It is actually a metal building system's inherent design advantages that keeps people from recognizing which buildings are, and are not, metal buildings. The fact is that today metal building systems represent over 65% of all one- and two-story buildings in the United States.

Faster Occupancy
Anyone who has ever tried to assemble a piece of furniture can remember the frustration and the amount of time its took to comprehend the various components and the methodology of assembly. The second time around, the process goes much faster. A similar situation occurs at a construction site when a stick-built structure is being erected. The first time it takes a little longer, but there is no second time to take advantage of the learning curve. With standard metal building components, however, an experienced erector is always on familiar ground and is very efficient.

By some estimates, the use of metal building systems can save up to one-third of construction time. This time is definitely money, especially for private clients who can reap considerable savings just by reducing the duration of the inordinately expensive construction financing. It is not uncommon for small (around 10,000 sq.ft.) metal building projects to be completed in three months. By this time, many stick-built structures are just coming out of the ground.

Cost Efficiency
In a true systems approach, well-fitting metal building components are assembled by one or only a few construction trades; faster erection means less expensive field labor. In addition, each structural member is designed for near-total efficiency; minimizing waste of material. Less labor and less material translate into lower costs. The estimates of these costs vary, but it is commonly assumed that metal building systems are 10 to 20 percent less expensive than conventional construction.

Flexibility of Expansion
Metal buildings are relatively easy to expand by lengthening, which involves disassembling bolted connections in the end wall, removing the  wall, and installing an additional clear-span  frame in its place. The removed end wall framing can often be reused in the new location. Matching roof and wall panels are then added to complete the expanded building envelope.

Low Maintenance
A typical metal building system, with pre-finished metal panels is easy to maintain; metal surfaces are easy to clean, and the modern metal finishes offer a superb resistance against corrosion, fading, and discoloration.

Single Source Responsibility
The fact that a single party is responsible for the entire building envelope is among the main benefits of metal building systems. The building owner or the construction manager does not have to keep track of many different suppliers or worry about one of them failing in the middle of construction.


[The information on this page was taken from "Metal Building Systems Design and Specification", by Alexander Newman, McGraw Hill Publisher.]