Semi Permanent Tent: What Is It & How to Build

Semi-permanent tents are used for events that can last for months or even years. If you're planning to host any outdoor activities, such as a trade exhibition, a festival, or a seasonal restaurant operating for an extended period of time, semi-permanent tents can be a good solution. Not only can they be an effective way to save on costs and reduce labour, but they can also provide you with a safe shelter throughout your event. 

In this blog, we'll cover everything you need to know about semi-permanent tents - their definitions, benefits, ways to build them up, and four common types you can consider to make your event a success. Here we go!

What Is the Semi Permanent Tent?

The semi permanent tent reaches a balance between being a temporary and a permanent shelter. It can be used for a specified duration, weeks or years, depending on your needs. And it is adaptable to various grounds and simple to build up.

Typically, the semi permanent tent is formed of a robust frame (often made of aluminum alloy or galvanized steel), and covered with highly resistant weather materials such as PVC fabric. Due to such a simple yet still robust build, it is guaranteed to stay firm, weatherproof, and even easy to assemble or shift as required.

What Semi Permanent Tent Structures Offer?

Semi permanent tents can bring you numerous benefits across different scenarios. Here are some of the main advantages you can expect:

Save Building Costs

The semi-permanent tent type is a simpler tent structure than a traditional permanent tent. This reduces the up-front costs for both purchase and construction. Besides, it also saves a lot of labour. Even if you are inexperienced with installing tents, you can put it up in a few hours with a small team of 2 or 3 people.

Moreover, all its components are pre-fabricated. This means that all the components are already made in the factory. You'll just need to connect each piece on site by following the manual or tutorial. So its installation and dismantling can be completely hassle-free.

Withstand the Harsh Weather

Another highlight of the semi permanent tent is that it can withstand various weather conditions. Since they need to stay in the outdoor environment for long periods, they have to face heavy rain, snow, harsh UV rays, etc. 

Because the tent is often made from high preminum materials, it is endowed with exceptional stability. And proper anchoring systems would be used accordingly to fasten the tent on the ground, which further keeps it stable and safe when enduring bad weather.

Meanwhile, its cover is engineered to bear heavy loads and evenly distribute pressure, which prevents damage from snow or water accumulation.

Serve Long Lifespan

The semi-permanent tent often has a long service life. The strong construction and materials make the semi-permanent tent able to hold strong for long-term outdoor exposure. Furthermore, the frame and fabric surfaces are also commonly engineered for erosion, rust, and corrosion prevention in the manufacturing process.  

If well maintained - with regular cleaning, checking fasteners, limiting the cover damage, and proper storage when not in use, a semi-permanent tent can operate for up to 20 years!

Widely Used

Today, the use of large semi-permanent event tents has expanded into many parts of our lives. From outdoor entertainment, sports events, and military operations, right through to industrial storage, tourism and hospitality, and agriculture, these tents can make quite an impact.  

Renowned for their flexibility and multi-functionality, semi-permanent tents can be adapted to suit a wide range of real-life scenarios. For example, whether you are preparing a wedding ceremony and need a wedding tent, or looking for a reliable storage tent for a warehouse, a semi-permanent tent is always a nice choice that performs well in such outdoor situations.

How to Design and Build a Semi Permanent Tent?

Ensuring the smooth operation of a semi-permanent tent should involve careful planning when you're designing and building it. Here's what you need to do:

Confirm the Intended Use

First things first, figure out your intended purposes. What are you going to use your semi permanent tent for? As mentioned earlier, this tent can be used in almost every aspect of our lives. For different events, the specific tent type you choose would be very different. This may vary in terms of your tent's design, size, accessories, and any other customizable features.

Most importantly, the intended use will also influence your tent's interior layout. For example, an exhibition tent, often includes partitioned booth arrangements, display stands, and bright lights in order to showcase a product, whereas a sports event tent may entail spectator seating, scoreboards, and designated rest areas. 

So, whenever you are designing your semi-permanent tent, always remember your intended purpose and adjust your plans accordingly to help ensure everything will go off without a hitch.

Evaluate the Weather

The local weather is another thing to consider. You'll need to research in advance and evaluate the climate conditions at your event location. This can be done by keeping up with local government updates and weather forecasts. Variables like temperature, humidity, rain, snow, and sunlight are what you should pay special attention to.

Based on the local weather, ensure that the semi-permanent tent has sufficient load capacity. It is always wise to go with a tent that has a load rating above what you think you will need.

Generally, for outdoor events, a tent that can withstand wind speeds of up to 120 km/h and bear snow loads of up to 0.5 kN/m² is considered ideal to cope with most weather conditions.

And there are other weather-resistant features that must also be taken into account: e.g., check if the tent fabric is coated to be 100% waterproof and properly coated to protect persons and items placed inside from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Lay a Solid Foundation

To ensure that a semi-permanent tent functions well during use, you have to prepare a solid foundation. This offers a relatively clean, flat, and safe surface for you to set your tent up. 

Of course, the ultimate foundation solution should be determined according to the specific working and ground conditions. To achieve the best result, you can contact a reliable tent supplier in advance and share what exactly you're expecting. The expert team can then create a tailored, professional plan to meet all your needs.

Build the Frame and Secure the Fabric

The process of constructing a semi-permanent tent includes two major steps: building the frame and securing the fabric; this doesn't sound too difficult, but it does involve many details.

When building the frame, you need to ensure that every piece of the tent - aluminum alloy pipes, uprights and beams is placed in the correct position to frame a roof, wall, and stabilization points. After attaching those components to complete a structural frame, double-check every joint that was fastened to ensure its tightness and that there are no moving parts to compromise the tent's stability. 

After completing the frame, put the cover on it and ensure the fabric is secured to the frame with solid fasteners and reinforcements, so as to promote a tight and weather-resistant configuration finally.

Check the Waterproofness, Stability, and Safety

The data about waterproofing, stability, and safety acts as the major benchmarks when deciding whether a semi-permanent tent qualifies or not. A trustworthy supplier will readily provide inspection reports from accredited organizations. At the same time, all figures are authentic and meet the required standards. 

At Sheltent, we offer our customers the latest, verified performance statistics for every tent we produce. All our semi-permanent tents have passed rigorous wind- and snow-resistance tests. In addition, our reports clearly outline how we meet flame-retardant standards. This way, we guarantee that every tent is fully qualified and able to meet our customers' highest expectations.

Consider Scalability in the Future

The scalability of the semi permanent tent is also worth a thought. The requirements of an event can change, and your own needs can grow in the future, such as hosting larger-scale events, storing more equipment, or putting in more features.

Since purchasing a semi permanent tent is a huge investment, it would not be rational to replace it every time your needs change. That is why it is better to choose a tent with modular extensions or easy modifications from the very start. 

This saves a lot of money and time. In addition, the flexible scalability also allows the tent to quickly adapt to varying needs, so as to keep it a truly long-term solution.

Common Semi-permanent Tents for Different Events 

Being a cost-effective and versatile option, semi-permanent tents are utilized for various outdoor events. Nevertheless, depending on the event, you will need to choose the type that just perfectly accommodates your needs. The options below are available for you - compare the details below to select the best semi permanent tent:

A-frame Clear Span Tent

The A-frame clear span tent is often used as a storage tent due to the spacious area it provides. It consists of an aluminum alloy frame and a PVC membrane tensioned over the frame. So it is one of the typical tension fabric buildings. 

Every part of this tent is prefabricated, which can save you more than 50% of construction time. And the light aluminum material would further reduce transportation and setup costs.

The pole-free interior and large spans often create an expansive, unobstructed space for multiple event layouts. For medium to long-term outdoor activities that need a large room, like exhibitions, music festivals, and sports events, this fabric building may also be highly suitable. 

Revolution Tent

The revolution tent has a very different appearance. The main body is like a cube structure. It is made of aluminum alloy and reinforced with Q235 steel components, making it tough and robust. And the top cover contains many peaked parts to form gutters to drain rainwater and provide better resistance against strong winds.

It also has a column-free interior that allows for various flexible layouts. With spans of 50-60 degrees, this tent is ideal for a warehouse, production workshop, and exhibition hall. What's more, it is easy to modify and expand to adapt to any temporary projects. 

Glamping Tent

The glamping tent can also serve as a permanent tent house. It is well known for its stunning appearance. With its precise design and top-tier materials, it has long been a popular choice for constructing luxury hotels, resorts, and campsites in scenic natural settings. 

There are various kinds of glamping tents, and the safari tent is one of the most representative. Anyway, regardless of the style, a perfect glamping tent would always perform very well in resisting a variety of conditions, including strong wind, heavy rain, snow, and intense sunlight. Once it is set up in the wilderness, it can last for an extended time as a sheltered home.

Dome Tent

As its name suggests, the dome tent is shaped like a dome, or a sphere. On its frame, there are numerous triangular parts. These units have helped enhance the stability of the entire tent. 

Apart from being applied to host trade shows, outdoor restaurants, and sporting events, it can also build a luxury outdoor experience, like vacation homes, camps, resorts, etc. And that's what a glamping dome tent can deliver. 

The dome tent has a steel frame and a PVC tarp. Thus, it is strong enough to endure outdoor environments for years. And the partial transparency of the fabric allows anyone to view the scenery outside while they are dining or chatting inside.

Conclusion

After grasping all the details about the semi permanent tent, it won't be hard for you to find the right one for your event. If you wish to make the whole process even much easier, you can contact us anytime for useful suggestions.

Having nearly 10 years of experience working in the tent industry, Sheltent is here to offer you the best semi permanent tent and ideas to make your event a more successful one. All our tents are made of high-quality materials and can last for a very long time. No matter which type you choose, it will never let you down!