Fabric Buildings in National Defence – Relocatable Space, Fast and Cost-Effectively

Finland's NATO membership, the changed security situation and growing defence budgets have put a very concrete problem on the table: the facilities needed for equipment, materiel and maintenance operations should be available quickly and at a sensible cost – preferably in a way that allows them to be relocated when needed.

Permanent hall construction cannot meet this need: it takes time and money. A fabric building, by contrast, goes up in weeks, withstands Finnish weather conditions and can be dismantled and re-erected in another location. In fact, the Finnish Defence Forces are one of M&T Laihorinne Oy's customers.

In this article, we explain the kinds of national defence tasks that fabric buildings and fabric canopies serve – and what anyone planning a procurement should pay attention to.

Four Reasons Why a Fabric Building Meets Defence Space Needs

1. A Building in Use in Weeks, Not Years

In the defence sector, the need for space can arise quickly: exercises and refresher training, equipment transfers and visits by international troops often call for additional square metres at short notice. Building a permanent hall easily takes over a year including permit rounds – a fabric building can be delivered starting from approximately six weeks, and the installation itself is completed in a few days.

2. Facilities That Move with the Need

The steel frame and PVC fabric cover are dismantled and reassembled wherever space is needed next – for example, from a garrison area to a training ground. From a national defence perspective, this is an essential difference compared to permanent construction: space capacity does not lock operations into a single address. The same feature also supports security of supply thinking, where critical materiel is distributed across several locations instead of keeping everything in one place.

3. Affordable Cost per Square Metre and Several Ways to Procure

The cost per square metre of a fabric building is highly competitive, and the procurement can be carried out by purchasing, renting or through lease financing. This flexibility fits well with public sector and defence budgeting, where investments and operating expenses run through different budget lines. When the need for space is temporary, a rental building is typically the smartest choice.

4. The Frame Is Engineered for the Conditions

Defence facilities must serve in all seasons – in heavy snow loads as well as coastal winds. That is why the frame of a high-quality fabric building is always calculated for the snow and wind loads of the construction site, and the steel components must be CE-certified. The production of M&T Laihorinne Oy is supervised by Kiwa Inspecta, so structural compliance can be demonstrated even in the most demanding public procurement processes.

Where Do Fabric Buildings Serve National Defence?

Vehicle Halls and Equipment Shelters

Covered storage keeps snow, ice and UV radiation away from equipment, lowers maintenance costs and shortens the time it takes to get equipment moving – vehicles no longer need to be dug out from under the snow. A column-free interior and high door openings make handling even large vehicles effortless.

Security of Supply Warehouses and Storage of Materiel and Ammunition

There is no security of supply without storage: keeping spare parts, equipment, food supplies, fuels and other critical materiel requires dry, well-ventilated facilities. The PVC fabric cover lets natural light through, reducing the need for artificial lighting, and the building can be fitted with shelving systems, additional doors and ventilation, for example. When a storage network is being decentralised, a relocatable lightweight fabric building is an excellent tool for the purpose.

Repair and Maintenance Halls

Field maintenance and repair work need weather protection, good lighting and sufficient height around them. A fabric building adapts to serve as a maintenance hall both in permanent use at a depot area and as a temporary solution during exercises, and with heating equipment, work continues even in winter.

Training and Exercise Facilities

Lightweight fabric buildings serve, among other things, as indoor sports facilities, training canopies, equipment display spaces and base structures for training areas. A wide clear span without centre columns makes the interior easy to adapt for different uses.

Reservist Activities and National Defence Organisations

National defence work is done outside the Defence Forces as well. For reservist associations, shooting clubs and voluntary defence organisations, a fabric canopy is often the fastest and most affordable way to get shelter for equipment, a canopy for a shooting range or facilities for events.

Defence Industry and Dual Use

The domestic defence industry and its subcontractors are increasing their volumes, which creates demand for production and warehouse facilities that can be erected quickly. Many companies also prepare for emergency conditions through contract-based security of supply cooperation: under normal conditions the fabric building serves the company's own operations, and it can be taken into preparedness use when the situation requires.

Comparison: Fabric Building vs. Permanent Hall in Defence Use

Feature	Fabric building	Permanent hall
Delivery time	4–12 weeks	Typically 12–24 months
Cost / m²	Affordable	Approx. 2.5 times higher
Relocatability	Can be dismantled and relocated	Not relocatable
Light transmission	Natural light through the fabric	Requires windows/lighting
Service life	Steel frame for decades, fabric 30–60 years	Long
Snow load capacity	Engineered per location	Engineered per location

Permanent construction holds its ground when a facility is designed for decades of use. But when speed, adaptability and cost weigh in the balance, the fabric building usually wins the comparison clearly.

A Checklist for Anyone Planning a Procurement

1. CE-certified steel structures and supervised manufacturing. In public procurement, there is no compromising on structural compliance. Check that manufacturing quality is supervised by an external party, such as Kiwa Inspecta.

2. Site-specific snow and wind load engineering. The same frame is not engineered for every location – the calculations are always made according to the construction site.

3. Building permit. A fabric building, too, requires a building permit in practically all cases. An experienced supplier takes care of the permit process and the required documents on your behalf.

4. Domestic manufacturing and delivery reliability. In procurement critical to security of supply, domestic origin means short supply chains and the availability of service and spare parts even in emergency conditions.

5. Fittings according to intended use. Overhead and personnel doors, heating, ventilation, lighting and anchoring are best planned already at the procurement stage with future use in mind.

6. Foundation solution. Asphalt or a concrete plinth.

M&T Laihorinne Oy – a Domestic Building Supplier Trusted by the Finnish Defence Forces.

M&T Laihorinne Oy is a fabric building specialist operating in South Ostrobothnia, Finland, with over 17 years of experience in the design and manufacture of fabric buildings and fabric canopies. Our customers are the Finnish Defence Forces, municipalities and cities, as well as small, medium-sized and large companies.

• Production supervised by Kiwa Inspecta and CE-certified steel structures

• The frame is always engineered for the snow and wind loads of the construction site

• The building permit application process is handled on your behalf

• Procurement options: purchase, rental or leasing

• Fast delivery: a rental building in as little as three weeks

Explore our solutions: Fabric buildings · Fabric halls · Fabric canopies

Planning an equipment shelter, warehouse or maintenance facility? Contact us – we will go through your needs and engineer a solution built to withstand Finnish conditions.

Keywords: fabric building, fabric hall, fabric canopy, fabric structure, national defence, Finnish Defence Forces, security of supply, equipment shelter, warehouse building, maintenance hall, lightweight building, relocatable building, rental building, NATO, preparedness, military shelter