In the beginning, the use of standing seam roof system was limited to steel buildings in commercial and industrial applications. At present, standing seam roof is used in government buildings, banks, restaurants, gas stations, and even power plants. Even homeowners, in an effort to attain that modern fresh look, are also demanding standing seam roof for their houses.

Other benefits derived from standing seam roofing system for steel buildings are:

· Offers long lasting protection
· Offers peace of mind
· Roofs easily shed ice and snow, preventing ice dams
· Keeps roofs light
· Helps with ventilation of the roof

Basically, there are three different types of standing seam which include:

· Field Locked Standing Seam – uses special locking tool to adjoin the panels in the construction site
· Snap Lock Standing Seam – locks the panels together at the overlapping side
· Standing Seam Shingle Based Panels – imitates the look of standing seam roof panels, but are actually vertical shingle panels

It’s good to know that standing seam can be installed even on steel buildings with low-sloped roofs, for example, a roof pitch of 2:12. The standing seam roof is fastened directly to the purlins of steel buildings.

· Allowing airflow between rooms of steel buildings is important. Interior doors should always be open to allow for whole-building ventilation. However, for rooms that require privacy, installing louvers or transoms is one way of providing ventilation.

· For steel buildings with attics, ventilating the attic space creates a major reduction in heat transfer to air-conditioned rooms below. It has been found that a well ventilated attic is 30°F cooler than unventilated ones.

· Consider the use of motorized fans like ceiling and whole-building fans. This strategy can provide up to 9°F temperature drop at one tenth of the energy consumption of mechanical air-conditioning systems.

· Determine which of the two methods work well to achieve natural ventilation – closed-building approach or open-building approach. For hot and dry climates where there is a significant difference between day and night temperatures, a closed-building approach is ideal. A large building is open at night to allow cooler air to come in and closed during the day to keep out the hot daytime air.

For steel buildings in war and humid areas where there is not much difference between day and night temperatures, an open-building approach is best. An open-building approach means that daytime cross ventilation is encouraged to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures.

· Opt for open staircases because they provide stack effect ventilation for steel buildings.

Source: http://www.wbdg.org/resources/naturalventilation.php#

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 steel buildings code and what roles they play in the design of your steel building.

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.

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.