Popular Designs for Steel Buildings

When many people hear the words steel buildings, their first thought is “ugly” – but it’s been a long time since that was true. While you can still find cheap steel buildings that look like metal boxes, most metal buildings today are attractive as well as functional. If you haven’t considered steel for your building project because of the looks factor, take a look at the many attractive design options available for steel buildings today.

Architectural Design

Many of the most popular designs for buildings made of steel are based on steel Quonset buildings, the ubiquitous hoop construction that you’ll see all over the place in agricultural areas. Quonset buildings are still available, and often the least expensive design available, but modified Quonset designs are growing in popularity. These hoop construction buildings feature the stability and strength that made Quonset construction the choice for the U.S. Army with the design aesthetic required by today’s more discerning consumer. Designs that combine rounded slope roofs with straight sides are among the most popular of all because they look good and provide more interior space.

Doors and Windows

The most basic steel buildings have a back wall, an outer sheath that combines roof and walls, and a front wall with a door in it. The door is often an overhead garage style door – but there are many options that feature standard doors and windows as well. Depending on the style of building you choose, you can add skylights which provide natural light as well as aesthetic flair, and windows in the front, back or side walls. You’ve also got a variety of choices for doors in addition to the classic overhead garage door – sliding doors that give you full width access as well as pedestrian doors in the same styles you’ll find in your house. For garages and large storage buildings, many people choose a sliding or overhead garage door for easy access with a car or loading equipment, alongside a people-size door so people can easily enter and leave without opening the entire front of the building.

Exteriors

Forget about the corrugated iron look that’s so associated with Quonset huts from the World War II era. Even budget steel buildings today feature powder-coatings in many colors. White and buff are the most popular, but barn red and pale blue are also readily available through most manufacturers. Many owners choose to sheath their steel buildings in other materials, including brick face, stone cladding and vinyl siding, so that they blend perfectly with their homes or other buildings.

Everyone knows about the economical and ecological advantages of choosing steel buildings over wood frame or other construction, but few realize the many attractive options available to make your steel building look great, too.