Speed & Efficiency: Comparing Steel Building Installation to Regular Ones
Standardized steel building components allow for quick assembly on the job site.
Steel buildings have long been synonymous with speed and efficiency when it comes to installation. When compared to structural steel and other construction methods, a pre-engineered building will invariably be faster for projects of similar size.
You may be wondering how they manage continually superior turnaround rates. The answer lies in the core concept of pre-engineered steel building technology, which, as it happens, has been around for decades.
Additionally, their efficiency of design allows buildings that require less material, but are just as strong as their conventional counterparts.
Efficient Design
By anticipating where the primary load points will be on a structure, engineers can design members to provide strength where it’s needed. They achieve this by tapering the main beams to be thicker where the stress will be greatest, and thinner where loads are less significant.
This efficiency-based approach greatly reduces the amount of material required, and thus, also reduces the cost. Traditional buildings, on the other hand, utilize uniform members throughout, adding unnecessary weight and cost.
Universal Connectivity
If you ever played with Tinker Toys as a kid, you’ll understand the convenience of having building components that can be quickly connected. The same theory applies to pre-engineered steel buildings, but obviously on a much larger scale.
Steel buildings utilize standardized segments and fittings, which saves time in every phase of the development:
- Engineering
- Production
- Erection
Using computer-aided design software, designers produce building plans to a client’s specifications quickly and efficiently, and with extremely tight tolerances.
Controlled Production Environment
Building manufacturing is done in a controlled factory environment to optimize fabrication times. They are outfitted with specialized equipment, such as:
- Welders and cutting torches
- Shear cutting machines
- Roll forming machines (for members)
This factory line approach allows steel building manufacturers to produce and deliver buildings in a matter of weeks. Compare this to other building methods, where developers have to source materials from multiple vendors and then assemble much of it themselves on the jobsite.
On the Jobsite
Once a design is finalized and the order is placed, the developer will know how much the structure will weigh. This allows crews to begin the foundation work and have it ready for when the building kit arrives.
Furthermore, because these buildings weigh less than traditional steel structures, foundations require less material, are easier to prep and cost less money.
When the building kit arrives onsite, it’s ready to be assembled with all materials present. If you work with an experienced crew that is familiar with the standardized components and connection types, you can expect speedy erection times.
For more on this, read: Why Choose Firms that Offer Complete Design-and-Erect Services?
To see if a steel building is right for your next project, talk to Metal Structure Concepts. Our design team will be happy to discuss your building needs and offer a free, no-obligation quote.