Metal Buildings

Metal Buildings for Industrial, Commercial and Agricultural

Read More

Metal Buildings Solution

Metal Buildings design from Havit Steel provides an optimized solution for your project. Our professional team is ready to serve any buildings. We can provide you with the most efficient design and construction plan, which is fast and smooth to complete construction for your steel building projects.

Metal Buildings
steel structure buildings
Steel Structure Building
Industrial

Steel Structure Building

As a new type of building system, steel structure building breaks through the boundaries of real estate, construction and metallurgical…

prefab metal building
Prefab Metal Building
Industrial

Prefab Metal Building

Prefab metal buildings are steel structures customized to meet customers' specific architectural and structural needs. All components are manufactured in…

Steel Aircraft Hangar Building
Steel Aircraft Hangar Building
Commercial

Steel Aircraft Hangar Building

In today’s aviation industry, safeguarding aircraft isn’t just about storage—it’s about ensuring operational readiness, prolonging equipment life, and complying with…

Steel Structure Frame Building
Steel Structure Frame Building
Commercial

Steel Structure Frame Building

The Steel Structure Frame Building is composed of steel beams and steel columns. The steel frame can withstand the vertical…

metal structure garage kits
Metal Structure Garage Kits
Commercial

Metal Structure Garage Kits

A garage is an essential part of your property. Nowadays, almost every family has a car, so it is crucial…

steel structure livestock buildings
Steel Structure Livestock Buildings
Agricultural

Steel Structure Livestock Buildings

Many farmers choose to use steel structures to build livestock houses, mainly because steel structure livestock buildings have many advantages…

Metal structure warehouse buildings
Metal Structure Warehouse Buildings
Industrial

Metal Structure Warehouse Buildings

Metal Structure Warehouse Buildings can better meet the needs of cargo storage and logistics turnover because steel structure buildings have…

Steel manufacturing Building
Steel Manufacturing Building
Industrial

Steel Manufacturing Building

Havit Steel designs steel manufacturing building that are tailored to meet the needs of manufacturing companies. Every manufacturing company needs…

Steel Industrial Building
Industrial

Steel Industrial Building

Steel Industrial Building designed from Havit Steel is an efficient solution for industrial facilities, whether you need to build manufacturing…

Steel Auto Shop Building
Steel Auto Shop Building
Commercial

Steel Auto Shop Building

Steel auto shop building is the ideal solution for customers who want to build an automotive workshop that can provide…

Steel Church Building
Steel Church Building
Commercial

Steel Church Building

Steel Church Building design and fabricated by the prefab steel structure, it will provide congregations with a durable and more…

Steel Cold Storage Building
Steel Cold Storage Building
Commercial

Steel Cold Storage Building

The steel cold storage building is made of steel structure and used as cold storage inside. If you plan to…

Commercial steel building
Commercial Steel Building
Commercial

Commercial Steel Building

Commercial steel building designed by Havit Steel can use for commercial purposes, including office buildings, car store buildings, retail buildings,…

Steel Carport Building
Steel Carport Building
Commercial

Steel Carport Building

With the rapid development of modern society and the economy, the number of car owners has continued to increase. At…

Steel garage building
Steel Garage Building
Commercial

Steel Garage Building

In an era where efficiency, longevity, and cost-effectiveness define the benchmarks of construction, steel garage buildings have emerged as a…

Steel Office Building
Steel Office Building
Commercial

Steel Office Building

Metal structures are an effective solution for office buildings. Each office has its unique design elements, and our engineers will…

Steel Retail Building
Commercial

Steel Retail Building

We offer steel retail buildings to help customers integrate all your local needs, and we can design the perfect layout…

Steel Sport Building
Steel Sport Building
Commercial

Steel Sport Building

Steel structures lead the way in terms of efficiency, durability, and versatility. When you want to build a steel sport…

Metal Buildings Specification

The metal buildings uses steel to form a load-bearing structure. Generally, beams, columns, trusses, and other components made of section steel and steel plates constitute a load-bearing structure, which together with roof, wall, and floor, form a building.

Compared with traditional concrete buildings, metal structure buildings use steel plates or section steel instead of reinforced concrete, higher strength, and better seismic resistance. And because the components can be manufactured in factories and installed on-site, the construction period is greatly reduced. Due to the reusability of steel, it can greatly reduce construction waste and become more environmentally friendly. Therefore, it is widely used in industrial buildings and civil buildings all over the world.

Advantage
1. Greatly save construction time. Construction is not affected by the season
2. Increase the use area of buildings, reduce construction waste and environmental pollution
3. Building materials can be reused, stimulating the development of other new building materials industries
4. Good seismic performance, easy to transform, flexible and convenient in use, bringing comfort and so on
5. High strength, lightweight, high safety and wealth of components, and lower building cost

Disadvantages:
1. Heat-resistant and non-fire-resistant, fire-resistant coatings are required
2. It is susceptible to corrosion, and the surface needs to be coated with anti-corrosion coatings to reduce or avoid corrosion and increase durability

Metal Buildings

Metal Building Kits

Steel Building Kits design from Havit Steel with advantage of Fast and Simple Construction, Wide Range Of Uses, Reasonable Cost, lower price than concrete building structure.

Metal Buildings Cladding

Metal Cladding System

Metal cladding system includes wall and roof cladding, skylight sheet, trim and flashing, gutter and downspout, insulation, which are essential components of metal building.

Metal Buildings

Steel Building Specs

Steel Building Specification provide the basic information about the Prefab Steel Building, which include Steel Warehouse, Industrial Workshop, Shed, and Garage Building.

We Are Here To Serve Any Type Of Metal Buildings

Please contact us. There’s a lot we can do for your steel building projects, small or large. Our team will provide you with the best quality construction solution

Steel structure multi-story buildings have emerged as a dominant typology in contemporary construction, offering a compelling blend of structural efficiency, spatial flexibility, and accelerated build times. Characterized by their modular assembly and robust performance under seismic and vertical loading conditions, these buildings have become a mainstay for office complexes, residential towers, and institutional infrastructure. This paper explores the architectural and engineering logic behind their design, structural typologies, and key performance benefits.

steel structure multi-story building

1. What is a Steel structure multi-story building?

At their core, steel multi-story buildings are vertical load-bearing systems formed by interlinked beams and columns, most commonly arranged in rigid-frame configurations. Unlike traditional reinforced concrete buildings, steel structures leverage prefabrication, lighter weight, and higher tensile strength to address both architectural and structural demands in dense urban environments.

2. Floor Systems and Wall Assemblies

2.1 Composite Floor Systems

Modern floor assemblies in steel buildings predominantly adopt composite systems, integrating profiled steel decks with cast-in-place concrete slabs (typically 100–150 mm thick). Shear studs are strategically welded to primary beams, enabling composite action between steel and concrete, thereby enhancing load distribution and minimizing slab thickness.

This configuration not only expedites construction but also improves lateral rigidity and increases usable floor height—an essential feature in height-restricted developments.

metal floor deck

2.2 Wall Construction Materials

Wall systems in steel structures are designed for both thermal performance and structural efficiency. External walls may be either self-supporting (e.g., autoclaved aerated concrete blocks) or non-load-bearing panels affixed to steel girts. The latter typically involves materials such as insulated sandwich panels, profiled steel sheeting, or fiber-reinforced cladding. Girt selection—often cold-formed C or Z sections—is determined based on wall span and expected wind loads.

3. Core Structural Systems in Steel Multi-story Buildings

3.1 Rigid Steel Frame System

This configuration consists of moment-resisting joints between columns and beams, forming a stable three-dimensional skeleton. When applied to buildings under 12 stories, it allows for unobstructed interior spaces while offering satisfactory lateral stiffness, especially when augmented by rigid diaphragms at floor levels.

Steel Structure Multi-story Building

3.2 Frame with Bracing Systems

To enhance lateral resistance, many steel frame buildings integrate vertical bracing systems between selected columns. These braces—ranging from conventional X, V, and K-shaped forms to more complex eccentrically braced frames—offer crucial support during wind or seismic events.

steel frame bracing structure

Central bracing aligns diagonal members to intersect precisely at a node, forming symmetrical systems that transfer lateral loads efficiently. Configurations may include cross-bracing, herringbone, or chevron patterns.

Steel Frame Bracing System

Eccentric bracing, on the other hand, deliberately offsets the brace ends from the beam-column joints. This creates a deformation segment, known as a link beam, which dissipates seismic energy through controlled yielding.

Steel Frame Bracing System

When traditional braces prove insufficient, additional energy dissipation devices—such as embedded steel plates or dampers—may be introduced to enhance performance in high-risk zones.

This hybrid approach enables engineers to balance stiffness, ductility, and architectural layout constraints.
The bracing forms include central support, eccentric support, embedded steel plate, and other energy dissipation supports. When the general eccentric support cannot meet the structure’s lateral resistance requirements, other energy dissipation supports, such as embedded steel plates, can be used.

3.3 Frame–Shear Wall Hybrid Systems

In seismic-prone regions, shear walls constructed from steel plates or composite panels are integrated into the frame, forming a dual system.

Steel Frame Shear Wall System

While frames support vertical gravity loads and provide spatial flexibility, the shear walls carry the majority of lateral forces, often exceeding 80%. This division of labor improves stiffness without sacrificing architectural openness.

Steel Frame Shear Wall System

3.4 Frame–Core Tube System

This system centralizes the building’s lateral resistance within a rigid vertical shaft (the “core tube”), typically housing elevators, stairs, and service conduits. Perimeter frames then carry vertical loads and assist with minor lateral resistance. Widely used in high-rise offices, this configuration offers excellent resistance to torsion and overturning.

Steel Frame Core Structure

Case in Point: The Wuhan Center Tower (438m), utilizes a sparse column frame with a core tube and cantilevered outrigger trusses, showcasing hybrid load distribution strategies in supertall construction.

Wuhan Center

Advanced Tube Structures in Super High-rises

4.1 Frame-Tube Structures

In this design, the perimeter frames act collectively as a tubular enclosure resisting lateral shear and bending. Closely spaced columns and deep beams form a stiff exoskeleton, where the “web” and “flange” concepts—borrowed from I-beam theory—are applied at the macro scale.

Historical Note: This concept was pioneered in the 1960s by Fazlur Khan, with its first application in the Dewitt-Chestnut Apartment and later in the original World Trade Center.

Frame-tube structure

4.2 Braced Tube Structures

Here, perimeter columns are spaced more widely to accommodate façade transparency and architectural aesthetics. To compensate for the reduced stiffness, large X-shaped braces connect across bays, effectively redistributing forces and mitigating the shear lag effect.

Example: The John Hancock Center in Chicago exemplifies this strategy, integrating bracing elements into the external design for both functional and aesthetic purposes.

Braced frame tube structure

4.3 Diagonal Grid (Diagrid) Tubes

Departing from the traditional vertical column layout, diagrid structures employ intersecting diagonal members to support both gravity and lateral loads. This system offers a high strength-to-weight ratio and architectural distinctiveness.

Example: The Gherkin in London (Swiss Re Headquarters) employs a spiral diagrid that minimizes structural redundancy while maximizing internal flexibility.

Oblique grid tube structure

4.4 Bundled Tube Structures

Multiple frame-tube structures are bundled together to form a composite superstructure with enhanced rigidity and redundancy. This layout is particularly effective for wide or irregular footprints and allows for complex architectural forms.

Example: The Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) features a nine-tube base tapering upward, significantly improving lateral load distribution and reducing wind-induced sway.

bundled tube structure

5. Advantages of Steel Structure Multi-story Building:

Superior Seismic Performance: Steel’s ductility and capacity for plastic deformation allow buildings to absorb seismic energy without catastrophic failure.

Weight Efficiency: Reduced self-weight translates to smaller foundations and lower base shear under seismic loads.

Enhanced Usable Space: Smaller column cross-sections create larger clear spans and increase net usable floor area by up to 4%.

Rapid Construction Cycle: Off-site prefabrication accelerates site assembly, reducing labor costs and project duration.

Architectural Flexibility: Long-span capabilities and modular layouts allow for open-plan configurations and adaptive reuse.

6. FAQs about Steel Structure Multi-story Building

Q1: What structural system is best suited for high-rise steel buildings?

A: For buildings exceeding 20 stories, frame-core tube or bundled tube systems are generally preferred due to their superior lateral stiffness and seismic performance.

Q2: How do steel structures perform in seismic zones?

A: Exceptionally well. The high ductility of steel, combined with strategically placed bracing or shear walls, ensures controlled energy dissipation and reduced damage during seismic events.

Q3: Can steel multi-story buildings be customized architecturally?

A: Yes. Steel frames allow for flexible facades, curtain walls, and unconventional geometries, offering designers significant creative freedom.

Q4: Is construction faster with steel than concrete?

A: Typically yes. The use of prefabricated components shortens on-site labor requirements and reduces weather-related delays, making steel a time-efficient choice.

Back To Top