Why The Southeast Badly Needs Steel Buildings

The earth getting warmer everyday is increasing the chance of having more intense storms in the coming years and steel buildings are regarded to be the safest and most reliable option in a hurricane prone Southeast region. When you think of the Southeast region of America, the first things that probably would come into your mind are the warm people, love for premium college soccer and delicious meals. However, when you intend to stay here permanently and think of building new structures within the region, it is vital to consider another thing that the Southeast is famous for – the extreme weather.

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Strong winds associated with heavy rain and floods are a common trend within the Southern U.S, particularly for states located at the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. People in this area face the highest risk of property damage, loss or displacement. As the issue of global warming gets worse, so too are the risks to more likely escalate and affecting North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and other nearby states.

As the earth gets warmer every year, higher temperatures are bringing more devastating effect on the climate. One is an extreme weather associated with high-volume rain storms that could last for days and even weeks as a result of the build-up of a considerable amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. What makes these forms of storms more concerning is that they could result in dangerous flooding, exactly like what we witness in southeast Louisiana recently where around 15,000 homes and businesses were damaged and seven people died.

The total cost of damage was worth $10 billion. Sadly, the amount of those severe storms can increase further as temperatures continue to rise within this region and across the globe. The Southeast is prone to more extreme weather than other regions of the U.S. In fact, it has been more billion-dollar weather event in the region since 1980. The most destructive was the hurricane Katrina which brought $153.8 billion casualties.

It’s not totally hopeless to live here though. The negative effect of extreme weather in this area can be reduced by choosing prefabricated structures made from steel. They are specially designed to weather extreme weather conditions and pre-engineered to withstand whatever the Mother Nature throws at them.
How Steel Buildings Reduce Risk

As explained above, prefabricated buildings are meant to endure severe weather conditions. Most of them have been trial tested in some of the most extreme weather conditions including earthquakes and hurricanes. The devastating effect of extreme weather conditions within the Southeast could be real and lasting. You do however have the choices when it comes to protecting your valuable properties and tools. While metal building manufacturers cannot guarantee that your structure will endure a historic weather event, most of them offer up to fifty-year warranty.

Compared with other construction materials, steel buildings give the highest chance of full recovery. Here’s why:

• They are inherently strong. There’s no construction building material that has higher strength-to-weight ratio than steel. It means that steel is able to maintain its strength without necessarily adding more weight to its structure. Their capacity to withstand very strong winds may also vary depending on the structure’s design. Quonset huts are amongst the strongest steel structures in the market. Their arched style design enables them to stand up to most hurricanes. Snow can also simply slides off the arched roof during winter.
• They are wind resistant. Wind resistance is probably the most vital feature of steel buildings for the Southeast area. This type of structure performs well under a strong force of winds, thanks to its ductility or its ability to bend without breaking. Compared to other building materials, steel is more energy absorbent making it a better option in a more unpredictable weather conditions.
• They are professionally engineered. Prefabricated steel buildings underwent a vigorous process of production that necessitates professional precision. Each of its components is manufactured under a controlled environment. They are designed to satisfy the demands of a certain project. Some techniques were applied to make them more sturdy and stronger than any traditionally built structures. Aside from they are able to withstand severe weather conditions, pre-engineered structures are also resistant to other forms of natural elements including rust, mildew as well as pest infestation and salt corrosion.

Engineering Standards Comparisons

How much a steel building cost depends on the job site location, the intended application and the current market price of steel. Below is a chart that will show you how one part of the equation in a certain location can be more costly to engineer as compared to another. There are two factors that could influence your building design and hence the cost of manufacturing a steel building in the Southeast – they are the wind loads and seismic activity. Wind loads estimate how much pressure a certain facility is capable of absorbing while a seismic activity points to the stress a prospective structure could have a facility.

Due to the extreme weather conditions in the Southeast, a steel building in this region will probably cost more than other states. As compared to Missouri for instance that has a higher seismic rating of 250/100, the cost of a prefabricated steel building is cheaper as the wind load is only 90mph. As a rule of thumb, it is more expensive to engineer steel buildings for states with faster wind speeds even if they have lower seismic activity. Nevertheless, whatever the case, investing in steel buildings is a smarter decision when taking into consideration longevity.

The table above provides a broad picture of the factors that can affect the total price of your steel building. It is still important though to get as many precise quotes from reliable cost estimator instead of basing it on a price per square foot.