Bookmark and Share

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Building Codes and Your Steel Building

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Time and time again, buyers have been reminded to check on the appropriate building codes of their areas during the initial stages of their steel building projects. What are building codes, anyway?

In general, building codes are intended for the use of architects and engineers in the design and manufacture of buildings and other structures. If enacted by the appropriate authority, building codes become law of a particular jurisdiction.

The online encyclopedia defines building codes as a collection of rules and regulations adopted by authorities having appropriate jurisdiction to control the design and construction of buildings, alteration, repair, quality of materials, use and occupancy, and related factors of buildings within their jurisdiction; contains minimum architectural, structural, and mechanical standards for sanitation, public health, welfare, safety, and the provision of light and air.

In short, they specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and non-building structures.

Building codes generally include:

· Rules regarding parking and traffic impact
· Fire code rules to ensure safe evacuation of occupants in the event of a fire
· Requirements for resistance to natural calamities such as earthquake, hurricane, tornado, flood, and tsunami, especially in disaster prone areas or for very large buildings where a failure would be catastrophic
· Drainage, green space, and fence-building rules
· Requirements for specific building uses (for example, storage of flammable and hazardous substances, or housing a large number of people)
· Grandfathering provisions: Unless the building is being renovated, the building code usually does not apply to existing buildings.
· Specifications on components
· Allowable installation methodologies
· Minimum and maximum room and exit sizes and their location
· Qualification of individuals or corporations doing the construction work
· For high structures, anti-collision markers for the benefit of aircraft

By now you should have a clear understanding of the importance of knowing the applicable building codes and what roles they play in the design of your steel building.

Tags: ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Steel Building Styles I: Quonset Hut (continuation)

Monday, July 26th, 2010

The last post talked about three styles of Quonset huts, the “A”, “Q”, and “R” styles. Quonset huts are multi-purpose pre-engineered steel buildings that are easy to construct and transport.

This post talks about the remaining three styles, the “S”, “T”, and “X”.

“S” Style

The “S” style steel building has straight sidewalls and a clear-span arch roof. This time, the sidewalls are lower than those of the “R” style Quonset hut. This style increases sidewall clearance allowing for more storage space. Center heights may vary depending on the need.

These steel buildings are typically used for homes, cottages, lakeside dwellings, garages, warehouses, storage houses, studios, conference halls, or additional buildings to existing structures.

“T” Style

A “T” style Quonset hut is a steel structure that looks half-finished – clear span, open sided and with partial arch architecture. Looking like the upper half of the letter “C”, the structural frame supports are located on the open side.

These metal structures are typically used for livestock shelters, coverage for large tractors and other equipments, service facilities for large vehicles, and coverage for walkways and sidewalks.

“X” Style

The “X” style Quonset hut provides slightly more interior room than other building styles due to its sloped walls and peaked roof. Center heights for the roof may vary according to needs.

“X” style Quonset hut steel buildings are typically used for garages, hobby shops, boat shops, automotive dealerships, mechanic repair shops, trade shops, industrial shops, convenience stores, grocery stores, and studios.

Tags: ,
Posted in Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings, Steel Buildings, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Learn about Pole Buildings

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Pole buildings are becoming an attractive choice to many consumers as it can offer great variety, look and value for money spent. Pole buildings combine the modern steel building components and the traditional wooden components and blend the two to get a unique design. It can be quite inexpensive to construct, which is another reason people are considering this option seriously.

Pole buildings usually contain the steel frame and support system of the building as in a traditional steel building. This is almost always prefabricated since it is simple to make and is not complex in shape. Most contractors can provide all the varieties required. However, the floors and walls are made up of wood like traditional wooden houses.

Pole buildings are an especially attractive choice for such buildings like garages, storage houses and barns that require large spaces and not a lot of intricate interior designs. By keeping them simple, you can get a high utility low cost building.

Pole buildings can act quite like steel buildings because their skeleton is made up of steel. Thus you can do almost everything with pole buildings that you can do with steel buildings. For example, it is easy to add doors, windows, skylights and other features on your pole building just as it is simple to do these for a steel building.

Pole buildings however do not need to be boring and dull with little designs. You can get creative in the way you paint the exterior and can make the building stand out. Also, many design features like the type of doors and windows used can greatly redefine the look of your pole building. Depending on your budget, you might also include good exterior paint and canopies so that your pole building looks exactly like a traditionally constructed structure.

Tags: ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »