Building with steel is perhaps the best way to reduce environmental impact while at the same time creating a comfortable, healthy environment.
With steel, being eco-friendly comes naturally.
Steel and the metal building industry make being green easier than ever.
If you're looking for the most eco-friendly building option, steel is for you.
In the article below, we will go over just a few reasons why metal buildings are eco-friendly.
Table Of Contents
Choosing to build with steel instead of traditional building materials like wood already makes you more eco-friendly.
When trees are harvested for wood, it takes 20 to 40 years or longer to grow replacements.
When a wooden building is no longer useful, it's torn down, and the wood cannot be reused for more construction.
The need for wood may outpace our ability to produce it due to natural disasters and our ever-growing population.
But steel is both 100% recyclable and substantially made of recycled material.
The steel industry has a much smaller carbon footprint than the traditional construction industry.
Raw materials for pre-engineered steel buildings can be recycled and used repeatedly without a loss in quality.
When steel is milled, it uses next to no water.
And the water that is used can be recycled back into the environment, cleaner than when it was taken.
It takes much less energy to mill steel, and the greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced significantly in creating steel.
Recycled steel is becoming more prevalent, and steel recycling facilities are spread across the country, reducing transport distances for steel delivery.
Steel framed buildings are durable and able to withstand many destructive elements as a green building material.
That strength paired with low maintenance and energy-efficient capabilities prove that you will have a high return on the monetary investment you put into your metal building.
But another reason steel is growing in popularity is its ability to meet the green building design codes and sustainability standards.
Steel buildings meet the requirements for the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program by the US Green Building Council and the National Green Building Program.
These programs are used for commercial and residential buildings alike.
When you build with a pre-engineered metal building, every piece of steel is designed and manufactured for your particular facility.
That means there is next to no steel waste produced.
And the little bit of waste that is produced is still 100% recyclable and can be used again.
Steel is the only construction material that can make this claim.
When using building methods like building with wood, your wood arrives in bundles and is cut as needed, leaving the excess to be discarded.
We've already mentioned that steel is the most recyclable building material, and its strength does not wear down, no matter how many times it is recycled.
Steel frame homes are amazingly strong and can support solar panels without a problem.
In addition to powering prefabricated buildings, solar panels add value to your structure while reducing your energy bill.
A typical return on investment for a solar panel is 15-20%, and the investment in solar energy continues to grow as utility prices continue to rise.
You also gain a sense of security knowing that your building will be able to support these panels indefinitely.
One of the most notable benefits of steel is its complete inability to allow mold to grow.
Steel framed buildings do not require unique treatments to prevent mold, decay, or destructive insects.
Steel doesn't absorb moisture, so it won't play host to bacteria that would compromise the health of other building materials.
Steel is highly resistant to natural occurrences like blizzards, earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters.
Steel structures have been known to resist earthquakes of a magnitude up to 7.9 on the Richter scale.
As water damage is the primary contaminant in a home after a flood, having components such as steel that don't promote mold growth lessens the proliferation of mold entering the building.
Structures that are resistant to various environmental effects can thrive for centuries.
These eco-friendly reasons to build with steel should be all the reason you need to start your next steel structured building project?
The professional engineers and contractors at CDMG are here to help from conception to design and development to the erection of your custom-made steel building.
If you are ready to jumpstart your next project and build an eco-friendly steel building, give CDMG a call or click the button below to speak with one of our sales representatives today!
References:
https://greenbuildinginsider.com/91/4-ways-metal-buildings-reduce-environmental-impact
https://www.cdmg.com/building-faqs/5-ways-steel-building-are-eco-friendly
https://www.stevensec.com/blog/how-are-metal-buildings-helping-the-environment
https://blueandgreentomorrow.com/environment/ways-steel-building-structures-eco-friendly/
https://bonestructure.ca/en/articles/5-reasons-why-steel-buildings-are-eco-friendly/