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Those unsightly metal boxes that blemished the landscape of the United States in the past are not the steel buildings of today. In fact, one of the top material choices in the building of larger and more complex structures over the past 40 years is steel, largely due to the innovations and design enhancements that have developed. Steel is now the preferred building material of choice for new warehouses, sports complexes, churches, and many other applications.
Steel buildings emerged at the dawn of the 20th century. Steel car garages were one of the first popular uses. Small businesses and storage structures soon began to use steel and its use as a building material grew in acceptance accordingly.
The 1920s saw the widespread use of steel for many agricultural structures. Cost-savvy farmers and ranchers were quickly displacing unreliable wood structures with steel, a much sounder choice. The 1940s saw the first use of pre-engineered and pre-fabricated steel buildings introducing a rigid frame design. A rigid frame was found to be a strong and durable construction style because it was the sturdy entire skeleton for the steel building’s frame work. After more than 60 years the rigid frame is still widely used today and is the construction style of choice for a vast array of applications. Businesses could then enjoy the rapid erection time of a steel building and build larger and more functional structures at a lower cost than with conventional building. Steel aircraft hangars, after the 1940s, became the popular choice for airplane owners and airports over other building materials. There have been continued improvements in the pre-fabricated steel building industry since the 1940s to include increased size capacities and design versatility.
In 1956 the MBMA (Metal Building Manufacturers Association) was founded. The MBMA standardized the steel building industry and began a campaign towards further innovation and recognition amongst the public of steel buildings. The year 2000 saw steel building construction in excess of $2.5 billion dollars, as compared to $1.0 million dollars just 40 years ago.
The beginning of the 21st century speaks to even more innovation and popularity for the steel building industry. There has been, admittedly, an escalation of steel costs over the past few years. Steel remains, however, a lower cost building material and this fact makes it exceedingly popular for many consumers, businesses, and organizations today. Consider all the advantages of building with steel when you next undertake a construction project.
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