A steel building provides a great balance of aesthetics and durability. It’s not only nice to look at, but it can save you a great deal of cost and time, too. These compelling reasons have made steel buildings one of the most preferred materials in the construction industry, especially for erecting industrial or commercial structures.
The construction of a pre-engineered metal building cuts costs and time, which are two critical factors that allow you to finish projects on time, if not earlier. This, in turn, reduces labor costs and allows you to move on with your other projects at a faster pace.
Let’s take a look at how you can use steel buildings for your next construction project and how steel is used in buildings.
Common Ways to Utilize Steel Buildings
Most steel buildings are pre-engineered buildings where the steel components are shipped to the building owner in pre-fabricated and semi-structured components. Check out www.murraysteelbuildings.com if you’re ready for your next steel building project, which may be any of the following:
- Homes: Residential steel buildings are everywhere. They’re easy to build and can withstand harsh weather. Just make sure you’re ready to install a proper HVAC system and you’re ready to go.
- Garage: Most garages are often made from the same construction materials as your house, with wooden frames and metal sheets as major components. In lieu of wood, you can use a steel building, which offers the same protection that your traditional garage provides.
- Storage and work area: Eager to expand your growing collection of work tools, garden equipment, and broken fixtures that you want to upcycle or repurpose? A steel building gives every do-it-yourself enthusiast a safe haven to keep tools and create a masterpiece.
- Farm structures: While old farm buildings are made of wood, more and more farmers are enticed to switch to steel buildings to store their agricultural produce and keep their livestock protected by external threats.
- Commercial spaces: Businesses of whichever size are turning to steel buildings to hold their offices and keep their valuables. Because of its cost-effectiveness, enterprises who want to run their business fast but are held back by a limited budget choose steel buildings over other types, which take more time and money to build.
- Public structures: Apart from businesses, newly-formed government agencies or branches may also utilize steel buildings as an office. In cases where emergency set-ups are needed for short-term use, a steel building proves to be a quick and cheap solution.
- Warehouses: Steel buildings are generally less flammable compared to other materials, making it a good storage area for just about anything. As your business expands, it’s also easy to add more storage space.
How Steel Is Used
- Steel Foundations
Steel is used in conjunction with reinforced concrete to provide a strong foundation. In general, there are two types of foundations or footing utilized in all buildings. They’re classified based on the depth of the soil in which these foundations are rooted.
Shallow foundations are typically utilized for small projects or buildings formed with light materials, where the soil base is quite hard. Deep foundations are used for big projects that are located on hillside areas or in locations with weak soil foundations.
- Shallow foundations: This type of foundation can be done within at least one-foot depth in the soil, and located less than six feet below the deepest flooring of the wood or steel building. Each footing bears the load of the column and distributes it to a larger area. Individual footings, strip footings, and raft foundations are few examples of shallow foundations.
- Deep foundations: They’re typically done as shallow as 10 feet to as deep as 300 feet from the ground. Deep foundations are used to efficiently transfer loads from weak soil that’s found on the upper layer of the ground to the deeper and stronger layers underneath. Deep foundations are used for heavier and large-scale projects and buildings. Pile foundations and friction piles are two examples of foundations using this principle.
- Metal Roofings Anywhere you look, you’ll see metal roofings used in almost all types of buildings–from residences, offices, airports, and other public buildings. The metal roofings are predominantly mild steel, aluminum, and stainless steel. These metals are chosen over other types because of their strength and durability. While weatherproof, these types of metals may be prone to corrosion, thus need to be coated or galvanized for added protection.
Final Thoughts
Steel buildings offer the strength, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness that other types of structures can’t. Steel has been used for industrial applications and buildings for many years, as earlier discussed. However, it wasn’t only until the last few decades that buildings made predominantly from steel and other types of metals started to emerge.
Nevertheless, an increasing number of residential, agricultural, industrial, and commercial consumers are turning to steel buildings for various applications.