety of their prefabricated building products.  These structures are used for a wide range of applications including: parking revenue control, security, airport shuttle shelters, outdoor smoking shelters, rental car agency offices, garage offices, baggage screening shelters, pay and display shelters, ticket kiosks and office partitions.

Airport managers have put the safety of passengers, personnel and equipment at the top of their priority list. They’ve identified products like ours as both an immediate and long term solution for providing the necessary protection.

Porta-King has been a leader in custom-designed shelters since 1969.  In addition to exterior shelters, Porta-King manufactures pre-fabricated buildings, a full line of modular wall systems and enclosures and structural mezzanines.  Porta-King buildings provide shelter and storage solutions for virtually any working environment.  For more information, visit www.portaking.com or call 800-284-5346. 

On a recent clean room project for a pharmaceutical manufacturer in Indiana, the customer wanted to use Porta-King’s Versa-King modular wall system, but they didn’t want to have the ledge at each window where dust could collect.  The standard arrangement on the Porta-King system has a flush-mounted window on one side, but the other side normally is inset from the wall surface by a couple of inches.  Porta-King custom designed a second pane with frame that permitted flush mounted window on both sides of the wall panels, eliminating the ledge where dust could collect.  Due to the customer’s stringent cleanliness requirements, both windows were sealed with silicone caulk all around, to assure that no dust could penetrate.  As a side note, this customer also required the use of FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) wall panel materials on both sides of the panel for durability and cleanability.  After three months use, the customer is very happy with the results, and has ordered additional areas built to the same specification.