SteelBuildingNews.Net

            Since late in the 18^th century when cast iron columns were first used in a textile mill in England, the evolution of metal and steel buildings has been remarkable worldwide in the past 200 years in both technology and in cost savings.
            The emergence of metal as a useable resource for a primary building material came about largely due to its fire-resistive make-up. Advancements continued into the late 19^th century when the very first buildings on the shores of the United States were constructed with steel beams and framing. The emergence of the first pre-fabricated metal buildings was also seen at this time.
            In the early 20^th century the use of metal or steel for construction was largely confined to use as garages as the automobile industry was just beginning to explode on the American scene. This was first accomplished by the Butler Manufacturing Company. Although initially constructed of a combination of wood and metal this new car enclosure quickly gave way to an all-metal construction in order to improve on the fire resistance characteristics of the structure and decrease costs.
            Pre-engineered construction, as applied to steel framing was introduced in the early 20^th century by the Austin Company of Ohio. This was quickly followed by the emergence of Star Building Systems in the 1920’s with their ability to provide low cost all-metal driller buildings to oil companies on the plains of Oklahoma.
            The largest boon for steel building construction began during World War II when airplane hangars were produced utilizing an all-steel construction for military use. At this time, additionally, very recognizable structures known as Quonset huts came into vogue. Tens of thousands of these structures were produced and required only the use of a small labor force and hand tools to assemble and, if necessary, could later just as easily be disassembled and moved to another location. These very recognizable curved roof huts were popular with the military for use as barracks and shops and with the general public as agricultural storage buildings. The Quonset hut was renowned for being inexpensive but was also unattractive in appearance.
            Companies manufacturing the  pre-fabricated steel building systems of the post World War II era emphasized the quick construction benefits and cheap purchase prices in lieu of any aesthetics to sell the product. This second generation in steel building design featured a standard 4:12 roof pitch although its outside appearance was very plain. The buyers of these structures looked to what would be housed and protected inside the building rather than what the outside appearance would be. The inexpensive and questionable quality and durability of these early pre-fabricated buildings placed doubts in building buyers minds as these unattractive structures were left to rust on the American landscape for decades.
            However, improvements in pre-engineered steel building systems gave rise to a second wave of construction that would soon become very popular.