Green builders are turning to steel buildings as an environmentally friendly choice to traditional wood construction for many reasons. While steel may seem an odd choice for an earth-friendly building design, steel buildings actually offer many green advantages for builders. They last longer, are more energy efficient and consume fewer natural resources in construction than wood and other traditional building materials.
Recycled and Recyclable
Most of the steel used in steel building construction today is 100% post-consumer recycled. When you choose to build a metal building, you’re not removing more of the earth’s natural resources. Instead, you’re actually diverting waste from the waste stream and landfills. That alone makes a steel building a greener choice than most wood construction, but it doesn’t end there. When you decide you’re ready to upgrade to another building, your current structure can be disassembled and sold to be reassembled elsewhere rather than being demolished and sent to the landfill. If you decide to move, you can take your building with you by disassembling it and reassembling it at your new site. It doesn’t get much greener than that.
Energy-Efficiency for Savings
Today’s metal buildings are energy-efficient and weather-tight, making them easier to heat and cool than traditional construction. They’re made with high-grade materials that meet all environmental standards, and you can increase their greenness by choosing components and accessories, such as Energy-Star windows and doors and highly reflective roofs, that decrease your energy use even more. If you’re concerned about the environment, you’ll find that a steel building has a far smaller energy footprint than nearly any other type of construction in a similar size.
Non-Allergenic
If part of your reason for going green is to combat the contaminants that make breathing difficult for so many people, a steel building offers many advantages. Steel is resistant to mold and insect infestation, two primary contributors to allergic reactions and respiratory problems. The powder coating used for color doesn’t emit VOCs, another set of serious respiratory irritants.
Bonus Green Factor
Steel building kits are nearly always shipped ready to assemble in one or two truckloads, with everything needed to complete the construction. That means fewer trips, which translates to less fuel consumption. In addition, they’re lighter and more compact than other types of construction, which reduces the fuel consumption even further.
If your priorities for building include a concern for the environment, consider the many types of steel buildings available for your construction project. When you consider all the factors, steel may be the greenest building material on the market.
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