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If you are considering steel construction for your commercial construction project, we are here to help.
Steel construction has two primary benefits:
Pre-engineered steel outperforms traditional building materials, and Kaiser-Martin has the experience, the team, and the design-build capabilities to bring your steel or commercial construction project to life.
Pre-engineered steel construction, often referred to as PEMB or Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings, is a method of building that uses manufactured steel to make strong, durable frameworks, particularly in large, long, or tall buildings.
This can include large-scale arenas or churches where you won’t want support pillars dotting the floor.
Steel has strength-to-weight characteristics, boosting its popularity as a structural material. While steel is strong, it is surprisingly lightweight compared to other materials like concrete or wood. This makes steel an ideal choice for construction projects where large amounts of support are needed.
Steel is also optimal for high or collateral loads which support the weight of additional permanent materials: solar panels or extensive mechanical fixtures.
Metal buildings offer excellent combustion and corrosion resistance, making steel ideal for indoor and outdoor structures.
Many municipal codes call for non-combustible materials or stringent anti-combustion measures, and steel construction is an efficient way to meet these requirements.
Steel is often combined and used with concrete or wood to create complex architectural designs without sacrificing structural integrity. Because steel is lightweight and can be used to design intricate shapes that are unachievable with traditional methods of construction, it provides architects and engineers with myriad options when constructing pleasing structures. Because of this, steel construction is popular for residential buildings, commercial structures, bridges, and other large-scale projects.
We strive for over-engineering over cost-cutting with our steel structures. We don’t just build to code. We increase the loading capabilities to prepare for the worst.
For that reason, we have never had a building collapse.
Here are two examples of how Kaiser-Martin approaches steel construction compared to some of our competitors.
In Pennsylvania, the Kaiser-Martin headquarters, agricultural zoning often allows for lower load capabilities with steel constructions which house animals like open-air dairy barns. These buildings can save money by using lighter, pre-engineered steel frameworks.
At Kaiser-Martin, our goal is never just to “meet code.” We take a comprehensive view, understanding that while these buildings primarily house animals, people will occupying these buildings too. Additionally, many farm buildings are now adding solar panels as a future default, creating a much higher weight requirement that should be considered with the original design and build.
Commonly, steel deflections is an area where we see our competitors “cut corners” by building just to code.
Steel is expected to have some “wiggle.” There is inevitable shifting due to weather, seasonal changes, underground changes, and more. While this shifting (called deflections) is invisible to people, it can affect the structure. Steel buildings are built to accommodate a particular amount of deflection. And when we plan for deflection, we consider more than just what the code requires.
Many steel buildings receive six or eight feet of masonry on the outside for aesthetics. When built to lower deflection standards, this masonry will inevitably crack over time as the building shifts and settles slightly. Stucco, which is a frequent addition to steel construction, will also crack due to deflections.
We consider these deflections in everything we do, and we recognize that “code” doesn’t always capture these small facets that can create big headaches years down the road.
Many of our competitors purchase steel from multiple manufacturers and bounce bids just to find the lowest price. We prefer an alternative approach. Unlike many of our peers in steel construction, we work with one steel company: they know us, and we know them.
Nucor Steel is a premier manufacturer of specialty pre-engineered steel products for steel buildings and the construction industry, including beams, rebar and merchant bar, plate, and sheet metal.
We have built extensive trust with Nucor which benefits our clients. We know the plant managers at all four Nucor manufacturing facilities, and these relationships have allowed us to expedite steel products, work out mutually beneficial pricing at scale, and benefit from industry-leading products.
Just as we build trust and loyalty with our customers, we are also loyal to and have great relationships with our material providers. When it comes to steel construction, we only work with the best.
If you are considering a steel building or large-scale construction project, let’s connect!
Our design-build approach to pre-engineered steel buildings makes for seamless commercial steel construction, and we can help you from the first idea to project completion. We work with discerning business owners and developers just like you to build incredible structures.
We are dedicated to customer service, relational building projects, and unparalleled craftsmanship on every project.
Call today to learn more about Kaiser-Martin’s personal touch when it comes to commercial building.
We work with one pre-engineered steel manufacturer, called Nucor, and many customers are surprised to learn that in the pre-engineered steel market, there are really only three large players.
Many of the small brands you may know are owned by one of these three players, and many of our customers – even experienced architects – are surprised to learn just how convoluted this steel space is. For instance, did you know General Steel doesn’t actually own their own manufacturing plants?!
We bring this intimate knowledge to all of our customers, as Kaiser-Martin President David Leinbach sits on the board of the Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association (MBCA) and works closely with the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA). When you work with Kaiser-Martin, you get incredible depth of experience.
Metal building construction is not necessarily more expensive than traditional building techniques.
Depending on the size of your building, steel construction can meaningfully reduce the volume of cheaper material (like wood and masonry) necessary. And, steel construction also often creates efficiencies for your business by streamlining to manufacturing or warehouse floor, meaning cost-savings in the long-run for many businesses.
Going green is easier with pre-engineered metal buildings.
With steel being the most recycled material on the planet, metal building systems are ideal for sustainable and “green” building. And as North America’s largest recycler, Nucor typically recycles 22 million tons of scrap annually, including 9 million cars. Recycled steel reduces mining waste by 97%, air pollution by 86%, and water pollution by 76%.