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The following article compares the material availability, construction scheduling factors, and design capabilities between two premium building materials: steel and concrete. There has recently been a shortage of cement, the primary bonding material in concrete, in many states across America. Hurricanes in the south have also resulted in greater demand and shorter supply, and shipping rates and the limited availability of transport ships have further contributed to the shortage. The use of imported cement and higher shipping rates to supplement supply has resulted in higher costs and less availability. Smaller building and contractor companies are most affected. The good news is that capacities are increasing with cement company expansion.
The expansion of the Chinese economy has been blamed for the recent lack of availability of steel, although many argue that there is actually no shortage. They point to the adequate production capacity of steel to meet any construction growth in the near future.
The construction scheduling factor is also a consideration for both steel and concrete. Buildings utilizing concrete can go up fast. Some cast-in-place reinforced concrete buildings can increase in size by one complete floor every other day. Developers can finish projects faster, earn profit, regenerate capital, and move to the next project quickly. By implementing the popular “two day cycle,� up to 20,000 square feet of floor space can be poured every two days.
Steel provides many construction scheduling benefits of its own. The use of steel results in an accelerated construction schedule. The quality of steel is enhanced because of off-site fabrication, and productivity opportunities are real with less on-site labor time. Advances in steel building technology have blended the design, pre-engineering, and fabrication of steel, resulting in an accelerated process, which can shorten some construction processes by 40%.
There are many design possibilities with the use of concrete. Concrete construction can offer unique aesthetics and space advantages and the use of cast-in-place reinforced concrete to frame an office building will yield more rentable space because of lower floor-to-floor heights. With the application of proper engineering, a concrete building can also offer uninterrupted floorplates.
Steel is an excellent design-friendly material for building. It has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any construction material in use today and with the utilization of new construction techniques, steel buildings have become a popular choice for both office and multi-family developments. Steel can also provide extremely long spans in structures and open-bay footprints without the need for interior load-bearing columns. Steel remains a very flexible material in terms of offering a multitude of design opportunities along with excellent strength and durability.
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