Why Are Prefabricated Steel Buildings Quick To Assemble?

Different construction materials not only have unique strengths and characteristics but will often be preferred for certain timescales and use cases.

For example, concrete tends to be preferred for high-traffic commercial buildings such as high rises and car parks, whilst traditional brick construction remains popular in homebuilding due to its relatively low costs.

However, industrial steel buildings are hard-wearing, long-lasting, versatile and, perhaps most critically for many businesses, can be installed and dismantled quickly.

Whether it is a seasonal storage system, temporary accommodation during renovations or refurbishment or a semi-permanent way to boost capacity, steel buildings are an effective contingency option.

What makes them quick to assemble is that they are designed with prefabrication in mind; all of the components are made to measure in a factory before being transported to the location where they can be easily put together.

This concept has evolved through several unusual building concepts, including one which set a world record.

Prefabricated Cylinders

Prefabricated metal buildings have been used for centuries, most notably with the tin tabernacle, an iron prefabricated church design invented and popularised in the 19th century.

One of the most well-known prefabricated buildings, designed with ease of assembly in mind, was the Nissen hut, a building which is most notable due to its unusual half-cylindrical design.

Whilst this has since turned the building and similar structures such as the Quonset hut into an iconic image of the war on par with the Anderson shelter, there was a method behind the unusual design concept.

It was created during the First World War when materials needed to be used as economically as possible. The semi-circle design offered the most strength with the least resources, and given the time, conventional appearances needed to be sacrificed for the war effort.

As well as this, the rounded panels could be easily stored by stacking them on top of each other, meaning that a standard-sized hut could be packed into a single standard army lorry.

Finally, and most critically, it was quick and easy to assemble with minimal equipment or experience.

The 90-Minute Building

The entire standard unit, from metal frames, corrugated panels, a wooden door, inner linings and cloth windows, was designed to fit into a three-tonne army lorry, and the entire building was designed to be built quickly at times when shelter was needed fast.

A well-drilled team of six people are supposed to be able to put it together in around four hours, which is much faster than even some alternative rapid assembly shelters available today. However, some people were able to construct the hut even quicker than this.

One team was able to build the hut, albeit in perfect conditions, in just 87 minutes, less than an hour and a half, highlighting the usefulness of the design and explaining why it was used in various modified forms in the Second World War.

However, the sacrifice in the name of speed and efficient use of materials was comfort; huts constructed in the UK and Western Europe were cold and draughty, whilst in warmer climates such as Asia and the Pacific Theatre, they suffered from stifling, stuffy heat.