Metal Buildings

How do you effectively assess risks associated with metal buildings?

Metal buildings are commonly used for warehouses, distribution centers, and industrial facilities and often house goods and equipment worth many times the value of the building itself. While advantages of metal buildings include using a single source for design and fabrication, efficient design, low cost, speed of erection, and relatively light weight, metal buildings are associated with a high degree of variability and failure.

Assessing metal buildings with a multidisciplinary perspective

Metal buildings benefit from analysis by our structural engineers as well as experts in materials and corrosion. Exponent investigates metal building structure failures, including inadequate Z-purlin or field-installed compression flange bracing, inadequate shop welds, unanticipated drifting snow, excessive loads hung from roof framing, and overloading (i.e., in excess of prescribed building code loads).