Construction Trend in Recent Years: Steel Structure Buildings
In China, the development of steel structure buildings has a relatively short history, initially being used for commercial constructions and temporary structures such as disaster relief housing. In recent years, an increasing number of steel structure buildings have been applied to residential construction and achieved sound development. But just how good are steel structure buildings?
Advantages of Steel Structure Buildings:
1. Strong Aesthetic Appeal
Steel structure buildings can be constructed into various shapes with a strong design sense, featuring an overall sleek and elegant appearance. Additionally, the wall panels of steel structure buildings offer a wide selection of materials and colors, making them highly visually appealing.
2. Light Overall Weight
Residential steel structures are lightweight yet high-strength, ensuring excellent safety. The weight of a steel structure residence is approximately half that of a reinforced concrete residence; it meets the requirement for large-span spaces in buildings; and the usable floor area is about 4% larger than that of reinforced concrete buildings.
3. Short Construction Period
The construction period of steel structure buildings is relatively short, typically completed within 45 days. Furthermore, it is an energy-saving residential system. Overseas countries have adopted this residential construction method for nearly 30 years. Due to its inherent advantages, more and more people have chosen to build steel structure buildings, from project approval to actual adoption.
4. Long Service Life
Generally speaking, the service life of steel structure buildings ranges from 70 to 92 years, depending on actual usage conditions. As long as the anti-corrosion and fire-proof measures are properly implemented, a 100-year service life is not an unattainable goal—but regular maintenance is still required to extend its lifespan further.
5. Excellent Seismic and Wind Resistance
Steel structures boast extremely high strength and good ductility of individual components. Even in the event of earthquakes or strong winds, they can maintain overall integrity without immediate collapse, thus offering higher safety.
6. High Precision
Steel structure buildings can be constructed with greater precision, resulting in minimal deviations between the finished building and the design drawings. Steel structure factories ensure reliable production quality, accurate dimensions, convenient installation, and easy coordination with related components. Thanks to the excellent processability of steel, which allows for precision machining by numerical control machines, the construction can be more effectively carried out in strict accordance with the drawings.
With the in-depth research on steel structure buildings in China, their service life has been continuously extended, and they have performed well in new rural construction. Many high-rise buildings and villas have also begun to adopt steel structures, and steel structure buildings are gradually replacing traditional construction methods in China.
China’s construction industry is destined to develop into a residential manufacturing industry. As the labor cost of civil engineering rises, the cost-performance ratio of steel structure buildings will also improve in the future. The market prospect of steel structure buildings will become increasingly promising in the next few decades, and China’s new rural construction presents a significant historical opportunity.