Today, RedGuard makes blast-resistant buildings from scratch, but in 1998 the company first began leasing shipping containers to construction sites and oil and gas refineries, used mostly as storage for tools and equipment.
In 2005, things changed when a catastrophic explosion at a refinery site killed 15 people. It led engineers investigating the aftermath of the explosion to ponder whether shipping containers, which were still standing with little to no damage after the explosion, could be used as the basis for blast-resistant buildings.
RedGuard engineers and design staff went to work to convert shipping containers into blast-resistant buildings. Once they had a design that satisfied safety goals on paper, they field-tested it, setting off a powerful blast to ensure the buildings were safe. They have continued blast-testing with subsequent blast-resistant building designs, which, to be clear, no longer start out as shipping containers.
A shipping container can be converted into a blast-resistant modular building, but that begs the question: is this still the best option? Probably not. As a whole, it is more efficient to build a blast-resistant building from scratch.
To make a shipping container blast-resistant, first, the frame is reinforced. The best blast resistance requires tightly spaced vertical and horizontal stiffeners, similar to a human rib cage. This allows compression during a blast, the same way the ribs protect a body's internal organs. In RedGuard's blast-resistant buildings, this compression is called "flex" or "dynamic load transfer," and it's essential in providing a safe environment. Shipping containers have far fewer beams in their frame, which require quite a bit of reinforcement.
Next, consider the container walls and how they're built. A typical shipping container has steel walls 0.075 inches thick. A blast-resistant building should have thick steel walls, and depending on the building's response level, the walls may be steel sheet or corrugated. A shipping container would likely need to be reinforced to gain that strength.
A blast-resistant building is designed as a “single degree of freedom” system, meaning the entire building is only as strong as each component. What about doors and windows? Shipping containers aren’t built with standard doors or with windows. They have doors that swing open on either end to make them easier to load and unload. Those doors need to be fixed in place and reinforced so that they don’t open during a blast. Strong, heavy blast-resistant doors would be added. Every cut made into the shipping container would compromise its stability. A blast engineer would need to be involved to ensure blast protection.
To bring the best products to market for customers, in 2009-2010 RedGuard transitioned from container-based units to purpose-built, blast-resistant buildings. They went through several iterations of container-based designs before their first scratch-built designs. RedGuard kept refining the process until it created its GEN II units, but it didn't stop there. In its GEN III buildings, which it refined after its most recent blast test, safety remained the No. 1 factor in the design.
While the original shipping container-based designs are still more than adequate for blast protection, switching to scratch-built units made it easier for the company to meet customers' needs. While the market and industry have grown, designs have become more sophisticated. RedGuard has increased energy efficiency standards and upgraded interior finishes, safety features, HVAC systems, insulation options and more.
Additionally, and probably more importantly, the company enhanced its structural offerings. A commitment to testing, while looking for ways to think outside the box - no pun intended - has allowed structural designs to get even better.
The fact is, none of this makes units that started out as shipping containers obsolete. RedGuard's initial blast test proved that, but in today's market, it just isn't the best choice. If one needs a blast-resistant structure, RedGuard has the largest fleet of leasable blast-resistant modular buildings on the market.
For more information about blast-resistant buildings, visit RedGuard online or call (855) 733-4827.
