As the winter months approach across the northern hemisphere, it’s time to get ready for heavy snow loads and high winds. Snowfall combined with frequent days of high winds and potential for dangerous blizzards makes it important to know the ins and outs of constructing a steel building in cold climates.
Steel buildings are perfectly suited for handling the heavy snowfall in these northern states, but it’s important to get an accurate snow load estimate to ensure your steel building won’t fail under the pressure.
Calculating a snow load can be complicated as several factors come into play, including the type of snow, the weight of snow and the shape of your roof, among other things.
A building with a 1:12 roof pitch is considerably cheaper than higher roof pitches such as a 6:12, and the 1:12 pitched roof can be engineered to withstand the weight of your local snow loads.
There are a few things to consider when designing your steel building for a cold climate. Roof pitch is especially significant for snow. A steel building with a high-pitched roof will help clear snow and snow melt. Wind loads must also be considered in your steel building design. We’re confident that our durable steel buildings can shoulder the load, but accurate estimates and attention to detail will guarantee the safety of your steel building.
One common way to cut costs in the metal building industry is to under-load a building destined for a windy or snow climate. Unfortunately there are only two outcomes when this happens: building collapse or change orders. General Steel has experience designing and delivering steel buildings to snowy climates. Make sure you go with an experienced supplier like General Steel who can ensure your metal building is prefabricated with your local codes in mind.
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