Maximizing Space: Innovative Uses for Clear-Span Buildings
Clear-Span Framing Solutions from Pacific Building Systems (PBS) Maximize Uninterrupted Interior Floor Space for Any Facility
If you ask anyone who has purchased a steel building system, also known as a pre-engineered metal building system (PEMB), they will probably tell you that these systems are durable, quick to construct, and offer exceptional design flexibility. What you might not know is that PEMBs also offer exceptional interior space options compared to traditional construction methods.
At Pacific Building Systems (PBS), this is due in large part to the different frame types that make up a steel building system: clear-span, multi-span, and single slope, each with its own benefits and range of design possibilities.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the most common framing type and a favorite among our clients: clear-span.
What is Clear-Span?
Simply put, a clear-span structure is self-supporting, featuring an unobstructed, open interior with no internal columns or posts, providing clear space from one side of the building to the other.
Think about it this way: imagine watching a basketball game where players have to weave around columns while running up and down the court. Or picture trying to maneuver a small aircraft or flight equipment around large support posts inside a hangar. Even at an event or church service, you wouldn’t want your view blocked by a column in the middle of the room.
Clear-span framing solves these challenges by eliminating the need for interior supports. The building’s structure is stabilized by the exterior frames or trusses, creating up to 200 feet of uninterrupted floor space. Because of this, clear-span frames are an ideal choice when your project requires a large, open interior, whether for manufacturing, aviation, recreation, or public gatherings.
A Brief History Lesson
The idea of clear-span buildings isn’t new. Throughout history, builders have sought ways to create large, open interior spaces without internal supports.
As noted by the Chicago Architecture Center, “The concept of clear-span construction has roots in ancient architecture, where builders used arches, domes, and vaults to create open interior spaces. However, the modern application of clear-span construction became more prominent with the advent of new materials and technologies during the Industrial Revolution. The development of steel and reinforced concrete enabled architects and engineers to design larger and more ambitious clear-span structures, allowing for unprecedented interior flexibility and open space.”
By the mid-1970s, the rise of technology and computer-aided design (CAD) transformed the industry once again. Steel building manufacturers like Pacific Building Systems (PBS) began custom-engineering structures with wider spans and greater design versatility, allowing clients to tailor buildings to their exact functional and aesthetic needs.
Fast forward to today, and new technology combined with innovations in clear-span framing, and today’s steel building systems are more versatile than ever! Spanning up to 200 feet wide and 40 feet high, these column-free structures have become a top choice for modern low-rise construction.
Why Clear-Span?
Of the three steel building frame types offered by PBS, the clear-span design is by far the most commonly used. Unlike other forms of construction, clear-span metal buildings provide a complete, customizable solution with a range of practical benefits, including:
Maximum Interior Space
Unlike traditional buildings that rely on interior columns for support, clear-span structures provide a completely open interior, allowing you to maximize every square foot of usable space.
Highly Customizable
Thanks to their adaptable design, clear-span buildings can be easily expanded or repurposed for different industries, keeping them functional and valuable as your needs evolve. With no load-bearing interior walls, you can reconfigure layouts, add equipment, or change interior uses without structural limitations, making them ideal for growing commercial, industrial, or agricultural operations.
Fewer Foundation Problems Over Time
Because steel clear span buildings require fewer framing components than traditional wood structures, they place less weight on the foundation. This reduced load minimizes settling and helps prevent costly foundation issues over time, resulting in a longer-lasting, more stable building.
Flexible and Versatile Design
Clear-span steel buildings can be designed with a variety of roof styles: gable, arch, or single-slope, and customized facades that blend functionality with your preferred aesthetic, whether modern, traditional, or somewhere in between.
Cost-Effective Construction
Clear-span PEMBs help reduce upfront costs across nearly every phase of construction, without sacrificing quality. While initial engineering for a clear-span design may be slightly higher than a columned structure, the long-term savings from lower maintenance, fewer materials, and faster assembly make it a smart investment over time.
How PBS Has Utilized the Benefits of Clear-Span Structures
When you look through our portfolio of steel building structures, you will see multiple examples of how PBS engineers have applied the innovations in clear-span framing into our steel building systems. Here are just a few examples:
1) Agriculture and Storage Buildings
Without interior support posts, a clear-span design offers an open floor space ideal for equipment storage, livestock housing, produce processing, and more. This is critical for operations that require wide equipment access, ample storage for machinery, or modular layouts that change with the seasons.
Featured Project: Coleman Hop House in Gervais, OR
This project is a prime example of how the flexible interior layout of a clear-span building can benefit a growing agricultural business. Designed for industrial-scale processing with zero interior columns, the new structure replaced an aging hop-kiln facility built in 1944 that had been expanded four times over the decades. Engineered by Pacific Building Systems (PBS), the clear-span design provides ample unobstructed floor space, ideal for accommodating drying equipment, airflows, and conveyors, resulting in more efficient and productive operations.
2) Retail centers and Commercial Buildings
Successful businesses grow and evolve, and their facilities should, too. Clear-span metal buildings are designed to accommodate that growth, offering a level of adaptability that traditional construction can’t match. The use of clear-span framing provides a floor plan that meets current operational needs and offers the flexibility to expand, reconfigure layouts, or add new features as your business continues to evolve.
Featured Project: Commercial Warehouse Park in Vancouver, WA
Warehouse Spaces and distribution operations often demand large open floor plans for material handling, forklifts, racking systems, etc., and this project was no exception. The client needed a structure that would support large-bay warehouse operations without interior columns and could easily be modified and expanded. This project of multiple buildings, including a 10,920 sq ft and a 6,720 sq ft building, fulfilled that need and helped them achieve better operational efficiency.
3) Steel Auditoriums & Churches/Worship Centers
Clear-span PEMBs are ideal solutions for projects such as churches, schools, and auditoriums that require open sightlines and precise acoustics. Whether it’s for the arts, politics, sports, or education, these community-centered buildings can be customized with clear-span options that eliminate interior columns, providing maximum uninterrupted interior space ideal for flexible, multi-use environments.
Featured Project: Willamette Valley Baptist Church in Aumsville, OR
When church leaders from Willamette Valley Baptist Church approached Pacific Building Systems (PBS) with a vision to build a facility to accommodate their growing congregation on their forty-acre property in Aumsville, Oregon, our team was eager to help bring that vision to life. The church had plans for a new worship center, an auditorium, an educational building, a large stainless-steel kitchen, ample restrooms, and a gymnasium. PBS transformed these ideas into a spacious, thoughtfully designed steel structure built to serve this community for generations to come.
See more images of the steel building project for Willamette Valley Baptist Church.
4) Gymnasiums
Gyms and recreational facilities require large, open interiors for courts, training areas, and flexible programming. That’s why Pacific Building Systems (PBS) often recommends clear-span steel frames for these types of projects. The self-supporting design of clear-span structures provides maximum layout flexibility, ideal for accommodating basketball courts, weight rooms, fitness studios, or multi-use recreation areas without the limitations of interior columns.
Featured Project: Bend Rock Gym in Bend, OR
This example demonstrates how clear-span designs support “experience-oriented” species that require expansive, column-free spaces ideal for sports and recreation facilities where openness and unobstructed interior volume are essential. PBS’s clear-span steel design created the huge 20,000 sq. ft. open interior needed for 150+ climbing routes, bouldering areas, fitness studios, and more.
Other uses:
- Wineries, breweries, and distilleries – These facilities have precise space requirements and benefit from unobstructed floor plans that can accommodate production areas, tasting rooms, barrel storage, and retail spaces all under one roof.
- Airplane Hangars – Pre-engineered metal buildings offer spacious, clear-span interiors without support columns, allowing for easier aircraft storage and maintenance. With design options like arched roofs, they maximize usable space and allow additions such as lofts or compartments, securing aircraft storage and allowing room for maintenance equipment and machinery.
Read: 8 Reasons Why Steel Building Systems Are the Gold Standard for Airplane Hangars - Equestrian Arenas & Stables – Our steel horse and indoor riding building systems offer a versatile and cost-effective solution for covered, semi-covered, or open-walled steel structures that will keep your horses safe, your feed protected, and give your riders plenty of space for everything from horse training to roping, riding, and jumping.
Is a Clear-Span Building Right For You?
Since 1962, Pacific Building Systems (PBS) has delivered more than 10,000 high-quality metal structures for clients across the industrial, commercial, agricultural, and government sectors throughout the Pacific Northwest. Every component is precision-engineered and manufactured to the highest standards using the finest materials available in the metal building industry.
Your prefabricated steel building system ships directly to your job site, ready for efficient, streamlined assembly.
Explore our portfolio of steel building projects to see the versatility and craftsmanship behind PBS designs. To discuss your next project, call us at 503-981-9581. Our team is ready to help bring your vision to life.
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