There are many materials and methodologies for high value and durable construction. The best of those ways is cold form steel and steel construction. There are a few reasons why galvanized and cold form steel are the optimal type of construction: material properties, build quality, and sustainability.
Material Properties
Imagine if cars were made out of wood. It would be very difficult to waterproof them, maintain them, and allow for high performance/structural loads. Throw tight tolerances out of the window with wood because weather and humidity changes the size and shape of wood. Steel on the other hand does not warp or change at all with weather. Structural cold form steel studs are galvanized, and therefore they do not rust or decay. Because there is no organic material, termites and other insects are not interested or capable of burrowing into steel framing.
Build Quality
Steel framing uses positive connections unlike wood framing. In wood framing, typically nails secure pieces of wood together. In steel framing, exclusively threaded screws or welded connections hold the building together. Steel has better connections for conditions like wind, earthquakes, and other natural events. Additionally CNC roll forming techniques allow for precision cutting unlike having laborers cut warped material. CNC roll forming not only decreases the likely hood of human tolerance issues, it also increases the structural fit and connection quality to surpass anything possible with wood.
Sustainability
Wood may seem to be advantageous when it comes to sustainability. We can always grow more trees, but steel actually has some significant advantageous over wood in construction. Here are the top ways that steel is better than wood for sustainability:
- 10-15% less waste when using CNC roll forming techniques
- Most steel studs contain up to 60% recycled steel
- Steel buildings using Boxy’s Block Build System are recyclable and reskinnable
If you build with wood, here’s what you face:
- Minimum 10-15% waste or more
- Inability to store wood without serious risk of decay
- Very difficult to repurpose wood in a structure
Thanks for reading our article. Please comment bellow if you have any thoughts. Check out this article about cold form steel framing, or learn more about modular construction.
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Mateo Atwi