Wind Snow Load Conditions For Steel Buildings
Prefabricated steel buildings are designed to meet the code and load requirements of the customer’s area. It is the customer’s responsibility to find out the information needed by the steel building companies in order to properly design and fabricate the metal buildings properly, first so the customer can obtain their building permit and second so the building itself can withstand the forces of nature that are common occurrences where the customer lives and will be erecting his steel barn.
To help the engineers at the factory, where the steel buildings are designed, better determine the best design for your metal barn, they have composed a list of questions to be answered by the customer to guide them and to give them a better understanding of exactly what type of conditions exist in the customer’s area with regards to the amount of snow and wind exposure the prefab steel buildings will be exposed to. The following are a list of the questions asked by the engineers with the answers shedding light on conditions that could affect the snow load and wind exposure requirements:
1. Will the new steel building be located within 20ft of any existing building structures? If YES, please provide a sketch showing the distances of all existing structures to the new building. Indicate also the eave height, width, length, roof slope and ridge orientation of the existing buildings.
2. Will the new steel garage tie-in to any existing building structures? If YES, provide a sketch and a detail common wall condition. Indicate also the eave height, width, length, bay spacing, roof slope and ridge orientation of the existing buildings.
3. Will the metal garage have roof insulation and be used continuously as a heated structure?
4. Is the building unheated, but insulated?
5. Is the building unheated and without roof insulation?
6. If the metal storage buildings are greenhouses, will they be continuously heated at a maintained temperature of 50°F or higher during winter months and the roof material will have a thermal resistance, R-value, less than 2 ft² x h x F°/Btu?
7. Is the new prefab metal building located in urban or sub-urban areas, wooded areas or other terrain with densely spaced structures or obstruction having the size of a single family dwelling or larger?
8. Is the new prefab steel building located in flat, open country grasslands, open terrain with scattered obstructions having heights generally less than 30ft., or in shorelines on hurricane prone areas?
9. Is the steel frame building facing vast flat, unobstructed areas exposed to wind flowing over large bodies of water?
10. Is the steel building located on the upper half of an isolated hill, ridge or near the crest of an escarpment, constituting abrupt changes in the topography?
Answering these questions will guarantee that the engineers who design the residential and commercial steel buildings will be aware of any additional snow and wind exposure conditions in your area.
Posted by Carlos Sagastume on September 28, 2009. Filed under HUD Homes.
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