Steel Buildings Go Green

Gone are the outdated corrugated metal buildings of the
past. The new generation of pre engineered steel buildings
are finding use in an ever growing variety of Green
building projects. Steel buildings are leading the way in
the Green building revolution, meeting Green building
design goals with innovative building design, engineering
and use of materials.

Building Green

Green building design, also known as "sustainable building"
is coming of age as we recognize that global resources are
limited and that climate change is inevitable - unless we
take positive action now.

Green building recognizes the environmental impact of
buildings, their construction, lifecycle and ultimate
demolition, and works to lessen this impact through

* Energy efficiency * Environmentally sound building
materials * Innovative building design * Healthy indoor
environment

Environmentally Friendly Pre-engineered Steel Buildings

Pre-engineered steel buildings also known as prefabricated
buildings or prefab metal buildings are an innovative
building solution featuring solid steel I-beam building
construction.

* Pre-engineered steel buildings are designed and
engineered by trained and certified structural metal
building engineers to meet all local building codes for
snow and wind load and seismic conditions.

* Steel building components are engineered and fabricated
to precise specifications in a steel building factory using
the highest grade commercial steel available.

* Modern steel manufacturers employ energy efficient
methods in steel production that help to substantially
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

* When a steel building is demolished to make way for new
construction the metal building materials don't end up in a
landfill like asphalt shingles, concrete, brick and wood.
The steel is recycled instead.

* Steel can be recycled over and over again without loss of
the quality of the steel.

* More steel is recycled than all other recyclable
materials combined.

Cool Coatings Get Cool Energy Credit

"Cool" coatings are special siliconized polyester paints
with superior reflective qualities. "Cool" coatings applied
to steel buildings act as a thermal barrier to keep the
insides of steel buildings cool in summer. This means that
steel buildings coated with "cool" coatings use less
energy, making steel buildings more energy efficient. The
use of "cool" coatings for steel buildings saves money and
the environment through reduced energy costs over the life
of the building and can even qualify for Federal tax
credits.

Urban Heat Islands: Cool Roofs Bring Relief

Savvy builders are taking advantage of the fact that metal
building roofs reflect light and heat keeping buildings
cooler in hot weather. Plus, metal building roofs don't
store heat and radiate it back at night like other types of
roofs. This saves energy in cooling costs and helps save
the environment by lessening the urban "heat island"
effect. An "urban heat island" happens when urban concrete
and asphalt construction absorbs heat during the day then
radiates it back at night so that temperatures don't fall
at night as they normally would, and is a powerful
contributor to climate change and global warming.

In places like California, Texas and Florida, commercial
building construction is taking advantage of the "cool"
properties of steel building metal roofs for commercial
buildings such as warehouses, industrial manufacturing
plants, aircraft hangars, storage buildings, retail outlet
stores, auto dealerships, strip malls and more.

Metal building roofs also work to save energy and the
environment in cooler climates. A painted metal roof not
only reflects heat in summer, but also retains heat inside
the building on cool days, saving on heating costs and
keeping the indoor environment healthy and comfortable in
both summer and winter. New metal building roofs qualify
for Federal tax credits.

Steel Buildings: Cost Effective, Energy Efficient and Green

* Steel buildings don't require cutting down valuable
forests.

* Steel buildings are manufactured with a high proportion
of recycled content.

* Steel buildings employ sustainable building design and
construction and erect in less time than conventional
building construction.

* Steel buildings are fire and rust resistant and steel
buildings are virtually maintenance free.

* By their very nature, steel buildings are durable,
cost-effective, energy efficient and Green.

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Linda is Director of eMarketing of Olympia Steel Buildings
and self-proclaimed steel buildings evangelist. Linda can
be reached at Linda@steel-building.us.
Reprint rights granted. No alterations to the article are
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