The Popularity of Steel Buildings
Monday, September 5th, 2005 There has been a phenomenal growth in the use of steel as the primary construction material in the United States these past few years. Although steel buildings have been used for commercial, industrial, and institutional needs for over sixty years domestically, they are increasingly becoming the structure of choice internationally as well.
The use of steel as a primary agent for building construction began in the 18th century with the use of iron columns within the walls of building. The use of iron beams and columns actually became a common feature for use in large industrial buildings starting with the end of the century. Steel was actually invented in the mid-nineteenth century and since that time it has been instrumental in application for use in bridges, pipelines and modern day skyscrapers. In our “green conscious” world of today steel has supplanted wood as the material of choice, in many instances, because of its low cost and because of conservation concerns.
There are many advantages in choosing