Steel buildings are not only among the most durable and most attractive types of construction, used in all industries and for an almost endless range of applications, but they are also environment friendly solutions, preferred by environment-conscious buyers to any other building type – here are some green facts about steel buildings.
100% Recyclable
One of the most important, unique features offered for metal buildings for sale and the features that makes them the preferred choice of environment-conscious builders and owners is its recyclable nature. Steel is the ideal green building material: it is 100% recyclable and the recycling process does not cause any degradation in the quality of the material. This also means that steel can be recycled endlessly without compromising any of the material’s qualities. The modern technologies used for recycling are much less energy-intensive than the initial manufacturing process and the process also frees up landfill space.
Recyclable By-products
Any manufacturing process generates waste materials and steel manufacturing is no exception. Steel making technologies use water for cooling, cleaning and descaling processes and they also generate waste water, but that waste water is filtered and cleaned and then used again for industrial purposes.
Steel making also generates slag, a stony material extracted from the iron ore during the smelting process. In the past, steel manufacturers used to dump the slag they generated, but today the material is reused for making cement, so no by-product of the steel making process is wasted.
Faster Construction
Steel buildings are manufactured to the client’s exact specifications in the factory, then they are assembled in the manufacturing plant to test the components, followed by disassembly, transport to the client’s site and re-assembly at the final location. The technology is very efficient – even the largest steel buildings can be assembled at their final location in a few weeks. The faster the construction process, the less energy-intensive it is, which means that the environmental footprint of steel buildings is further reduced by the expedited construction process.
Energy-Efficient Buildings
Steel buildings continue to save energy during usage as well. The strength of the material used for the panels and for the frames allows for using insulation of any type and of any sickness and efficient insulation is known to be the best way to reduce energy bills in summer as well as in winter. In summer, steel buildings stay cool naturally, without requiring owners to run their air conditioners all the time and the buildings also provide air that is of better quality and less humid, so air purifiers and dehumidifiers are not necessary either. Steel panels and frames work as very efficient thermal barriers in winter as well, keeping the air inside comfortably warm even when the winter is hard outside.
Durability
Steel buildings are resistant to even the most extreme climate conditions and weather events, they stay strong in front of the highest winds, hail, heavy rain, snow and seismic movements. Steel buildings can last up to a century or more, so if you choose steel for your construction, you can be sure that you will not need to build again – an aspect that further reduces the material’s environmental impact.