Today, architecture is interested in creating increasingly spectacular structures, with irregular and complex shapes. To do this, it must consider a long list of variables, from seismic to ecological factors.
The use of steel expresses the highest synthesis between engineering and architectural forms. From the less is more of the International Style to the emancipation of the forms of postmodern architecture, steel characteristics allow realizing the most ambitious projects.
Steel is an extremely functional material: its shapes contain artistic and constructive factors, and it is equipped with some precise characteristics that make it the construction material of the future.
Steel has a competitive correlation between its resistance and its weight: this allows for the construction of lightweight structures, 5 to 6 times compared to equivalent reinforced concrete structures.
Less weight means less oscillation: steel is in fact ideal for the construction of skyscrapers, bridges with large spans or constructions built on low-load-bearing terrain.
Thanks to its remarkable plastic properties, steel absorbs and dissipates external stresses, such as those generated by earthquakes.
It has a high resistance to traction, bending and torsion stresses: a key feature that allows steel to resist also to very high stress and fatigue forces.
Steel is a non-combustible material; however the application of an external protective layer prevents the alteration of its properties in the event of prolonged exposure to flames.
Steel is a material able to adapt to several uses and it is easily combined with other construction techniques, such as concrete or wood.
Unlike other solutions with other materials, with some precautions, steel structures can be disassembled and reassembled without compromising their structural efficiency.
The "dry" steel construction system, without castings on site, allows millimetric precision reaching minimum construction tolerances.
The steel structures can be pre-assembled in the factory, allowing to control the overall geometry reducing site operations and assembly time.
It has reduced costs: building in steel means savings in material, personnel, equipment and limited foundations.
Steel is the most recycled material in the world (14 tons per second). With 20 million tons per year melted in steel mills, Italy is the first European country for the recycling of ferrous scrap.
Unlike concrete, steel is 100% recyclable: it is an "up-cycling" process, meaning that the recycling process through which the recycled material is obtained maintains intact the properties of the starting material.
Thanks to corrosion systems to protect the surface from external agents, such as galvanization and painting, and depending on the environmental exposure in which it is located, steel can keep its properties intact for several decades.
Steel has a high energetic efficiency: in hot climates steel covering can quickly disperse the heat helping to create a mild environment. On the contrary, in colder temperatures, double walls of steel panels can contain heat without temperature loss.
PARTNER
