In this day and age, smart solutions exist in every industry to boost efficiency and productivity, deliver more quality, and ensure customer satisfaction. The construction industry is no exception, especially with new technologies and materials constantly being introduced. Over the last few decades, steel frames have gained traction in the industry as more and more builders turn to this frame system. Steel frame construction was once used for large structures and high-rise buildings, but nowadays, you will also see it used in offices, residential homes, and schools.
Thanks to innovation, lightweight steel frame systems now exist in the market to provide a stronger structure to buildings. Lightweight steel-framed construction provides performance benefits for a wide range of buildings, which explains its growing market share over the years. The lightweight feature is one of its key advantages since it allows for easy handling. However, lightweight steel frames have also become popular for several other reasons.
Below, you will find the benefits of using this frame system for different construction projects.
Versatility in Applications
Lightweight steel frames can be used for just about any application. From low-rise residential buildings to multi-storey establishments, this frame system offers tons of versatility in the building types in which it can be used. Four-to-eight storey buildings are a particularly large market for these frames since their lightweight aspect can help with the loads involved in these structures.
Lightweight frames are also popular among mixed-use development projects, which involve residential houses constructed over a retail or commercial space. Planning for these buildings is crucial due to their mixed nature, and a lightweight steel frame has shown to be effective in spanning between transfer beams.
Reduced Risk Impact
Safety is a top concern for any form of construction, so durability and stability are crucial to ensure that a building can withstand external conditions. Earthquakes, in particular, threaten structures from collapsing if they are not built correctly or with the right materials. Fortunately, lightweight steel frames are considered to be one of the solutions used to improve seismic behaviour of structures. Their light nature can help reduce the effects and impact of forces of an earthquake, which shows how lightening the structures used in buildings can also contribute to its strength.
Additionally, light steel frames are non-combustible, providing buildings with resistance against fire. Steel can easily lose its strength from fire, so it needs some form of protection against it.
Sustainability
Generally, steel is known to be recyclable and versatile, compared to other construction materials like wood. In many cases, it has been dubbed as the sustainable material for construction due to the amount of steel scrap recycled every year. These recycled scraps can easily be repurposed into new steel to be used for different products. Ultimately, using steel for construction leads to a cyclic consumption of recycled steel.
Given the benefits of light steel framing, it is no surprise that more and more housing projects across the globe are using this material. Indeed, light steel frames offer advantages that give it an edge over other building materials, though they also have some drawbacks that require strategic solutions. Ultimately, however, they certainly live up to their growing popularity in the construction industry.