Pre-engineered Metallic Structures vs. Mother Nature
Pre-engineered metallic buildings protect your building investment and its contents.
When winds howl, lightning flashes, fire rages, or the earth trembles, manufactured metal buildings stand up to the challenge better than other building systems.
Engineer-certified to meet or exceed all your current local building codes, RHINO’s commercial-grade steel framing provides maximum damage protection. Here are just seven of the many ways steel frame prefab homes and buildings protect against the elements.
1. Steel Frame Prefab Homes in High Winds
Whether straight-line winds, a tornado, a hurricane, or a derecho blows through, RHINO’s resilient buildings outperform wood-framed buildings and other structures.
Every RHINO building is designed to meet all current local wind load requirements. If you prefer additional protection, you may even choose greater wind loads than those minimally required.
Most structural wind damage occurs when strong winds breach the building envelope through broken windows or large overhead doors. High winds can literally lift a wood-framed structure from the foundation as nails pull out under the pressure of the winds.
Attached to the foundation with sturdy metal j-bolts buried in the cement, RHINO metallic structures resist winds’ lifting forces.
2. Commercial-Grade Steel Buildings in Fires
Steel does not burn like wood. Consequently, steel is never the point of ignition of a structural fire— but wood framing often is.
Even when a fire does start in manufactured metal buildings, the non-combustible steel framing does not burn and intensify the damage. Wood framing, on the other hand, simply supplies more fuel to a structural fire.
Because of the built-in fire resistance of commercial-grade steel framing, many insurance carriers offer lower rates for metallic buildings.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, lightning starts 17,400 fires every year. Forty-one percent of those fires are structural. In a properly grounded metal building, lightning passes harmlessly into the ground, without starting a fire.
3. Manufactured Metal Buildings in Earthquakes
The structures which generally perform best in earthquakes are those which can give in to the swaying earth without breaking.
For example:
- Brick buildings crack or collapse during a quake.
- In wood-framed structures, nails pull out and studs crack or split, collapsing under the stress of a quake.
- Steel framing with welded connections cannot shift with the swaying.
RHINO’s manufactured steel buildings use high-strength bolts, known as moment connectors. During a tremblor, the framing pieces rotate slightly around these connectors. The whole building moves as a unit, absorbing the destructive energy of an earthquake.
4. Steel’s Resilient Buildings against Crushing Snow
Did you know that snow weighs as much as 15 pounds per cubic foot?
As stated earlier, an engineer certifies all RHINO’s steel manufactured buildings to meet— or exceed— all your current local building codes, including snow loads.
5. Manufactured Steel Buildings in Heavy Rains
RHINO’s prefabricated metallic structures provide many waterproofing features, including:
- Strong, durable self-drilling screws with EPDM sealing washers
- Premium steel ridge caps
- An entire eave-sealing system
- Formed-based trim to waterproof the base connections of the structure
- Optional higher roof pitches, for faster drainage
- Gutter and downspout systems
- Stronger, 26-gauge PBR steel roofing panels, with extra overlap for stronger connections
6. RHINO Steel Buildings versus Mold
Mold needs only two things to thrive: an organic host to feed on and moisture.
Inorganic steel will not support mold. The waterproofing benefits mentioned above also reduce the likelihood of moisture being present and promoting mold.
7. Steel Manufactured Buildings Leave Termites Toothless
Organic substances like wood attract destructive termites, carpenter ants, mice, and other vermin. However, none of the little beasties can munch on inorganic steel. They must look elsewhere for their next picnic.
Therefore, you can avoid costly chemical termite treatments to protect your building investment.
Conclusion
Protect your investment against all threats with the strength of resilient steel frame prefab homes. Choose RHINO metallic buildings for your next construction project.
Contact RHINO Today
These are just a few of the many benefits you will enjoy as a RHINO steel prefab home owner.
For more information and a free quote for your upcoming project, call 940.383.9566.
(Updated 7-15-2020. Originally published 6-21-2013.)