WHY CITIES IN ARIZONA ARE TURNING TO STEEL BUILDINGS FOR INDOOR DOG PARKS
LOCAL LOOK – WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
With as cost-effective and easy-to-build as steel buildings have become, it’s no wonder dog parks are being brought indoors in warmer parts of the country.
We’re noticing an evolving trend of dog parks making this transition as the mercury rises more each year. Say what you will about the severity or reality of climate change…Fido and his friends need a safe, cool place to run around in the hot summers, and steel buildings fit the bill.
If you live in Arizona (or even if you’ve ever been there in the summers), you know how hot it can get.
At its hottest, the state can easily reach temperatures exceeding 106°F, a troublesome fact for dog owners. Cities across the state including Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tucson are making the move to indoor dog parks in an effort to provide spacious, climate-controlled areas where dogs can run free and play without the worry of overheating.
It’s important to remember that when it comes to cooling themselves off naturally, dogs are not like humans. They don’t sweat, and instead of using their skin as a radiator like we do, dogs rely on panting to cool themselves off. While this natural adaptation is effective in most environments, it’s just not enough to keep the heat at bay when summertime temps hit their highest in Arizona.
Because of the many beneficial features of steel buildings, more and more steel-built indoor dog parks are being erected throughout Arizona. Compared with wood-framed buildings, the advantages steel has make the use case for steel indoor dog parks a no-brainer.
Why Steel Is the Framing Material of Choice
Indoor dog parks in Arizona need to be big. And, they need to have plenty of column-free interior spans that allow for dogs to run around and chase each other without obstructions. For these reasons, a steel-framed building is much more suitable.
When properly engineered, a steel building can be built with support-free interior spans as long as 300’ in length. This gives property owners a lot more flexibility in how they design the floor plan, and the users of the indoor dog park have a lot more breathing (and barking!) room.
Another outstanding advantage of steel over wood framing is the shortened construction timeline. Compared with traditional buildings, a steel-framed indoor dog park is likely to be built as much as 40% faster. This allows the property owner to grant access to customers sooner, and the return on the building investment can be recouped faster, as well.
‘Spot’ Light on Energy Efficiency
Another little-known fact about industrial-grade steel buildings is their uncanny ability to be effectively climate controlled using minimal resources.
For indoor dog parks, this is key. When the heat is on in Arizona and dogs need a cool place to frolic, a steel building is going to do a much better job at circulating cool air provided by the building’s HVAC system.
But why is this? Aren’t wood-framed buildings also equally capable of being cooled down in hotter parts of the country? Not necessarily.
Because of the modular nature of steel framing, HVAC equipment like air chillers, condensers, and blowers can be installed in more optimal locations. And, without all of the structural supports that a wood-framed building would need, the air is circulated more evenly. This reduces the cost of ownership for the property owner while maintaining an ideal indoor environment for patrons of the indoor dog park.
Flexible Floor Plans Make the Grade
Some indoor dog parks have annexed grooming areas and kennels. These additional spaces can be easily integrated into the overall floor plan in a way that allows for a smooth flow of operation for the park.
And, when the temperatures drop again in the fall and winter, indoor dog parks can take advantage of oversized framed portals that can allow dogs to go in and out of the building easier.
When you consider how liberating a steel building floor plan is and combine that with the shortened construction timeline, you begin to realize just how ideal steel framing is for indoor dog parks.
At Capital Steel Industries, we’re glad to see steel buildings being used in this way. It’s great for the property owners, the customers, and the dogs themselves.
