Steel buildings today come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and they are used for many different applications. There was once a time when steel buildings were primarily used for industrial purposes. Numerous technological developments have however brought about the widespread popularity of steel as a construction medium. Today, an increasing number of structures are constructed from steel, from shopping malls to hangars, from office buildings to factories.
Steel buildings can generally be categorized into three main groups: steel frame buildings, steel pole buildings, and steel arch buildings.
In steel frame buildings, steel is used as the structural basis instead wood, which was traditionally the most common material used. The resulting structure could then be finished with any number of different building materials, with brick or stucco being common options. Steel frame buildings are typically used for offices, residential structures, and churches.
In steel pole buildings, the use of wood as a building material is foregone in favor of steel posts and trusses. Metal sheathing may then be used for finishing walls and the roof, although wood sidings are often used as well. Steel pole buildings are also often known as pole barns, particularly when they are used for agricultural applications.
Steel arch buildings are commonly seen in agricultural and industrial applications. Steel arch buildings are rapidly becoming a popular option in the construction business, since they can be assembled quite quickly and easily. Since steel arch buildings use arched steel panels in their construction, they often do not need any framing or the use of columns or posts.
One of the most attractive aspects of steel buildings is that can generally be built quickly. This is a particularly attractive trait in the construction industry where time is always of the essence. One of the reasons why steel buildings are so quick to build is that most of the components used are pre built in the factory before they are shipped off to the construction site. Steel buildings can also be expanded or extended easily and inexpensively.
Many steel building manufacturers even provide trained personnel to deliver and lay out all the components of the building. Most companies that manufacture prefabricated steel buildings are involved with all aspects of their construction from design to delivery, for which they charge a package rate. This makes things considerably easier for everyone involved in the construction process.
Steel is currently one of the best construction materials available. In addition, it is also comparatively inexpensive, which makes steel buildings an even better choice for construction engineers.
Who would have guessed that you could have an entire adventure that takes place in metal buildings? We were at an amusement park and a surprising number of rides and special effects features were set up in metal buildings. I was amazed by how quickly our perspectives changed when we entered one ride in particular. It was a ride called Ride Along with E. T. (you know, the movie from the 80s). We rode on these bikes, like E. T. and his buddy Elliot did in the blockbuster film, which immediately upped the cool factor. Unlike Elliot, the ride moved our bicycles along, so it required no pedal power on our part. As soon as we entered the first of the series of metal buildings, it was dark and we were enveloped in a forest. It felt like a Fall night and the smell of pine trees enveloped us. We could see stars too. Our bikes zoomed us through the woods, over the town and passed the gigantic full moon. We felt like we were in the movie. All in a bunch of metal buildings.
It makes sense that metal buildings are such a staple at amusement parks everywhere. A metal building can be assembled by a few untrained people without unusual tools and equipment. An instruction manual and drawings are included when you purchase one of these buildings. This allows you to pour the concrete foundation ahead of time. Most of the buildings assemble via metal arches that can be put together on the ground. You raise the basic structure, and secure it to the foundation. The rest of the walls are attached from there and you are up and running. With the help of a few people, you now have a new building that only took a week, at most, to put together.
Metal buildings have advantages over traditional structures, other than just the simplicity of assembly. It costs a lot less to construct a metal building than a traditional one. Because of the simple and strong structure of metal buildings, there are no extra trusses and beams like in traditional buildings. That means you get to use almost all the space. You do not have to worry about maintaining the roof, cleaning gutters or painting the structure. No traditional building could weather hurricanes, hail, water and flames like metal buildings can. All parts of metal buildings can be used again or recycled and their construction does not involve any wood, so you can pat yourself on the back by saving some trees. Termites, of course, do not even look at a metal structure.
Amusement parks may use metal buildings for fun and entertainment, but the rest of the world finds the buildings useful for the same durable and economical reasons. Metal buildings are used commercially by all branches of the military, farms, gymnasiums, paint and body shops and churches. They serve residential consumers as sheds, storage buildings and hobby shops. You can buy plane tickets to an adventure park in a warm climate with all the cost savings of a metal building. Plus, you can leave it behind and not worry about the maintenance. .
Quonset huts are a unique architectural phenomena, a revolutionary concept in temporary housing. Quonset huts are in basic terms lightweight structures that have been manufactured using iron that is galvanized and has a semi circular cross section. The design of Quonset huts was inspired from the Nissen hut model and was made popular by the British during World War I. Since the original design of the Nissen prototype was an intricate array of corrugated iron panels both inside and the thermal protection came from the space between the panel arrangements, the Government came up with a variation to avoid setbacks during shipping and reassembly. Quonset huts were named after the first manufacturing site, Quonset Point, Danisville, which was part of Rhode Island. The original design was 5 m by 11 m and was framed with semicircular steel pipes 2.4 m in radius, which were covered on the sides with corrugated steel sheets. The doors and windows were designed off the side of the main structure with regular ply, and the insulated interior contained a wood floor.
The very idea of this type of provisional housing facilities increased in use post 1941 when the US Navy needed reliable shelters for its military bases. The answer lay in constructing a lightweight shelter that could be readily shipped anywhere and did not require expert hands during assembly. In fact the building itself could be assembled just about anywhere, on concrete, iron pilings or even directly on the ground. The interior space is an open area allowing maximum flexibility, which means the facility could be used as housing, office or medical space, military storage units or even barracks. These buildings provided the US military with enhanced facilities and were a far cry from the inconvenient tenting on wooden bases that were usually used at that time.
From its application as military shelters, many other contractors began developing their own versions of the Quonset hut for other uses. From its initial deisgn, Quonset huts have seen many enhancements, and the last significant one was in 1943 when the Quonset Point manufacturing factory was taken over by the Great Lakes Steel Corporation and established as the Stran Steel Division. The variant of the Quonset huts thus developed had a more elongated design and applied the full arch corrugated pipes that was part of the intial model. Some variations of the Quonset hut structures were created to serve special needs, such as the wooden Pacific hut, and many of these did save valuable metal resources. Some had heavy steel piping and these were specifically built to serve as air raid shelters. Other bulky Quonset hut structures and multi arched variants have also been built to meet specific Government orders as well as civil demands.
Although Quonset huts began as a product of a military necessity, it has rapidly diversified into an iconic symbol of sorts. Quonset huts have with time become a more accepted mode of housing and are a reflection of the American spirit of invention. Quonset huts are certainly an exclusive phenomena, where the novel and the extraordinary merge seamlessly.