Wernick launches steel portal frame buildings division

Wernick Group has launched a portal frame buildings division to supply configurable steel structures for industrial and commercial use across the UK. Wernick Portal Frames offers the Romney, Variant, Variant+ and Jawini systems for hire or purchase, targeting workshops, storage, manufacturing space and logistics facilities. The 26 October launch also introduces an online configurator for initial building dimensions, layout and features. The company says the new division can work alongside its modular buildings and portable cabins, while individual engineering and construction specifications remain project-specific.

The four systems are called Romney, Variant, Variant+ and Jawini. Their differences are in structural form and the internal space they can provide rather than in a claim that a single frame will suit every purpose. Romney uses a curved roof profile and is offered for storage, equipment protection and hangar-type applications. Variant combines straight side walls with a curved roof, helping keep the space beside the building perimeter usable for racking or workshop functions. Those geometries have implications for clearance and layout that cannot be resolved by floor area alone.

Variant+ is aimed at manufacturing, maintenance and other industrial uses, including facilities constrained by available site space. Wernick says its modular configuration allows the length to be extended. Jawini serves larger warehouse and logistics applications in which a wide clear interior is a priority. The company identifies these as different system types, rather than publishing a single structural capacity applying to all four. Clear span, equipment clearance and the ability to extend a building must be tested against the chosen system and site conditions.

The supplier’s general building information gives typical lengths from 5m to more than 100m, widths from 5m to more than 20m, and heights from 3m to 9m. Individual system specifications differ, however, so these broad figures should not be treated as the exact dimensional limits for every product. The range includes options for roller shutter doors, personnel doors, windows, rooflights and different access bays. Insulated roof and wall cladding can also be specified, along with internal offices or further site accommodation where appropriate.

A steel portal frame works by providing a structural skeleton from which roof and wall components can be supported, allowing large areas to remain free of internal columns where the selected arrangement permits. The precise structural design depends on site conditions, imposed loads, wind and snow loading, foundation capacity and the configuration of openings. A drawing that shows the desired usable area is therefore a starting point for engineering, not evidence that the site can accept the proposed arrangement without checks. Wernick’s product pages list some system-specific load options, but an individual project’s final design would still require verification.

Wernick describes the structures as scalable and demountable, characteristics that could help operators needing additional space for a defined period. Removing and reusing a particular building will still depend on its connections, cladding, foundations and condition when the time comes. Hire and purchase offer different ownership arrangements, but neither option removes the need for planning, site preparation, utilities and structural design. The launch does not provide project-specific installation times, hire rates or independently measured savings against conventional building methods.

Wernick also proposes using portal frame buildings alongside modular offices and portable cabins. On a logistics or manufacturing site, separating the large clear internal space required for handling or production from the smaller enclosed rooms needed by staff can give the two functions different environmental and access arrangements. A workshop might require a high-level door and unobstructed internal movement, while adjacent welfare facilities need more closely controlled heating, ventilation and sanitary provision. Combining building types is an option offered by the supplier, not a single prescribed design for every project.

Wernick’s online configurator allows an initial selection of dimensions, layout and options for discussion with its project team. A workable specification still requires checks on ground conditions, planning, drainage, means of escape and access for installation and maintenance. An unheated equipment shelter may need little environmental control, whereas a staffed workshop can require insulation, ventilation, heating and service connections. Vehicle and personnel routes also need to be laid out around doors, loading areas and internal storage, rather than being inferred from floor area alone.

Installation also depends on groundwork and site access, not solely the efficiency of prefabricating the steel structure. Foundations must accommodate the frame’s forces, and the construction sequence needs sufficient room for deliveries, lifting and safe assembly. Where an existing operational facility remains in use, the work may need to be planned around vehicle movements and business access. Wernick has confirmed UK-wide support but has not provided a standardised programme, a guaranteed build time or specific construction-method details for the division.

The division extends Wernick’s established modular accommodation business into larger steel-framed spaces for storage and operations. The four systems offer different roof shapes, wall arrangements and potential clear spans, while optional insulation, doors and ancillary rooms can alter both the structure and operating conditions. Buyers can submit an initial layout through the configurator, but the resulting enquiry will still require an engineered site design and construction plan. No completed installation case study or standardised delivery duration was included in the 26 October announcement.