We find that there are a wide variety of utilizations for steel buildings that have never crossed our customer’s minds. Due to the tensile strength of steel, large steel buildings are incredibly versatile in their applications and can be extremely flexible in their design. As a result, steel buildings are so structurally strong and stable, there is no need for additional supporting walls or columns due to the steel’s ability to span large dimensions. Large steel buildings can easily be the most accommodating choice for any use that requires an open, large holding space.
What Makes a Large Metal Building So Versatile?
Structural Strength of Steel Metal Buildings
While traditional construction materials are strong in either tension or compression, steel is ideal for both. Consequently, it can span larger dimensions than the other constructions with less support. The structural strength of large industrial metal buildings makes it durable and long-lasting. Hence, these structures can withstand any load that is applied to them, no matter what they are used for.
Clear-Span Interiors
The strength of steel buildings enables the structures to span wide distances without intermediate supporting walls or columns. This leaves the interior of the building more open and free-flowing, allowing for flexibility in the planning of spaces. What we mean by flexible planning is that the spatial organization of the interior does not have to be constrained by walls or columns. With large metal buildings, you can have a large, uninterrupted area for single use, like multipurpose hall, warehouses, etc. You can also partition off the interior if you require more divided spaces, for example, for offices, or institutional buildings.
Customization Options with Steel Metal Buildings
The other aspect of steel buildings that makes them ideal for a large number of uses is the customization options that are available with these buildings. Each of the large metal building can be tailor-made to fit the unique space need of the customer. With these customization options, one can control the size of the building, the color, and style of the structure as well as any additional features that go into the construction of a large metal building.
Factors that Affect the Design of Big Metal Buildings
Intended Use of the Large Metal Buildings
The main factor that influences the design is the intended use of the building and the space you require. The dimension, the look you want for the metal structure, what additional features you choose to include, all boil down to its intended use.
You can select from a wide range of our stock supply of large metal buildings. Otherwise, you can even place a custom order with your own dimensions. If you are looking to park a few vehicles in the structure, then our triple wide carports or 40’ wide carports may interest you.
If you require a more enclosed structure for your use, then take a look at our triple wide metal garages. These wide metal garages are spacious enough for use as agricultural buildings, for warehousing purposes, workshops, and so on.
Lastly, the choice of large steel buildings for residential properties is quickly becoming one of the latest trends in the industry, especially in the world of barndominiums. This is mainly due to how creative and innovative one can be in designing living spaces within big steel buildings.
Site Conditions for Large Metal Buildings
Another factor that dictates the design of large metal buildings is the site conditions. Moisture, in any form, is the worst enemy of any metal structure. It is important to keep that in mind while selecting the site for large metal building. Proper water drainage from and around the site is important to ensure the longevity of the large metal buildings.
Once you select the site, the next thing to consider is the foundation. Soil condition determines the type of foundation that you would need for the steel building. In some cases, the size of the site may also limit the size of large metal buildings. That is true especially in cases where the construction is taking place in a more populated area.
The aesthetics of the large metal building may also sometimes depend on the surroundings of the construction site. If your building needs to blend in with the surroundings then you can select styles and color combinations that match or complement the landscape. However, if you want the large metal building to stick out then you can go for a more contrasting style.
Large Metal Buildings Built for the Weather
The weather conditions of your location also have a huge impact on the design of a prefab steel building. First off, the orientation of a building is determined by the weather in your area. The layout of your large metal building will also be done to accommodate the climatic and outlast the conditions. Addition of openings, like the garage door, walk-in door, as well as the window and their placement, should also be done with the weather of that place in mind.
Buildings in hot climatic conditions might need to face away from the sun. They should also have plenty of openings for proper ventilation. In those conditions, the windows are more effective if they create a cross-ventilation system along the direction of the predominant wind.
For colder climate, you might want the larger face of the building to be towards the sun for maximum solar utilization.
Large metal buildings in windy conditions are better off being low-rise. Wind loads increase as the height of the building increases. So, it is better to have more ground coverage than going vertical in such cases.
There are various other weather factors that influence the design of a steel metal building in many direct and indirect ways.
Large Steel Building Specifications
Customizable Dimensions on large steel building
Since large steel buildings are prefabricated in factories, there are many misconceptions about how customizable large steel buildings are for personalized projects. Parts of the large steel buildings are pre-fabricated, but can easily be customized to fit the necessary dimensions. This is a big plus for commercial or industrial buildings that require large customizable dimensions. Large steel buildings can be as small as a 12 x 2 ft carport, but when it comes to large steel buildings, they can be ordered by any length imaginable (Note: The maximum width that a big steel building can span without support is about 300 ft). The larger the clear-span width the bigger the column has to be, and the more steel it consumes for the manufacture. After about 100 ft of width, it becomes more economical to have a limited number of supports than having clear spans. The most popular width for our large steel buildings, especially in the wide carports and garages category, is 40 ft. Additionally, our large steel buildings are low-rise buildings, and our standard maximum height is about 20 ft. However, we can build taller buildings for custom orders. Finally, we offer numerous options for our standard stock-supply steel buildings, but that does not mean customers are limited to those options. Customers can place a custom order with the dimensions and floor plan to get the steel building most desirable for their commercial enterprises.
Color Options for Large Steel Buildings
Colors are the defining characters that determine the aesthetics of a steel building. With this in mind, we offer a selection of 17 colors for clients to choose from along with the ideal color combination for the metal panels as well as the trims (see the latest options with a customizable builder). Selecting the perfect color combination for a large steel building is an important component to achieving the desired curb appeal. Curb appeal is crucial for attracting potential customers to your business or commercial venture. For industrial steel buildings, an appropriate color combination will help the building blend in with the surrounding.
Wainscot: This is an additional feature for the color combination of steel buildings which allow you to have a dual color scheme for your building. A wainscot has two different colors for the top and the bottom portion of the building. Wainscot adds to enhance the overall look of your steel building. Having a darker tone for the bottom portion of the building will also make those rain-splashed mud stains less visible.
Roof Style for Large Steel buildings
Our large steel buildings are usually only offered with a vertical roof style. Even the side and end metal panels for our large steel buildings are also placed vertically. This is because the vertical roof style is the strongest and most durable of the roof styles. The horizontal roof reinforcements, in the form of hat channels, provide the necessary support for vertical panels. This is important since the vertical roof panels of the steel buildings have to span large widths without internal support.
Vertical roof style also requires the least maintenance since debris and water just slide off the roof. This is definitely a huge advantage for commercial and industrial buildings which cannot afford much time for the maintenance of the building. The A-framed roof structure adds to the structural strength of the metal building while also elevating the aesthetics.
Additional Features with Large Steel Buildings
Additional features for our large steel buildings that are not fully enclosed, like our triple carports or 40 ft wide carports, include the addition of side panels, gables to the front and back of the carport, and fully or partially enclosed ends. This gives the carport more enclosure and enables them to provide better protection against the elements.
For our enclosed, large steel buildings, like our triple wide metal garages, the extra features include the addition of openings like garage doors, walk-in doors as well as windows. These openings are important for the proper functioning of the enclosed steel building. Windows and doors are the main sources of light and ventilation into the building. Having an appropriate number of openings, with the proper placement of those openings, can massively increase the effectiveness and convenience of the steel building.
Furthermore, we offer roll-up garage doors with our steel buildings with dimensions from 6 x 6 ft to 12 x 12 ft. The walk-in doors that are available with our large steel buildings have a standard size of 36 x 80 inch. If these openings are not what the customer is looking for, then they can choose to install frame-outs for the openings. This way they are able to install an opening of their own design and dimension at a later date. Finally, the windows we provide are single pane and come in a size of 30 x 30 inches.
Upgrading Your Large Steel Building
Most of our steel buildings come with the standard 14-gauge steel tube framing. However, for the large steel buildings we offer the option of upgrading the structure with a 12-gauge steel tube framing. The added thickness of the steel frames provide extra strength to the entire structure. For the same purpose of strengthening the structure, customers can upgrade a large steel building to have 26-gauge metal sheets instead of the standard 29-gauge sheets, and also choose to add extra bracing. It is important to include that we can provide certifications for all of our large steel buildings if required.
Benefits of Large Steel Buildings
- Cost-effectiveness: Prefabricated steel buildings are extremely affordable since the components of the building are mass produced in the factories. Any kind of venture, be it a business venture or an academic venture, requires massive investments. However, prefabricated, large steel buildings are not just the economical options, they will also give the customer the highest return on investment in the long run with their durability and longevity.
- Durability: For commercial buildings, especially those that receive a lot of foot traffic throughout the day like retail shops or stores, and for industrial buildings like warehouses which have to withstand immense loading conditions and pressure, the durability that a large steel building offers cannot be replaced by any other construction material. Steel buildings are structurally robust enough to withstand any adverse weather condition. They provide great protection for your belongings against all the natural elements as well as human threats like theft and vandalism.
- Customization Options: Large steel buildings are extremely flexible with their design and floor plan. Since they can span large dimensions without compromising the stability of the structure, customers can order a steel building of any size. This is beneficial for commercial, industrial, and recreational buildings which have substantial space requirements. Steel buildings address each and every unique requirement of the customers by allowing them to customize the building to fit their requirements.
- Speedy Construction: Large steel buildings are also advantageous for commercial and industrial use since they do not take a very long time to build. Most of the parts of the building are prefabricated in the factory and assembly on site only takes about a week. Speedy construction for businesses provides an earlier return on investment.
- Flexible, Clear-spanning Interiors: Perhaps the biggest advantage of owning a large steel building is the clear-spanning interiors of the structure. No other construction material offers this feature. These open and flexible interiors can be used for any function, and also offers maximum utilization of the space. Not only that, steel buildings used for one purpose can easily be used for another purpose since the interior spaces are so adaptable.
- Low Maintenance: Large steel buildings can function effectively even with minimal maintenance efforts. A little bit of cleaning, once or twice a year goes a long way for the longevity of the structure. Coats of galvanization and the protective painting ensure that the structure remains rust free for years. Having a low-maintenance steel building frees up the customer’s time to actually focus on work or their business, which is definitely more beneficial than constantly worrying about the state of the building.
At Carport1, we offer some of the highest quality steel buildings at the most competitive price in the market. The convenience and the flexibility that our large steel buildings provide not only make them suitable for commercial or industrial use, but are also appropriate for any agricultural, institutional, recreational, residential purpose. Contact our customer representatives to talk about the options for a large steel building. Our staff is always at our customer’s disposal to guide them through the entire purchasing process.
