Steel Buildings – Green Applications
Gone are the outdated corrugated metal buildings of the past. The new generation of pre engineered steel buildings are finding use in an ever growing variety of Green building projects. Steel buildings are leading the way in the Green building revolution, meeting Green building design goals with innovative building design, engineering and use of materials.
Building Green
Green building design, also known as “sustainable building” is coming of age as we recognize that global resources are limited and that climate change is inevitable – unless we take positive action now.
Green building recognizes the environmental impact of buildings, their construction, lifecycle and ultimate demolition, and works to lessen this impact through
- Energy efficiency
- Environmentally sound building materials
- Innovative building design
- Healthy indoor environment
Environmentally Friendly Pre-engineered Steel Buildings
Pre-engineered steel buildings also known as prefabricated buildings or prefab metal buildings are an innovative building solution featuring solid steel I-beam building construction.
- Pre-engineered steel buildings are designed and engineered by trained and certified structural metal building engineers to meet all local building codes for snow and wind load and seismic conditions.
- Steel building components are engineered and fabricated to precise specifications in a steel building factory using the highest grade commercial steel available.
- Modern steel manufacturers employ energy efficient methods in steel production that help to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- When a steel building is demolished to make way for new construction the metal building materials don’t end up in a landfill like asphalt shingles, concrete, brick and wood. The steel is recycled instead.
- Steel can be recycled over and over again without loss of the quality of the steel.
- More steel is recycled than all other recyclable materials combined.
Cool Coatings Get Cool Energy Credit
“Cool” coatings are special siliconized polyester paints with superior reflective qualities. “Cool” coatings applied to steel buildings act as a thermal barrier to keep the insides of steel buildings cool in summer. This means that steel buildings coated with “cool” coatings use less energy, making steel buildings more energy efficient. The use of “cool” coatings for steel buildings saves money and the environment through reduced energy costs over the life of the building and can even qualify for Federal tax credits.
Urban Heat Islands: Cool Roofs Bring Relief
Savvy builders are taking advantage of the fact that metal building roofs reflect light and heat keeping buildings cooler in hot weather. Plus, metal building roofs don’t store heat and radiate it back at night like other types of roofs. This saves energy in cooling costs and helps save the environment by lessening the urban “heat island” effect. An “urban heat island” happens when urban concrete and asphalt construction absorbs heat during the day then radiates it back at night so that temperatures don’t fall at night as they normally would, and is a powerful contributor to climate change and global warming.
In places like California, Texas and Florida, commercial building construction is taking advantage of the “cool” properties of steel building metal roofs for commercial buildings such as warehouses, industrial manufacturing plants, aircraft hangars, storage buildings, retail outlet stores, auto dealerships, strip malls and more.
Metal building roofs also work to save energy and the environment in cooler climates. A painted metal roof not only reflects heat in summer, but also retains heat inside the building on cool days, saving on heating costs and keeping the indoor environment healthy and comfortable in both summer and winter. New metal building roofs qualify for Federal tax credits.
Steel Buildings: Cost Effective, Energy Efficient and Green
- Steel buildings don’t require cutting down valuable forests.
- Steel buildings are manufactured with a high proportion of recycled content.
- Steel buildings employ sustainable building design and construction and erect in less time than conventional building construction.
- Steel buildings are fire and rust resistant and steel buildings are virtually maintenance free.
- By their very nature, steel buildings are durable, cost-effective, energy efficient and Green.
