How many uses can you think of steel buildings? There are probably a hundred different options for steel buildings that did not even cross your mind. Large steel buildings are incredibly versatile in their applications and extremely flexible in design. This is mainly because of the tensile strength of steel. Steel buildings are, structurally, so strong and stable that steel structures can span large dimensions even without the intermediate supporting walls or columns. These large steel buildings can easily accommodate any use that has huge space requirements.
What makes large steel buildings so versatile?
There are many advantageous aspects of using large steel buildings in any sector, be it commercial, agricultural, industrial or residential. The customizable dimensions allow you to have a steel building with as large a size as you desire. These steel buildings, with their clear-span interiors, lend themselves well for use as warehouses, stores, retail shops, dealerships, and so on. It is not just the flexibility of these structures though that makes them so suitable for all these applications. Pre-fabricated steel buildings are also very durable, cost-effective, low-maintenance as well as aesthetically appealing. This makes them the perfect alternative to traditional constructions which are expensive and require more maintenance.
What are the Uses of Large Steel Buildings?
As we mentioned, the flexibility of large steel building makes them suitable for hundreds of commercial and industrial uses. The large clear-spanning spaces make the structure perfect for use as warehouse, manufacturing or processing plants. Industrial buildings have to withstand the immense loading pressures and daily wear and tear applied to them. Large steel buildings give the industrial buildings the required structural strength.
When it comes to commercial uses, steel buildings give a greater freedom in the space organization and planning of the interiors of the building. Commercial steel buildings can also be designed to be aesthetically pleasing in order to attract customers. Since commercial buildings require versatile spaces with maximum space utilization, steel structures are ideal for the use. Large steel buildings can be used for a number of purposes: garages, workshops, retail stores, electronic and auto dealerships, restaurants and café, grocery shop, recreational facilities, and hundreds more. Whatever use you can imagine, a steel building can serve that purpose.
Steel buildings do not have to be limited to commercial and industrial purposes though. These buildings are ideal for use in institutional sectors. Many of the new schools, academic centers, and even universities are adopting steel for the construction of their classes and other necessary facilities. Not only is it because of the affordability of these large steel buildings but also for their long-term durability.
The spacious interiors of the steel buildings can also be used as barns or any other agricultural building. They provide the necessary protection to your livestock, farming equipment as well as crops and feed of livestock against outdoor elements. The flexible interior spaces also allow your agricultural building to have separate spaces for separate purposes.
Column-less internal spaces of steel buildings make for perfect recreational centers. These buildings can easily accommodate big groups of people for any sports or recreational event. This is why large steel buildings are increasingly used as indoor sports facilities, gymnasiums, sports clubs, youth and community centers, etc. The versatile spaces inside these building do not have to be limited to a single purpose though. You can use these buildings for a variety of uses during their service life. In fact, they are ideal for use as a multi-purpose hall.
You can even be very creative with your imagination and use these big steel buildings for residential purposes by creating living spaces inside a steel building. Barndominiums are the latest trend in steel building industry and are gaining much popularity by the day. There are more conventional uses of large steel buildings too. A triple wide carport or triple wide garage is large enough to shelter a few numbers of vehicles.
Large Steel Building Specifications
Customizable Dimensions on large steel building
Since steel buildings are prefabricated in the factories, many people have a misconception about these buildings that they are found only in standard sizes that cannot be modified. That, actually, is not true. The parts of the large steel buildings are pre-fabricated as per the order from the customers. Hence, you can easily customize the dimensions of a steel building as per your need which is a big plus for commercial or industrial building that requires large customizable dimensions.
Steel buildings can be as small as a 12’ x 21’ carport. But when it comes to large steel buildings, they can be ordered with any lengths imaginable. The maximum width that a big steel building can span without support is about 300’. The larger the clear-span width, the bigger the column has to be though and the more steel it consumes for its manufacture. After about 100’ of width, it becomes more economical to have limited number of supports than having clear spans. 40’ is the more popular width for our large steel building with our 40’ wide carports and garages being the most sought-after large steel building.
Our steel buildings are low-rise buildings and our standard maximum height is about 20’. However, we can build taller buildings if you have a custom order. We offer numerous options for our standard stock-supply steel buildings but that does not mean you are limited with those options. You can place a custom order with your dimensions and floor plan to get the steel building that you want for your commercial enterprise.
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 15 colors for you to choose from. You can choose the ideal color combination for the metal panels as well as the trims. Selecting the perfect color combination for a large steel building is important that desired curb appeal. Curb appeal, in turn, is crucial for attracting potential customers to your business or commercial venture. For industrial steel building, an appropriate color combination will help the building blend in with the surrounding.
Wainscot: This is an additional feature for 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 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 steel buildings that have use dimensions 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 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 width 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’ 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, 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 and the proper placement of those openings can massively increase the effectiveness and convenience of the steel building.
We offer roll-up garage doors with our steel buildings having dimensions from 6’ x 6’ to 12’ x 12’. The walk-in doors that are available with our steel buildings have a standard size of 36” x 80”. If these openings are not as per your liking, then you can choose to install frame-outs for openings. This way you will be able to install an opening of your own design and dimension at a later date. The windows we provide are single pane and come in a size of 30” x 30”.
Upgrading Your Large Steel Building
Most of our steel buildings come with the standard 14-gauge steel tube framing. However, with large steel buildings we offer, and highly recommend, the option of upgrading the structure with a 12-gauge steel tube framing. The added thickness of the steel frames provides extra structural strength to the entire structure. For the same purpose of strengthening the structure, you 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. We can provide certifications for all of our large steel buildings if you require.
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. Buildings are just means to an end hence it makes sense that you do not want to spend a lot of money for that purpose. But prefabricated, large steel buildings are not just economical options; they will give you the highest return on investment in the long run with their durability and longevity.
- Durability: For commercial buildings which receive a lot of foot traffic throughout the day, like retail shops, stores, etc. 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 the 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, you can order a steel building of any size that you need. This is beneficial for commercial, industrial and recreational buildings which have substantial space requirements. Also, no two businesses or companies will have the same requirements. In such cases, 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 these structures. 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 gives an earlier return on investment.
- Flexible, Clear-spanning Interiors: Perhaps the biggest advantage of owning a large steel building for your any purpose 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. In that sense, large steel buildings are multi-functional.
- 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 your time to actually focus work or your business, which is definitely more beneficial than constantly worrying about the state of your building.
We, at Carport1, 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 also appropriate for any agricultural, institutional, recreational, residential purpose. Contact anyone from our customer representatives to talk about your options for a large steel building. Our staff is always at your disposal to guide you through the entire purchasing process.
