Steel versatility and steel mechanical characteristics enable the execution of difficult and complicated structures that traditional construction systems will not allow. Steel, supported by a skilled design, and combined with innovative and ecological materials, allow to significantly change the construction solutions, enabling the architectural creativity of modern structures
Steel structures remain unchanged because galvanized steel, painted steel, or stainless steel keep their characteristics unchanged during the years, and, often, many steel surfaces do not require a protection cycle. Steel is an artistic expression that last for many years. According to the NTC 2008 (TN: New Technical Standards for Construction) , material traceability is granted by the supply chain : from the mill production to the erection in site and, in addition, all fabricated steel members are CE marked.
Thanks to their lightness, steel structures are esthetically beautiful, safe and cheap; a construction detail can hide sophisticated technologies together with the most simple functionalities at the habitat service. The active façades, that are crossed by the sunlight, and by the air flow that passes between walls, improve the microclimatic comfort, by reducing electricity and heating needs.
Another great potentiality of steel is the possibility to design very wide internal spaces, avoiding intermediate supporting structures. The reduced overall dimensions of the steel structures (the absence of intermediate columns and the use of thinner profiles) allow the maximum exploitation of the covered area, generally not so easy to obtain with standard materials and traditional construction methods: the result is an higher profitability for industrial and logistic buildings, show-rooms, commercial buildings and for production units in general.
Steel structures allow the architectural modification of buildings in a very easy and quick way. Functionality means also to study building enlargements, restorations and purpose variations or to proceed with a functional-spatial redefinition. This exceptional flexibility, together with the mechanical precision of the steel structures make designers face any kind of project/construction work.
Thanks to its functionality and versatility steel is a competitive material for any kind of construction work: offices, sport utilities, industrial buildings, exhibitions, bridges, airports, railway stations, schools, hospitals, civil buildings, etc. The competitiveness of the steel solutions is witnessed not only by the architectural beauty, that also characterizes a construction and a company image, but also by elements that affect considerably and positively the final execution costs: construction speed and the necessity of cheaper foundations
The possibility to prefabricate the steel structures, in other words the opportunity to erect buildings where the main supporting structures are fabricated into workshops and then assembled in site, is already giving a significant contribution to the Italian construction industry. The workshop pre-assembly (where checks, tests and high quality standards are granted) reduces, in addition, the risks determined by environmental conditions and factors that characterize the in-site constructions. The steel structures standardization is a main aspect to consider when estimating the final execution costs (even because of the reduced necessary manpower): it is possible to see rapid returns on investment, by reducing the financial costs and by anticipating the moment where a finished work starts to yield.
The ease of assembling the steel structures with covering and cladding elements allow the rapid erection of “turn-key contracts”, within a very reduced time schedule, and by optimizing manpower, if compared to standard construction methods.
Clean and safe sites (thanks to the preliminary workshop production - limited need of equipments and vehicles) thanks to the steel profile lightness that requires reduced foundations and, obviously, a costs optimization: the steel structures lightness allow to reduce the excavation volumes, the quantity of concrete and of filling materials, all elements to consider when establishing the construction costs.
Steel is economically competitive for different reasons: the construction quickness, the reduced maintenance costs, the rapid amortization, the optimization of construction materials and the reduction of foundation works.
Steel structures can be designed to satisfy any necessary safety level thanks to the “Fire Safety Engineering” approach (decree of the Ministry of Internal Affairs dated May, 9th 2007) that allows safety analysis for any adopted structural solution.
Steel structures absorb seismic power thanks to the high plastic properties of the material itself: from the technical point of view this means that constructions are less expensive and that weights, if compared to standard construction methods, are really lighter.
Building reconstruction and restoration works represent more than 50% of the construction industry turnover in Italy. Steel is able to satisfy the main requirements for this kind of works, and offers to designers and customers different advantages: architectural quality, savings and construction quickness, safety and mechanical accuracy, bigger spaces and recovery of non-used volumes.
Environmental sustainability means recyclability and durability: steel is the most recycled material in the world and, Italy, is the first European country for ferrous material recycling. Once having completed its structural role, all the demolished steel is recycled (without losing any of its properties) and almost all profiles are recycled because it’s easy to separate them from other construction materials: this is why steel contributes, directly and indirectly, to preserve natural resources. A steel structure building has a longer life if compared to a traditional building, even because it is possible to modify its intended use without a significant environmental impact (no materials to be sent to the dump and no energy consumption for dismantling). Thanks to the modern galvanizing and painting technologies, steel keeps its characteristics unchanged for the entire life of the erected work, contributing to extend the life of a construction work. Steel allows, in addition, thanks to the use of cladding systems that have high insulating characteristics, the execution of highly efficient buildings.