Pre Engineered Steel Buildings

Growth is good for every business. It can also be overwhelming when facilities, staff and production seem to be bursting at capacity. By adding needed space, it is possible to alleviate pressure by providing the appropriate workspace to achieve the greatest efficiency. Something that makes pre engineered steel buildings and steel storage buildings attractive to buyers is the flexibility of the external and internal floor plan. Every site has constraints that a conventional builder may be reluctant to work around, but metal buildings can be built to suit any site requirements.

There should be no reason not to consider a pre-engineered steel building for your construction solution. Steel buildings provide comfort and amenities equal or greater than conventional construction methods. If you are renting office space, and considering building your own complex, you can instantly realize the benefits of owning a steel building.

Facings

In addition to acting as a decorative protection barrier, facings serve an integral part of the overall insulation system. Facings provide vapor barriers, light reflectivity and structural strength. In some cases, a reinforcement of fiberglass scrim is used for extra rigidity and greater impact resistance.

The effectiveness of a vapor barrier depends on three primary factors:

1) Location within the insulated section

2) Permeance

3) Proper installation

Foundations

Do I need a foundation for my metal building? - Some people choose to pour a full slab foundation, however if you're planning on leaving the floor in a dirt or gravel condition, concrete piers will do the job just fine. Please contact a customer service representative if you don't plan to pour a full slab foundation.

Can you provide an engineer stamped foundation layout? - Yes, but in some cases your soil conditions play a major role in the type of foundation you can use. Contact our special sales department for more information. If using a local engineer, we will provide anchor bolt plans to aid your engineer in designing the foundation.

Do you supply the hardware to attach the frame to foundation? - No, the anchor bolts are usually supplied by a concrete contractor and placed when the foundation is poured.

Condensation Control

The condensation process occurs when warmer moist air comes in contact with cold surfaces such as framing members, windows and other thermally conductive accessories, or the colder region within the insulation itself (if moisture has penetrated the vapor retarder). Warm air, having the ability to contain more moisture than cold air, loses that ability when it comes in contact with cooler surfaces or regions. When this happens, excessive moisture in the air is released in the form of condensation. If this moisture collects in the insulation, the insulating value is decreased.

In dealing with condensation, air may be considered to be a mixture of two gases-dry air and water vapor. One thousand cubic feet of air at 75°F can hold up to 1.4 pints of water. At 45°F, it can hold only 0.5 pints.

Relative Humidity is a percentage measurement of the amount of water vapor present in the air in relation to the amount it is capable of holding at that temperature. Therefore, 50% Relative Humidity would mean that the air is carrying only one-half of the total amount of moisture that it could be holding at that particular temperature. Cold outside air is usually much drier than warm inside air. Therefore, you can lower the Relative Humidity by bringing in outside air to mix with and dilute the moist inside air. At 100% Relative Humidity, the air is "saturated."

The temperature at which the air is saturated and can no longer hold additional moisture is called the dew point temperature. Whenever air temperature drops below its dew point, excess moisture will be released in the form of condensation. Condensation problems are most likely to occur in climates where temperatures frequently dip to 35°F or colder over an extended period of time.

PUBLIC and CHURCH

Serving the building needs of America's churches, schools and local, state or federal government is a challenge. A church in Tennessee (above) employs a 60-foot clearspan structure with a specially designed hip-roof to accommodate a spacious open sanctuary. Wood and drywall were used to cover the massive steel beams that meet in the center and support the heavy, built-up roof system. Outside, the application of brick gives the feeling of strength and permanence.