Anatomy of a Metal Building System

You may have heard the term “pre-engineered metal building” or “pre-fabricated steel building”. These older terms arose from a time when steel building systems were selected from a catalog of standard designs, based on the size of the building. Today we use advanced computer technology to create a custom designed metal building for each customer’s specific specifications and project location. No matter what you call it, a steel building system features structural steel and cladding components and related accessories, professionally designed to act as an integrated building system.

Anatomy of a metal building system

The building system utilizes rigid frames or columns and beams as the primary structural elements. Manufactured in a controlled environment, the metal building components are delivered directly to the construction site where they go together faster and more efficiently. Today’s steel building systems look very different from their predecessors.

Extremely versatile, the building can incorporate many different architectural finishes to provide the look required for applications such as churches, schools, shopping centers, office buildings and more. Steel building systems provide cost-effective and efficient low-rise buildings for a wide array of uses and have significant cost advantages over many other building types.