It’s so important to take all factors into consideration when constructing a large metal building. Steel buildings offer lots of important advantages over non-steel constructions, as well as being cheaper to buy, easier to install and offer design and use flexibility that traditional building methods find difficult to match. Steel buildings can be built very large, very easily. Indeed, some of the largest single-story buildings you’ll see anywhere in the world will be steel buildings. They have so much going for them.
Keep an eye out for the growing demand for multistory warehouses due to the increasing demand for industrial land intensification.
One enormous advantage with steel buildings is that the steel itself is so strong that it allows large buildings whose roofs can be supported without internal support columns. If your intended use is as an aircraft hangar, distribution center, warehouse, retail outlet – or any other use where maximizing floor space without the intrusion of support columns is a benefit – then you’re probably already a fan of steel buildings.
Allied Steel has built many very large steel buildings. So we know from experience that larger buildings do have their own set of specific considerations – and they’re worth knowing about early on in your planning stage.
If you’re considering a large-sized metal building then the following three pointers are worth considering:
- Does Your Intended Use Require A Clear Span Design?
- Is A Longer Steel Building Better Than A Wider One?
- Are You Considering A Multistory Steel Building?
Does your intended use require a clear span design?
That is, must the entire floor space be open and free of support columns, clear span? Steel’s strength does an excellent job of providing self-supporting structures – it’s one of the huge advantages of building with steel. But there still comes a point where the added size of the building places increasingly heavy loads on the structural columns and rafters. These have to become progressively larger to bear the increasing roof loads.
Once you’re looking at a roof span greater than {250 feet?} this becomes an increasingly important consideration.
If you can find a way of accommodating interior load-bearing columns within your design then a modular frame will provide significant support for your building’s roof. And that means you do not have to pay for increasingly heavy steel rafters and columns along the length of your building.
Is a longer steel building better than a wider one?
At first, a person might wonder what difference this would make. But unlike, say, a brick construction steel buildings are made wider or longer in entirely different ways. And those different ways have a dramatic effect on the cost of your building.
How does steel building width and length affect cost?
When you add to the length of your design all the cost is located only in that additional length. Add {20 feet} to the length of your building and you’re simply adding an extra frame line to one end of your structure.
But if you add {20 feet} to the width of the building then the building widens along its entire length. Which means that every one of the supporting rafters has to be {20 feet} longer. In addition, every one of the support columns needs to be made bigger in order to support the increased roof load.
Of course, the layout of your plot and various other positioning and zoning considerations might mean you have little choice in whether your building is longer or wider. But if you can choose one or the other then it’s usually more cost-effective to go for longer.
Are you considering a Multistory steel building?
Interior mezzanines can provide valuable additional storage or working space and can be a useful addition to buildings that already have high roofs. But if you’re building from scratch keep in mind that a steel I-framed building will need eaves at least 22 feet high if it’s to usefully accommodate this additional level. The increased loading characteristics for a building this high can add considerable expense to the build. If you can possibly keep the building to a single level and, instead, gain your greater square footage at ground level then the overall cost of your steel building would reduce.
*Read more about the factors that affect your steel building pricing here.
About Allied Steel Buildings
At Allied Steel Buildings, no project is too big or small. Whether you are building a garage, barn, or skyscraper, we excel in creating pre-engineered steel building kit solutions for clients large and small. Discover the Allied Steel Buildings difference and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a premier building company. Call us today at 1.877.997.8335 to learn more or fill in our contact form here and our friendly and knowledgeable building experts would be happy to price your building.
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