Why a steel building is better than concrete?
Should you have a warehouse, storage building or sports hall built from steel or concrete? Both materials have advantages and disadvantages, but all the specialists agree that steel is better than concrete
Steel is better than concrete
If you are constructing a building, steel will keep it dry and fast
If you are thinking of having business facilities built, you should know that steel is a construction method that is both fast and dry. And prefabrication in our factories really speeds up the construction schedule; once the elements are on site, all that is really left is to assemble the steel building.
If you want a flexible construction, steel can adapt to your needs
Do you want to work with Frisomat to expand or adapt a steel building? We can enlarge your building thanks to our modular construction; concrete is much more rigid and less responsive to your requirements. Steel lets you use large spans to create a large space that you can divide and adapt as you see fit.
If you are insulating a building, steel keeps things cool
Do you want a constant temperature in your building? Do you need cold storage areas where the temperature is below freezing? A steel building with a façade made from sandwich panels provides perfect insulation when required.
If you are investing in a building, steel delivers
Investing in well-designed steel industrial and logistics buildings makes sense. If they are properly maintained, they will retain their investment value for much longer than concrete buildings.
If you are considering pillars in your building, they are not required with steel
When steel is used with the appropriate framework structure, it is strong and rigid enough to bridge large distances, so columns aren’t needed to support large spans. So, our customers don’t have to incorporate pillars into the designs for their steel buildings, as the entire surface area is clear and open.
If fire breaks out in a building, steel is smart
Concrete has an intrinsic fire resistance of one hour, while the framework nature of steel means it has a value of just 15 minutes. So, we take steps to increase the intrinsic fire resistance of steel: we apply fire-resistant paint to our steel, or we give it a fire-resistant plating.
And there is one major disadvantage for concrete buildings: if the concrete structure starts to degrade, this is not visible to people – including fire fighters. Steel is different; the ductile conduct means that the condition of a steel structure is clearly visible. Steel structures start to sag and have a great capacity for deformation. Any collapse moves inwards, which is not the case with concrete. And that is extremely dangerous for rescue workers, people leaving the building or spectators.
If you are recycling a building, the rate for steel is 100%
Our steel buildings are designed to have a very long lifespan. But, if you ever want to recycle the material in the building, then that isn’t a problem; steel is fully recyclable with no loss of quality. As a building material, it is ideal for use in the circular economy.
Assembling our structure using the Meccano principle is quick and easy, and dismantling the building is just as straightforward. That’s very handy, because it means our buildings can grow alongside your business, they are easy to move from location to another, and their modular construction means they can be extended quickly.
If there is any danger during construction, steel keeps things safe.
Steel is safer than concrete, during and after construction. Steel components can often be manufactured off-site, reducing activity on the business premises and the risk of accidents. The structure of our steel buildings resembles a Meccano kit and our experienced fitters put them up in no time.
Steel also achieves its maximum strength as soon as it is installed, unlike concrete, which needs time to harden.
That creates immediate safety. As soon as construction is complete and the building is being used, steel performs at its best in areas with lots of earthquakes or strong winds. This is because of the lightweight structure combined with high rigidity and ductility. Heavy concrete structures, which were also friable in the past, have to be handled differently.