Metal and Steel Systems for Buildings - An Originations History
Since late in the eighteenth century when cast iron columns were first used in an English textile mill, the maturation of steel buildings has been phenomenal in the past two hundred years in both technology and in cost savings.
The introduction of metal and steel as a source for a key structural material is due in large part to its fire-resistive character. The earliest metal structures on the shores of the continental United States were built with steel beams and framing during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The evolution of the earliest pre-fabricated structures of metal also happened during this period.
In the early twentieth century building with metal or steel was mostly fixed to use as auto garages as the car industry was just about to make its mark on our country. This was first accomplished by the Butler Manufacturing group. In order to improve on the nonflammable characteristics of the complete building and lower the price, all-metal assembly for this latest car storage structure soon bested the starting models initially constructed of a combination of wood and metal.
The Austin Company introduced pre-engineered assembly, as it is applied to metal and steel framing, at the first of the 20th century. Star Building Systems then directly followed in the nineteen twenties with their capacity to supply inexpensive metal driller buildings to oil companies operating in Oklahoma.
A 100% steel construction was utilized to create aircraft hangars during the second World War and supplied a large boost for all-steel structure set up. At this juncture, additionally, very familiar structures named Quonset huts came into vogue. Thousands of these rudimentary building systems were made and required only the service of a limited labor force and hand tools to build plus, if called for, they could down the road with minimal effort be disassembled and forwarded to another location. These very easily identified arched rooftop huts were a favorite with the military for use as barracks and shops and with the public as agricultural buildings. The Quonset hut was recognized for being low cost but unfortunately was unattractive in appearance.
Companies fabricating pre-fabricated steel structure systems after WWII underscored the fast assembly benefits and inexpensive purchase prices in lieu of any aesthetics to push the product. The external look of these structures was not as critical to the consumers as the protection it could afford to items on the inside of the metal building. This second group in steel structure approach contained a stock 4:12 roof pitch although its exterior appearance was very bare. The inexpensive quality and toughness of these elementary pre-fabricated structure systems placed distrust in building purchasers’ minds as these unattractive structures were left to deteriorate in our nation for decades.
A new wave of construction that would soon become very common highlighted conspicuous advancements in pre-fabricated, pre-engineered steel structures.