Archive for the 'Steel Building Tips' Category

LEED Buildings Should Also Be Bird-Friendly

Published December 6, 2011 going green , Steel Building Tips Leave a Comment
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Robin. Image Credit: Identify Birds.

Though solar lighting is easily one of the highlights of green buildings, but they’re not doing birds any favor. In fact, solar lighting may well be the proximate cause for the second top reason for bird kill—birds running into glass windows. In fact, the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Migratory Bird Program reports that around one billion birds die from crashing into glass windows.

Billions of birds are killed every year for the seemingly absurd reason that they run into glass windows. Birds cannot distinguish between open space and glass. Since most buildings take advantage of passive solar lighting, birds easily mistake the interior of green buildings as the extension of the open skies.

As more green buildings with solar lighting are made, birds are increasingly under the threat of running into buildings windows and getting killed. The solution of LEED to this growing problem is to give credits for bird-friendly measures to the overall LEED score of a building.

Measures that are added to building windows primarily center on adding “noise”, which allows birds to tell open space for glass windows. One example is by placing in changes in the UV protection of the glass windows. Note that this won’t only make the building bird-friendly, it will also give additional protection to the building occupants. Another way is to place different coatings on the glass windows. In any case, Norsteel has mastered the art of integrating both advanced and simple technologies not only to protect the building occupants but also birds.

Aside from these building designs, there are also simple ways to make a building bird-friendly, such as turning the lights out when not in use.

Making buildings bird-friendly might seem to be the least of your worries when applying for LEED certification, building codes and the like, but there’s a pending federal law, the Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2011, which might persuade you to think about investing in bird-friendly structures.

Winterizing a Steel Building

Published September 21, 2011 Steel Building Tips Leave a Comment
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Winter is coming, so that makes it a good time to talk about insulating a steel building. Steel is naturally excellent at insulating, because it uses less energy and it can be more water efficient.

Insulating your steel building is will help you keep heat inside your building during the cold winter months. Winter can be harsh on a building; ice and extreme cold can freeze pipes and cause the inner-workings of a home to work overtime. It is, however, easy to take some precautions to help a steel building make it through the winter months unscathed.

Here are a few tips to help you on your way.

  1. First things first – start a list. Are there any “weak spots” in your building, or areas in need of repair? A few days of ice, rain, or hail may make these trouble areas worse if they are not attended to before the cold hits. You may also want to set a budget for insulation, repair and consultation costs associated with winterizing a steel building. Depending on how thorough you need to be, you may require the assistance of a professional to check pipes, look for structural damage and assess the building’s boiler.
  2. Conduct an outside inspection of your building. Make sure hoses and outdoor plumbing is drained to avoid freezing, breaking and leaking.
  3. Make sure doors and gaps are fitted with weather-resistant stripping. This will help avoid drafts and can reduce your heating costs greatly. Check windows, too. Old seals lose much of their insulating abilities.
  4. Leaks can cause a lot of headaches during the winter months. Inspect your roof before the cold sets in, paying special attention to any holes, rips or tears. Keep in mind that rips and cracks don’t just appear in roofs. If you know of any holes in the building’s walls, make sure to repair them as well.

Talk to us to learn more about how you can winterize a steel building.

Dri-Design Metal Panels

Published September 20, 2011 Before You Buy Your Steel Building , Pre-Fabricated Building News , Steel Building Tips Leave a Comment
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Dry-design was first invented in Holland Michigan in 1995 by president Brad Zeeff.  Dri-Design has become very popular in the wall panel industry.  Zeef wanted to solve what he thought as the significant shortfalls of metal panel systems which was delamination, staining due to weather, gaskets, a lack of colour and texture options.  He came up with dri-design which is meticulous in engineering, 100% recyclable, pressure equalized rain screen, and architectural metal wall panel system that can attach to any substrate without the use of clips or extrusions. The equalized rain screen can be installed simply over commercial grade Tyvek onto plywood.

Zeeff says “Don’t let its sleek, simple design fool you, the panel system is as innovative as they come.”  Dri-design has a patented design that has passed the most stringent air, water and structural testing requirements in the industry, this includes the AAMA 508-07 test for pressure equalized rain-screens, as well as Miami Dade Country hurricane testing.  The reason why Dri-design is so successful is because of its interlocking system used to fasten the panels to the structure. This also functions as a superior method of water management. It has a unique technology, the panels perform flawlessly in the long term, without the delaminating, streaking or staining associated with silicone sealants, gaskets and laminated competitor products.

Not only are the panels an intriguing aspect of dri-design, the company also utilizes the latest automation technologies to streamline the manufacturing process. Each panel is produced in a matter of seconds.  The interlocking panels system itself simplifies the install process, making it quicker and more efficient than the more traditional ones. Clients can be assured of faster cladding lead times and buildings are occupied much sooner.

The average standard composite panel core is 4mm and is laminated to very thin aluminum skins, dri-design uses only solid plate aluminum, zinc, copper sheet metals to create durable architectural panels that are 100% recyclable. At dri-design, their strict policy is to make sure that recycling and creating products are sustainable.  With Dri-design, customers can be confident that panels are available in a variety of colours and sizes. However, it is dri-design’s distinct customization capabilities that make using their panels system all the more inviting. The panels can be tailored to many different sizes and are manufactured in a variety of gauges of aluminum, zinc, copper, stainless steel, weathering steel, Luvata and titanium. The panels can also be further customized through embossing, texturing and an exclusive process that creates three-dimensional patterns and images. Dri-design has gained major popularity and is becoming huge in the steel building business!

For more information on Dri-design, visit:  http://www.dri-design.com/

For more information on panels, accessories, steel buildings and more, feel free to visit us at www.norsteel.com

Source:  www.metalarchitecture.com

Effective Dust Suppression

Published August 26, 2011 Norsteel Buildings News , Pre-Fabricated Building News , Steel Building Tips Leave a Comment
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Are you wondering what the most effective method is for dust suppression? Most companies today use a particular method for dust suppression on demolition and recycling projects. The most popular method that is used is to manually spray the area with a hose. But one company by the name of Schielein had been doing some research and found alternative methods for dust suppression. According to the company it was becoming an expensive approach, and one of their employees would spend an entire shift just spraying the work site which was becoming incredibly time consuming. The problem with this method was that it was very ineffective and would dislodge dust from the ground and send it airborne. The volume of the water would quickly soak the debris turning it into a muddy mess. If any of the material had to be taken to a landfill afterwards, it would be very expensive to do so because most of the debris would be water weight.

Finally, after doing some investigating the company purchased a dust suppression unit from another supplier. It would basically create snow and with a few revisions. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a disappointment. The operation and portability were among the primary problems of this machine. After comparing several machines, the company ultimately settled for a machine called DustBoss DB-60 from Dust Control Technology (DCT), it is the largest model in the company’s family of dust management. The machine was very effective. It covered a huge area with a very fine mist. Unlike, other machines they tend to spray huge droplets and create more of spray then fog.

The machine is estimated to save them as much as $2,000 per week. Price always plays a huge factor and before this company purchased this product they made sure to look at less expensive products first.  Maintenance costs and service life was also very important to them before purchasing the DustBoss.  It’s built with all heavy duty components and carries the best warranty in the industry.  They were looking for something with a permanent solution.  This product has been in service for more than six years and it still performing as if brand new.  It’s paid for itself in man power and is helping to avoid work stoppages and potential fines.  The company has also purchased second Dust Boss unit, a DB-30 that’s the right size for on site concrete reycling operations that have become a company specialty. However, the smaller unit is being used for crushing and recycling.  The product has become so successful that the company now is including DustBoss literature in the package when ever they do a quote for a job.  Customers see this as apart of their proposal.

If you’re looking for a machine that will do just this, please visit:  www.recyclingproductsnews.ca or http://dustboss.com/

For more information on our company, please visit: www.norsteel.com

Steel Walk doors

Published August 8, 2011 Before You Buy Your Steel Building , Pre-Fabricated Building News , Steel Building Tips Leave a Comment
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Deciding which steel walk doors to install in your steel building can sometimes be tricky. There are many factors to consider such as where do I buy steel walk doors and which type of steel walk doors do I purchase and often the choice is based on a convenient place to buy them rather than the most important factor which is the price and quality of the doors.

You must make sure that for every building, you consider each door for application and usage.  There is a guide that can help you with this, it’s called “Selection and Usage Guide” which has been created by The Steel Door Institute.  This guide can help with exterior and interior applications and is an excellent guide to determine choices.  The tougher the environment and the more frequent the usage, the more probable the need for heavier gauges and higher grades of hardware.  For example; if you are using a standard 20-gauge door and this is pretty standard for many applications, however a heavier 18-gauge door is probably the most recommended choice for entrance doors especially with higher traffic requirements.  You may also be looking at a heavy duty Grade 2 lock or a Grade 1 lock which might be necessary in this situation rather than a light of medium duty Grade 2 or 3 lock. There is a huge variety so it’s important to research these more thoroughly before making a final decision. Keep in mind that there are other key choices to be made with larger pricing implications not just gauges of doors, frames and grades of locks.

A typical choice is the door core. Exterior doors should have an insulated core, with polystyrene or polyurethane filler. Polystyrene is the most common and cost effective and typically carries an R-value of around 4-5.  Here is a little bit more info on Polyurethane, in case you are not familiar with it. They are widely used in high resiliency flexible foam seating, rigid foam insulation panels, microcellular foam seals and gaskets and much more.  It is any polymer consisting of a chain of organic units joined by urethane (carbamate) links. Now back to the R-Value, something to consider on your door is the R-Value.  This will include the frame and components of the door.  Because doors and constantly being opened and closed, the seal on the door has a much greater impact than a static door R-Value and this is based on the warm and cold air that passes through the system. So you need to ensure that the doors are well sealed through a high quality screw on or kerf type weather seal and the cost will illuminate your need for a polyurethane core ensuring the best economic fit is provided.

For more information on this product or any accessories for your steel building, please visit us at www.norsteel.com

The Steel Recycling Institute

Published August 1, 2011 going green , Steel Building Tips Leave a Comment
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Steel Recycling Institute Logo. Image Credit: Steel Recycling Institute Logo.

Steel is highly recyclable, just one of the many reasons it makes a great building material.

The Steel Recycling Institute (SRI) is an industry association that promotes and sustains the recycling of all steel products. It is a great information resource for finding about the solid waste industry as a whole as well as about government initiatives, business and the ways the North American steel industry is working to reduce its carbon footprint.

SRI works with steel industry professionals as well as recycling coordinators, to help facilitate a manufacturing culture focused on seeking out “previously unsought after” sources of steel, such as:  steel food containers and household items, cars, household appliances, construction and building material.

According to the SRI, steel is North America’s most recycled material, and more of it is recycled annually than paper, plastic, aluminum, glass and copper – all combined!

One positive result of the SRI’s efforts is that each year, millions of tons of steel are collected through recycling programs sponsored and promoted by the organization which are then used for the production of North American steel.

The SRI is also committed to developing new steelmaking processes which will, by design, emit less CO2 than the processes that are largely used today.  Taken from the SRI’s website:

“Steel is integral to a modern society that has a high quality of life. From the cars we drive, to the bridges we cross, packing the foods we eat, the appliances we use to the buildings that we live and work in. All of these steels will be recycled and re-appear as even better products ensuring a safe and secure future.”

Unlike other building materials, steel is continuously recyclable, meaning it can be used over and over again without losing integrity or performance ability.

Click here to learn more about this amazing material, and about some of its real-world applications.

The Heating and Cooling Properties of a Steel Building

Published July 28, 2011 Steel Building Tips Leave a Comment
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Installing a HVAC System. Image Source: Life123.

In addition to being affordable and dependable, steel is a preferred choice among “green” builders, largely because of its efficient heating and cooling properties.  Here’s a little more about this amazing material’s eco-friendly properties:

Steel is excellent at insulating – meaning it uses less energy and is more water efficient than other materials.  In fact, studies have shown that buildings with steel metals roofs can save “up to 40 percent in energy usage,” which is absolutely incredible when you think about it.  Not only does this lead to reduced air conditioning and heating costs, it is also great for the environment.

When a steel building has been assembled properly, it can create an incredibly sound structure that is weather resistant and energy efficient.

Most steel buildings, particularly those intended to house people and/or animals, contain built-in ventilation systems, which help facilitate that movement of air, helping to prevent a building from overheating in the summer and freezing in the winter.  A good ventilation system is a sound investment as it will work in conjunction with a building’s heating and cooling systems.

Insulation also helps regulate the temperature in a steel building.  One of the great properties of steel is the fact that it insulates well, and most steel buildings today are designed with easy insulation in mind.

HVAC systems are the heating and cooling mechanisms that go into steel buildings.  It is important to choose one that is made to work with the size of the building.  HVAC systems are rated in accordance to the square footage space they can properly heat and/or cool.  Choosing a system for a larger area creates extra cost and choosing a system rated for a smaller area puts extra stress on the HVAC, which can shorten its life.

Steel buildings are, by nature, created to be energy efficient.  However, choosing the right insulation, ventilation and HVAC system can further improve efficiency.

Facts about Steel

Published July 18, 2011 going green , Steel Building Tips Leave a Comment
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Steel siding. Image Source: Material Suppliers.

The Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) acts as the regulatory body and “voice” for Canada’s $14 billion steel-producing industry.  It is easy to forget the pivotal role that steel plays in the Canadian economy.  The automotive, construction, transmission, and many other manufacturing applications and industries depend on it.

In addition, steel production helps support 150,000 jobs across the country per year, and contributes to $9 billion in purchased goods.

The CSPA works to help ensure the “sustainable success” of the Canadian steel industry, by ensuring that Canadian steel production remains innovative and competitive.  It is the CSPA’s goal to work with the public and private sector to develop public policies that benefit the Canadian steel industry.

Here are a few more interesting facts about steel, as per the CSPA website:

  • The average Canadian owns over 900 kg (2,000 lbs) of steel goods (such as cars and appliances).
  • Steel easily recyclable and is the most widely-used (and widely reused) material on earth.
  • Canada is a world leader in steel recycling, with a re-use rate that is in excess of 50 percent (over 7.7 metric tons of steel were recycled in Canada in 2008 alone).
  • Canada’s steel industry is booming.  According to a recent press release by the CSPA, Canada’s steel industry is projected to require between  5,000 and 11,000 skilled tradespersons, and up to 29,000 new workers overall in the coming five years to help deal with the increasing demands for Canadian steel.
  • Steel production in Canada averages 14.9 MT/year, with sales of about $14 billion.
  • Canada exports an average of $7 billion in steel each year with a capital investment of $2 billion (since 2005).

Much steel has been diverted away from landfills and it is actually one of the most recycled materials in the world. For more information about steel recycling, click here and to find out more about how to make steel part of your next recycling project, click here.

How to Customize Storage Doors on a Slope

Published June 22, 2011 Before You Buy Your Steel Building , Norsteel Buildings News , Steel Building Tips Leave a Comment
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Customizing your steel building with doors and accessories should be fun and easy, but what if your faced with a bit of a challenge?  What if your steel building is built on a slope? Well, you don’t have to worry because many customers just like you have been faced with this common problem.  One company by the name of DBCI had 10 buildings which were all built on a slope of 4 percent.  Most buildings, however are only about 1 percent.  This is why doors have rubber astragal tube-like material at the bottom.

The solution to this problem was to create a door that had an aluminum bottom bar which would be tapered, welded and bolted on certain locations.  The tape would run from about 4 1/2 inches on one end to 2 1/2 inches on the other.  It would then be made from aluminum and spliced down the middle.  A tig welding technique is used and bolts are placed in specific locations that provided taper.  Aluminium is used as a standard for doors because it would be a non-corrosive material and is more functional as far as wear and tear go.  It also gives the door a nicer look.  If the slopes of your building are varied it may be wise to have an installer make adjustments on-site such as removing nuts and bolts. This will make the bottom bar an expandable ruler on each side to help with the slope and create a tight seal on the floor.   This solution will allow workers some room in adjustment.  So when coming across a situation like this, there are a few options out there that can work for buildings on slopes.  This one solution has been helpful to one company and will be helpful to many others facing this problem.

DBCI – a manufacturer in storage doors is the company who came up with this solution.  They spent a whole month trying to figure out this problem and came up with many prototypes. It was a group of men who worked in the shop and each of them had ideas to contribute.  Everyone was co-operative and was excited to take on a new challenge.  The first few materials were delivered in July and then the rest were delivered in September.  The bottom bar was manufactured in Douglassville, GA and then had been shipped to Arizona where the manufacturing plant is located and this material is being used at the bottom of the doors. This is what most companies have done.  DBCI is very proud to introduce this new product which can be a huge solution to many.

For more information on steel buildings or storage doors and accessories, please visit us at www.norsteel.com and someone will be happy to help you with any questions you may have.

Steel is a Cost Effective Building Material

Published June 7, 2011 Before You Buy Your Steel Building , Steel Building Tips 1 Comment
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Money Falling. Image Source: Public Domain Image.

Data shows that an increasing number of contractors, architects and builders are using steel in their buildings – and for a variety of reasons.  In addition to its strength, steel is a versatile and incredibly dependable material with an extremely high tolerance.  It’s also a very cost-effective material to use.  Here are a few reasons why steel is an economical building material.

Quick Construction Time

The construction time for a steel building is normally faster than that of a building constructed using other materials, lessening production costs.  In some cases, steel parts can come pre-cut to the exact specifications of the building, making them far easier, and faster to assemble.  This helps to decrease labour costs, keeping costs down.

Long-Term Investment

Steel is an incredibly durable material which is resistant to harsh weather conditions.  Unlike other building products, steel will not collect mould or rot.  The initial costs of purchasing steel material may cost more, but steel makes an excellent (and economic) long-term investment.

Efficiency

Another way steel helps to keep costs down is through energy efficiency.  Steel is excellent at insulating, meaning it will help keep a building cool in the summer and warm in the winter, at a fraction of the cost of other buildings.  For this reason, steel is often used in energy-efficient and LEED certified buildings.

Durability

Steel is one of the strongest, most resilient materials available on the market today.  In addition to its ability to withstand harsh weather conditions, it is also fire resistant and some studies have demonstrated that steel buildings are more resistant to earthquakes than other buildings.

Flexibility

Steel is an incredibly flexible material that can accommodate a variety of different settings.  From offices to storage sheds to homes, steel can do it all.  Thanks to steel, a corporate head office can be housed in the same building as a factory.  Keeping all business faucets in one area can greatly reduce shipping and administrative costs.

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