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Posts Tagged ‘Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings’

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Energy Star and Pre-engineered Steel Buildings

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products, which has its origins in the United States of America. Although originally intended as a volunteer program by the EPA, it helped promote the use of energy efficient products by labeling them with the Energy Star logo.

Today, aside from major appliances, office equipment, lighting, home electronics, etc., Energy Star is also making its presence felt in the construction industry, especially that of pre-engineered steel buildings. The roof and walls are parts of pre-engineered steel buildings that are constantly exposed to the elements, making them the largest areas that greatly affect the efficiency of these structures.

Whereas before only light colored roofs have Energy Star rating, today various roof colors, including dark ones, are Energy Star approved and therefore energy efficient.
Using cool metal roofing for pre-engineered steel buildings helps lower energy consumption significantly and aids in reducing Urban Heat Island Effect.

Pre-engineered steel buildings can be designed with any type of slope. In order for a roof color to carry the Energy Star seal, it must have a solar reflective value greater than 0.65 for low slope and greater than 0.25 for steep slope. Solar reflectivity is the fraction of the sun’s energy reflected over a surface. The higher the solar reflectivity, the less energy is needed to cool down a pre-engineered steel building.

Energy Star approved reflective roofing for pre-engineered steel buildings reflect more of the sun’s rays, lowering roof surface temperature by up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, these roof products can help reduce the amount of air conditioning requirement of pre-engineered steel buildings. Reduction of peak cooling demand can range from 10 percent to 15 percent.

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Posted in Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings, Steel Buildings | 16 Comments »

Prefabricated Steel Buildings, Perfect for Storage Structures

Friday, February 11th, 2011

Due to its inherent physical properties and the many options it presents, high-grade steel has gained a wide acceptance as a building material, which is why prefabricated or pre-engineered steel buildings are now popular solutions for most construction needs including storage structures.

Steel is known for its strength, low weight, durability, flexibility, and corrosive resistance. As a building material, steel offers great strength even though it is light in weight. In fact, the ratio of strength to weight for steel is lower than any other construction material.

Another desired property of steel is its dimensional stability. The dimension of steel remains constant even after many years of being subjected to extreme environmental conditions. Besides, because it is flexible, steel can be molded to any desired shape, paving the way for steel buildings that come in all shapes and sizes that were never thought possible before.

Prefabricated steel buildings are the best options for storage structures and warehouses. Steel storage buildings are safe, provide clear-span interiors, requires little maintenance, and impervious to high winds, heavy snow, and even earthquakes.

Steel storage structures are quick and easy to build. Since they are pre-engineered, all the components are pre-welded, pre-punched, and pre-drilled at the factory, significantly reducing labor costs at the construction site. In addition, they are very adaptable, giving building owners the freedom to change floor layouts at no additional cost, by just rearranging the inner steel partitions. Future expansion is also a breeze because steel buildings can be easily expanded, by simply disconnecting and re-attaching the end walls after adding desired units.

Steel buildings are fire resistant and non-combustible. In fact, because of this characteristic, insurance costs for steel buildings are lower than other structures made of conventional materials. What’s more, steel storage structures are highly customizable, allowing them to be designed to meet the exact specifications and preferences of their owners.

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Posted in Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings, Prefabricated Steel Buildings, Steel Buildings, Steel Storage Buildings | No Comments »

Steel Factory Buildings

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

The online encyclopedia defines a factory as an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines that process one product into another. In other words, factories house laborers, raw materials, equipment, and goods or finished products.

Prefabricated steel buildings are highly customizable. Steel building kits can be tailor made for just about any application, including factories. Today, steel buildings are products made of quality materials combined with high-tech engineering, to create structures that meet and exceed all industry standards, as well as, local and national building codes.

When you choose to build your factory with steel, you deal only with one supplier. Your complete pre-engineered steel building package comes to you ready for construction. Since all the components are pre-drilled, pre-cut, and pre-welded, construction is fast, easy, and efficient – with no surprises. You save a lot on construction materials and labor costs.

Factories need a lot of space for large machines and equipment. With pre-engineered steel buildings, space is never a problem. They allow for maximum vertical storage with column-free interiors for 100% usable floor space. And when you need more space, pre-engineered steel buildings can be easily expanded at minimal costs and less disruption to your operations.

Pre-engineered steel buildings can be combined with today’s popular architectural finishes in the market, making them look like conventional structures. The only difference is their unmatched durability and weather resistance. Steel buildings remain straight and true even during hurricanes, high winds, tornados, and earthquakes. They are easy to clean and resistant to molding, cracking, and rotting. Most importantly, they are fire resistant and non-combustible, perfect for factories.

Best of all, if environmental responsibility is something that you value, choose to build with steel. Pre-engineered steel buildings are environment friendly because they are made of recycled materials. Not a single tree will be cut to create your steel factory building.

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Posted in Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings, Prefabricated Steel Buildings, Steel Buildings, industrial steel buildings | 1 Comment »

Steel Buildings, Safe and Reliable Horse Barns

Friday, November 19th, 2010

Horse lovers strive for safe and reliable shelters for their priced animals. These people want nothing more than ensuring the safety, protection, health, and security of their equines. Taking into consideration the size of your land and your budget, pre-engineered steel buildings are the ideal solutions for horse barns.

Steel buildings are highly customizable that’s why more and more people are building with steel. They can be designed to meet any set of specifications without exceeding your budget. What’s more, since they are prefabricated, construction is easy, fast, and safe.

The strength of steel allows steel buildings to provide for clear-span interiors, giving you 100% usable space to accommodate stalls, hay storage, tack room, washroom, and storage for equipments.

To keep your horses healthy, sufficient ventilation is necessary. Steel buildings can be equipped with ridge vents, windows, doors, and louvers to allow for fresh air moving in the barn. This will not only make your horses breathe easily, but will also ensure that harmful odors and stale air is removed.

Steel buildings are also resistant to pests, molds, rotting, and cracks. Since steel is the most durable construction material, your steel horse barn will provide long years of protection from extreme weather conditions like hurricanes and earthquakes. More importantly, steel is fire resistant and non-combustible.

Unlike wood or masonry, which can harm your horses when they kick, steel does not crack to cause splinters and is flexible enough not to break your animal’s leg. Horses also cannot chew through steel. In addition, steel is also very easy to clean and it will not rot, mold, and creep.

Steel buildings will provide for long years of safe and reliable shelters for your horses.

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Posted in Agricultural Steel Buildings, Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings, Prefabricated Steel Buildings, Steel Buildings | 4 Comments »

Insulated Metal Panels for Cold Storage Steel Buildings

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

Modern pre-engineered steel buildings can accommodate just about any kind of purpose. More and more business owners are turning to steel for their construction needs. The growing number of steel building applications include aircraft hangars, barns, offices, auto shops, insurance agencies, strip malls, warehouses, storage facilities, etc.

The use of pre-engineered steel buildings is the preferred mode of construction of cold storage facilities. These structures are used primarily for refrigeration and freezing of products such as fresh produce, seafood, manufactured food, flowers, biochemical materials, and others.

Maintaining a controlled interior environment is the primary concern in the cold storage business. Steel buildings used as cold storage are installed with insulated metal panels in the roof and walls. Insulated metal panels (IMPs) not only have exceptional thermal performance, they also come in various widths, lengths, gauges, and finishes.

Insulated metal panels are known to have the highest insulating value per inch over all other wall insulating products in the market today. This is due to their ability to provide uniform insulation because of the shape and thickness of the insulating material (usually polyurethane), which are consistently maintained between the metal panels.

The use of insulated metal panels offers a lot of savings. Since they are lightweight, they require lower foundations, lighter framing, and fast and easy installation, resulting in a significant reduction in construction costs.

IMPs are durable, have a longer lifespan and lower maintenance requirements than other insulating products. They can even be installed in any kind of weather. Modern IMPs are coated to protect them from the elements, providing you with decades of use without the need of repainting.

Insulated metal panels for steel buildings are available in a wide range of colors, textures, and finishes. These products are also popular in other steel building applications including manufacturing plants, hospitals, office buildings, hotels, airports, arenas, and many more.

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Posted in Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings, Prefabricated Steel Buildings, Steel Buildings, Steel Storage Buildings, commercial steel buildings, industrial steel buildings | 11 Comments »

Warehouse Steel Buildings

Monday, November 8th, 2010

A warehouse is a commercial building whose main purpose is to store goods. Usually found in industrial areas, warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, etc. Large exporters/manufacturers use warehouses as distribution points for retail outlets such as grocery stores, supermarkets, and department stores.

An online business magazine reported that in the first months of 2010, the total manufacturers’ shipments in the country rose 10.1% compared to the same period in 2009. This is a good indication that the demand for warehousing facilities has not waned.

Steel remains your best choice for building warehouse facilities. Typically, warehouses have cranes and forklifts for moving goods. Prefabricated steel buildings are highly customizable and can be designed to accommodate even the most complex warehouse features such as these.

Built at a fraction of the cost of conventional structures, steel buildings provide safe, economical, and secure storage spaces. No doubt about it, these metal structures are incredibly durable and resistant to extreme weather conditions. In addition, the use of high-grade steel makes steel buildings practically maintenance free.

The strength of steel and the high tech engineering that goes into steel buildings make them capable of providing column-free clear span interiors as wide as 300 feet, allowing for obstruction-free maneuvering – a must for warehouses.

Should you need to expand your business, you don’t need to wait until you have enough resources to support expansion. Steel buildings can be easily expanded to grow with your needs, at reasonable costs and with minimal disruption to normal business operations.

Climate control is a non-negotiable aspect of the warehousing industry. If you are storing temperature sensitive goods, maintaining specific temperature and humidity levels is important. Steel buildings have the flexibility and strength to accommodate insulation and HVAC units for optimal temperature control and energy efficiency.

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The Stability of Pre-engineered Steel Buildings

Friday, November 5th, 2010

Yesterday’s post talked about the rigid frame system used in pre engineered steel buildings. This post talks about how the frame system gives steel buildings the stability and reliability they are most famous for.

A typical one-story pre-engineered all-steel structure is comprised of several main frames, the number of which depends on the building’s length. The steel main frame truss is the vertical I-beam that is bolted to the concrete foundation and functions as the central support of the rigid frame.

Focusing our attention to the steel building’s width, a clear-span frame is the open space between the steel framework supports. The main frame is composed of vertical and horizontal I-beams. The vertical element of the “I” beam resists shear forces while the horizontal element resists most of the bending moment experienced by the beam.

With regards to the roof, the purlin bracing system used in roofs of steel buildings include braces, which have pairs of tabs extending from one end. These steel roof components work in harmony precisely to provide interiors that are safe against the elements. At the same time, the roof parts direct all structural loads of steel buildings to the purlins.

All buildings are subjected to constant stress from forces like compression, tension, shear, torsion, and lift. Sideways balance is essential to the reliability of steel buildings. The rigid frames of the majority of these metal structures support sideways balance because they hold all the parts together.

In addition, incorporating different types of bracing into the steel building’s design can also add more lateral stability to the structure. These bracings are very effective at combating the various building loads. In addition, they are integral to the complete rigidity of steel buildings.

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Structural Framing of Steel Buildings

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

Pre-engineered “rigid frame” steel buildings offer owners a number of benefits and advantages. In spite of the fact that they are relatively easy on the pocket, steel buildings are actually strong and durable because of their framing. Steel buildings are engineered to bolt together easily, making their construction fast, easy, and efficient. Assembling a steel building does not require any specialized skill in carpentry, masonry, and welding.

Main members that form the skeleton of the framework of steel buildings consist of vertical steel columns and horizontal I-beams. These columns and I-beams are constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls that are attached to the skeleton frame. Basically, the skeleton holds things up.

Each frame is made up of two or more columns, supporting a rafter that traverses one side of the structure to the other. Spaced at equal intervals between the two endwalls, the main frames bear most of the building’s load. Each space between two frames of a steel building is called a “bay”, which ranges from 20 to 30 feet or 6 to 10 meters. Typically, the endwall frames support only half the load of a main frame.

Secondary framing includes the wall girts, roof purlins, and eave struts. In the middle of each main frame, there are girts and purlins which run up the roof and the wall horizontally after every 3 to 6 feet. Eave struts are structural members located at the eaves of steel buildings, which support the roof and wall paneling. These secondary framing members transfer loading to the main frames and help stabilize the steel building.

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Steel Office Buildings

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Pre engineered steel buildings used as offices are no different from other metal structures. They are easy to construct, durable, and low maintenance. Since they are occupied most of the day, they must be designed to have environments conducive to working.

That’s why choosing the design of the steel building is of utmost importance. Special attention must be given to the interiors – finishes, equipment, furniture, fixtures, and others.

Pre-engineered steel buildings allow for clear-span column-free interiors, providing for spacious working areas. This creates a positive working environment that ensures employee satisfaction and improved performance.

Pre-engineered steel buildings are also energy-efficient. There are various accessories available that provide a controlled and comfortable office atmosphere by making the metal structure compatible with the local environment.

Insulation will effectively control the temperature inside a pre-engineered steel building office. During hot summer months, a properly installed insulation prevents heat from transferring into the building. During wintertime, insulation keeps the interiors warm.

Insulation reduces the need for heating and air-conditioning, lowering electricity costs. Another solution to reduce energy consumption is the use of reinforced translucent skylights. Installing skylights brighten up the building’s interiors, reducing the need for artificial lighting.

Pre-engineered steel buildings are also very flexible. With their column-free design, they allow for any floor plan imaginable, maximizing office space, storage, and production, all at once.

Blending with other structures in the locality is not a problem with pre-engineered steel buildings. The exteriors of steel office buildings can be made of brick, stucco, or wood, to make them acquire the same aesthetic appeal as other traditionally constructed buildings.

Apart from these advantages, steel buildings are also low maintenance. They are resistant to corrosion and deterioration. They do not warp even if exposed to extreme weather conditions. Choosing to build with steel is one way of saving the environment because unlike other building materials, steel is recyclable.

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Steel Building Styles I: Quonset Hut

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Those who prefer economical, durable, and cost-efficient construction, choose prefabricated steel buildings for their construction needs. Pre-engineered steel building kits come in various sizes and styles to accommodate every need and budget.

Basically, there are two major styles of pre-engineered steel buildings: the Quonset hut and the straight wall.

A Quonset hut is an all-purpose portable prefabricated steel building that is durable and easy to construct. These inherent characteristics of Quonset huts made them widely used by the military during World War II.

There are different styles of Quonset huts, which are described below:

“A” Style

The “A” style has a more conventional appearance, with straight sides and peaked roof. The center heights can vary depending on the needs. The length of this type of steel building is unlimited.

It is typically used as backyard garages, woodworking shops, mechanic shops, all-purpose shelters, and storage for recreational vehicles, boats, and campers.

“Q” Style

The “Q” style has the profile of a traditional Quonset hut – single radius with clear-span arch. The maximum height permitted is limited to half the span of the steel buildings.

“Q” styles are typically used for riding arenas, indoor swimming pools, swimming pool halls, sports arenas, barns, livestock storage, crop storage, equipment maintenance shops, and airplane hangars.

“R” Style

The only difference of an “R” style Quonset hut from the “Q” style, is the conventional wall design, which is straight, for sidewall support. It is a single radius metal structure with clear-span and low profile arch.

Typically, these steel buildings are used as swimming pool covers, walkway covers, hockey rinks, recycling plants, and as replacement roofs.

(to be continued)

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