Matter and surface
Steel
high-rise buildingindustrial buildinghousingbridge
It is an alloy of iron with little carbon that is rolled into sections, bars and sheets for structures and reinforcement.
What it solves
It allows light, long-span structures that perform well in earthquakes. Inside concrete it provides the tensile strength that concrete lacks.
Today
Protect steel from corrosion with suitable coatings and details that do not collect water, especially near the sea. Prefer bolted connections that can be dismantled.
Common mistake
Leaving sections with cavities that hold water or welding without cleaning and protecting the area.
Tomorrow
Scrap steel melted in electric furnaces greatly reduces emissions. Bolted structures can be dismantled and reassembled in another building.
Fact Each ton of recycled scrap avoids about 1.5 tons of CO2, and steel is recycled without losing its properties.
Where it comes from
- 1Indian metallurgy Delhi, India, 5th century
The Iron Pillar, forged from welded pieces, has barely corroded in 1,600 years. - 2Chicago School Chicago, United States, 1884 to 1885
William Le Baron Jenney’s first metal-skeleton skyscraper weighed about a third as much as a masonry one. - 3Edificio Metálico Belgium and San José, Costa Rica, 1896
Designed and fabricated in Belgium, it was assembled in San José and houses a school.
Masters
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Farnsworth House, Plano, United States, 1951
He raised the house on eight welded steel columns painted white, with floor-to-ceiling glass between them. It is the classic lesson of a steel frame reduced to the essentials. - Jean Prouvé Maison Tropicale, Niamey and Brazzaville, Africa, 1951
He designed a prefabricated house of steel sections and aluminum panels for the tropics, with a double ventilated roof, a veranda and adjustable bases. He anticipated dry construction that can be assembled and taken apart.
See also
Also in Matter and surface
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.