All posts by Metal Construction Association

Why You See Christmas Trees Atop Construction Sites

tree 1 This time of year, it’s common to see Christmas trees. But why do you see them on top of commercial construction sites all year long? These trees are a tradition in commercial construction. But do you know where the tradition comes from, or what it means?

Topping Out Ceremonies
Prior to adding the metal panels and metal roofing, a building’s framing is completed by placing the last beam at the highest point of the building. To commemorate this accomplishment, crews have a Topping Out ceremony: a party to celebrate those who made the building possible. They hoist an evergreen tree attached to that last beam for all to see. Often an American flag is also put on the opposite end of the beam. Sometimes the last beam is painted white and signed by the members of the crew, contractor, architects, and owner. But where did this odd tradition come from?

How It Started
Immigrants to the U.S. brought the tradition with them from Europe and Scandinavia, passed down from early pagan and Christian traditions. It’s believed that as early as 700 A.D. Scandinavians began topping out structures with a fir tree to signal those nearby that it was time for the celebration to start. Others believe the tradition of an evergreen atop a structure was started to represent new birth, as the Christmas tree represents the birth of the baby Jesus. There are many tales how the tradition started, and so the specific origin is murky.

tree2The Building Is the Gift Under The Tree
While Grand Opening festivities introduce a new building to the public, the Topping Out ceremony uniquely honors the accomplishments of the construction crew, architect, building owner and other key people who made the building possible. Reminiscent of a party at the end of an old-fashioned barn raising, a Topping Out ceremony gives credit to those who do the actual work of designing, planning, and constructing buildings.

Celebrate Your Own Metal Construction
The Topping Out ceremony is a wonderful celebration for any construction project, whether low-rise, high-rise, commercial, residential, or other. On your next construction project, take the time to celebrate what’s been accomplished and the people who made it happen with a Topping Out ceremony. It’s a little bit of Christmas that you can look up and experience year round!

New Study Verifies Steel Roofs Can Last As Long As The Buildings They Cover: Typically 60 Years Or More.

Low-Slope-Galvalume Roof

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

The cost of replacing a roof can be one of the most significant maintenance expenses in the life of a building. USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building rating program (version 4) assumes a building service life of 60 years. With most types of roofing, building owners can expect to replace the roof once or twice in that amount of time, incurring significant expense to do so.

Many buildings are The Metal Construction Association (MCA) is proud to announce a new study that verifies that coated steel roofs can last as long as the buildings they cover. The research study concluded that the expected service life of an unpainted 55% Al-Zn coated steel standing seam roof constructed today in a wide range of environments using best practices can be expected to be in excess of 60 years.

Learn more about the study here, and access the full study and executive report in MCA’s Technical Resources  library.

MCA’s New Metal Roof Installation Manual: An Essential Tool for Anyone Working with Metal Roofs

Using the Right Methods, Materials and Tools is Essential to Installing Your Metal Roof Properly
Using the Right Methods, Materials and Tools is Essential to Installing Your Metal Roof Properly

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

Using the right tools is key to getting any job done correctly. Contractors and installers who work with metal roofs know how important it is to have the right seamer or a quality screw gun. And architects and specifiers know how important it is to have a good architectural scale and the most current reference manuals.

MCA Metal Roof Installation Manual
MCA Metal Roof Installation Manual

If you work with metal roofing, MCA has another essential tool for your toolkit: the new Metal Roof Installation Manual. Now available at MetalConstruction.com in the Technical Resources section, this new manual offers 20 chapters of best practices, tips and training for installing metal roofs. The manual covers a full range of useful information about installing metal roofs, including:

  • Introductory information about roofing materials
  • Panel types, attributes and profiles
  • Roof deck substrates
  • Safety
  • Sealants and Fasteners
  • Maintenance
  • Re-Roofing

Download your copy of the MCA Metal Roof Installation Manual today, and keep the document handy as a reference as you come across questions with your metal roof project. It’ll soon become an essential tool in your toolbox.

And the best part about this tool? It’s free!

When in Denver, Check Out These Cool Metal Construction Projects

Denver Art Museum
Denver Art Museum

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

And for those of you heading to METALCON 2014 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver next week (October 1-3, 2014), be sure to check out the great examples of metal construction that Denver has to offer. Here are a few of our favorites that we highlighted in this blog in 2013. Click the links to view the full blog posts:

Invesco Field at High Mile Stadium
Invesco Field at High Mile Stadium

Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium -Features insulated metal panels (IMP) from Centria, as well as Reynobond aluminum metal composite material panels (MCM) from Alcoa.

Denver Art Museum – Clad in titanium panels, the Frederic C. Hamilton Building reflects not just the Colorado sun, but also the shapes and angles found in the most prominent part of the Denver landscape–the Rocky Mountains.

Denver Police Crime Lab – Features 30,000 sq. feet of Reynobond® aluminum composite panels in six different colors.

And the Colorado Convention Center (below) even sports some cool metal work of its own on its facade. Be sure to take a walk around Denver while at METALCON 2014 and take note of these and many more examples of stunning architecture and metal construction.

Colorado Convention Center 3

METALCON 2014: Denver, Here We Come

Colorado Convention Center WEB
I See What You Mean; Sculptor:  Steve Largent

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

MCA staff is gearing up for METALCON 2014 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, from October 1-3, 2014. Be sure to stop by our booth (#1542) and say hello. We’ll have MCA technical directors Scott Kriner and Andy WIlliams in the booth to answer any technical questions you may have. And the 2014 MCA Chairman’s Award Winners will be announced at the end of the day on October 1st, and will be featured in our booth for the remainder of the show. Click here to view past winners.

We hope to see you there! And be sure to visit these MCA Members at METALCON 2014, or visit MCA’s Product Locator:

MCA Member Booth #
Metal Construction Association 1542
ABC Supply Co Inc 314
Akzo Nobel Coatings Inc 1621
Alcoa Architectural Products 214
Arkema Inc 729
ATAS International Inc 814
Atlas Bolt & Screw Company 1814
Bradbury Co Inc 615
Central States Mfg Inc 2010
CENTRIA 1524
DesignandBuildwithMetal.com 425
DI Roof Seamers 1339
Drexel Metals Inc 821
Dura Coat Products Inc 1400
Englert Inc 806
Fabral 1615
Firestone Building Products 602
Flexospan Inc 1446
Gerard Roofing Technologies 1729
GSSI Sealants Inc 424
Isaiah Industries Inc 711
MBCI 1406
McElroy Metal 621
Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp 1829
METALFORMING Inc 1006
Metl-Span 1417
Northclad Sheet Metal 2104
Petersen Aluminum Corp 1517
PPG Industries Inc 1712
Precoat Metals 1414
RHEINZINK America Inc 1738
Roof Hugger Inc 1739
S-5! 810
Sealtite Building Fasteners 817
SFS Intec Inc 1329
Sheffield Metals International 203
Solvay North America 1915
TAMKO Building Products Inc 1221
Umicore Building Products USA Inc 1821
Valspar Corp 1411
Wismarq Corporation 2014

Trade Associations with Ties to Metal Discuss Collaboration

By Jane Martinsons, Metal Construction Association

2014SummerMeeting-OpeningSession3 croppedLet’s assume that collaboration among trade associations whose members work with metal building materials, including wall and roof panels, will help them thrive in a construction industry marked by consolidation. The question is, where should collaborative efforts start?

The answer appears to be education, according to a panel discussion held at the MCA Summer Meeting on June 23–25, 2014, in Rosemont, IL.

Leaders from six trade associations met with MCA members and guests to discuss where best to pool their resources to help grow the metal construction market, and possibly their own memberships. Time and again, the discussion turned to education.

Panelists included leaders from the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA), the Metal Building Contractors & Erectors Association (MBCEA), the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), the National Coil Coating Association (NCCA), the National Frame Building Association (NFBA), and the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA).

MCA Board Member Roger Sieja, director of market development for Wismarq Corporation, moderated the discussion.

During the discussion, several panelists and attendees pointed to the need to educate the building community—particularly architects, specifiers, engineers, and board members of local municipal commissions—on current codes, regulations, and design trends.

Some panelists pointed out that, currently, education is done on a project-by-project basis, so having readily available, widely accepted educational tools on these issues would be useful to their own association members and the entire industry.

“Once [city commissioners]learn what they can actual do [with metal], they are more agreeable and realize that they have been too strict” in limiting the use of metal  in building exteriors in their areas, said Lee Shoemaker, director, research and engineering,  MBMA. “If [the issue] came up more often, we would probably come up with a program to address it more directly, but it happens only occasionally. We give members tools to help address it locally, but it is hard to do from a national trade association vantage point.”

MBMA promotes the design and construction of metal building systems in the low-rise, non-residential building marketplace. According to Shoemaker, MBMA devotes half of its budget to addressing technical issues of building systems.

Ken Gieseke, chair-elect of NFBA, agreed that broader education on the local level is needed.  “We’ve done one-on-one education with [our own city commission], taking pictures of jobs that show that metal is attractive and pointing out [limits to] their codes,” he said. “Getting tools to help us as an industry would be huge.”

NFBA has more than 700 members, including contractors, suppliers, and design professionals. The association seeks to expand the use of post-frame construction, educate builders and decision makers on post-frame construction, provide technical research, and market the benefits of post-frame construction.

The panelists also stressed the need to promote the benefits of using metal on building exteriors to the entire industry, including consumers.

Tom Wadsworth of DASMA said that, “thanks to coil coaters,” highly durable steel and aluminum garage doors now resemble wood ones, but are less expensive and easier to maintain on the part of consumers. DASMA works to create a unified force among its memberships of manufacturers of door and access systems, develop standards, influence building codes, expand its market, and educate the door systems industry.

Likewise, MBMA’s Shoemaker noted that metal buildings with wide clear spans offer superior durability to other construction types, particularly in adverse weather conditions. Getting out messages like this to influencers of construction and consumers is key to growing the industry, he said.

2014SummerMeeting-OpeningSession4croppedThe groups represented at the meeting vary greatly in size and educational offerings, with the 128-year-old NRCA being by far the largest with 3,500 members in the U.S. and abroad   and a $12 million annual budget, a vast array of training and educational programs, and its own Political Action Committee.  NRCA helps its members contend with government regulations and is active in the codes arena.

However, all the groups represented on the panel promote professionalism and provide education and training to their members, and some provide accreditation.

The 52-year-old NCCA, which has about 100 members, promotes the growth of pre-painted metal.  It serves as the voice of the coil coating industry for technical, promotional, education, and regulatory matters.

The 46-year-old MBCEA provides, among other things, national standardized testing and apprenticeship and accreditation programs. It has seen a 30% jump in its membership of metal building contractors and erectors over the past year, according to MBCEA President Gary Smith.

As the panel concluded, it was clear that this discussion was, itself, only a start. Sieja said that MCA would welcome an opportunity to discuss collaboration further at meetings sponsored by these groups.

 

 

 

 

Architects, Metal Construction Companies Converge on Chicago

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

This week the Metal Construction Association (MCA) is hosting its 2014 Summer Meeting at the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont, IL. Representatives from metal roof and wall manufacturers, as well as suppliers, consultants, fabricators and more, will be participating in meetings to expand the use of metal roofs and wall panels. Meetings kick off Monday with the lunchtime General Session featuring a panel discussion of metal construction industry leaders. Committee and council meetings will be conducted Monday through Wednesday.

Many of our MCA members will be extending their stay in Chicago to attend the 2014 AIA National Convention from Thursday, June 26 through Saturday, June 28 at McCormick Place. Be sure to stop by and see MCA members exhibiting this year, including:

Exhibitor Name Booth Number
3A Composites 1906
Akzo Nobel Coatings, Inc. 4042
Alcoa Architectural Products 1407
Alucobond 1215
Alucoil North America 2022
ATAS International, Inc. 3642
Bayer MaterialScience 1654
Centria 1425
Dow Building Solutions 4712
Englert, Inc. 3637
Fabral 606
Firestone Building Products 2113
MBCI 3845
Metal Architecture Magazine 4645
Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation 1245
Metl-Span 4204
Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America, Inc. 3624
NorthClad 1815
Petersen Aluminum Corp. 4245
PPG Industries, Inc. 4617
Reynobond/Reynolux 1407
RHEINZINK America, Inc. 3209
Solvay 3608
Valspar 3618

We hope you enjoy your stay in Chicago!

AIA Economist Bullish on Nonresidential Construction Activity

By: Jane Martinsons, Metal Construction Association

Kermit Baker, AIAKermit Baker, chief economist for the American Institute of Architects in Washington, DC, told attendees at the recent MCA Annual Meeting in Clearwater Beach, FL, that although nonresidential construction has been slow to recover from a steep downturn in 2013, several emerging signs point to increased activity throughout 2014.

As a guest speaker at the January meeting, Baker noted several leading economic indicators that point to an improving economy, including that housing starts have accelerated in recent months and that house prices, which continue to recover, have gained back more than 40% of their losses. He also said that net household growth has been dominated by renters in recent years, pushing down the rate of ownership.

“The housing recovery is well underway, but production levels are still below long-term potential,” Baker said, adding that a rate of 1.6–1.8 million housing starts per year is still years away.

Despite the positive market fundamentals, there have been modest gains in spending on nonresidential buildings, Baker said. He noted that the nonresidential construction sector faces several challenges and opportunities, including that recovery to date remains modest, with little improvement over past year; commercial property values are recovering “nicely”; and real estate market fundamentals, such as vacancies and rents, remain positive for most commercial market segments.

Meanwhile, architecture billings point to emerging upturn in nonresidential building activity. “Even with slowdown toward the end of last year architecture billings are in the midst of an upturn, with the strongest growth since the recession began,” Baker said.

Baker added that construction spending should see solid single-digit growth in 2014, with recovery continuing into 2015.

Plans for the MCA Summer Meeting, set for June 23–25 at the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont, IL, are underway. Online hotel reservations and a preliminary program schedule are now available. For more information, visit the Events page on the MCA website.

A look at, and beyond, HPDs

By: Jane Martinsons, Metal Construction Association

Jim HoffIn a recent webinar, Dr. Jim Hoff of the Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing noted several benefits and limitations of the Health Product Declaration (HPD), and even looked beyond it to newer alternative documents.

Hoff said that on the upside, the HPD document itself is relatively simple and straightforward— “it looks like a Material Safety Data Sheet (SDS),” —and is inexpensive, especially compared to Environmental Product Declarations. Still, he noted the HPD

  • uses little or no formal consensus review. “As a building envelope researcher and a longtime participant in standards processes throughout the world, I believe it certainly is a limitation to have a development process that is an ad-hoc process, developed outside a recognized consensus standard,” he said. “The development process does not include all stakeholders that are typically included in ANSI and ASTM processes. For example, building material manufacturers are not included in specific decision-making committees,” he said.
  • identifies hazard without assessing risk.
  • identifies chemicals of concern using many different sources with varying thresholds. Hoff cited examples of hazard warnings, such as the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) list of known or likely carcinogen, but also pointed to what he considers “less authoritative” warnings. For example, “California Proposition 65 includes many chemicals hazardous only as precursors or during manufacturing,” he said.  “When you’re looking at materials that are key ingredients in many common roofing materials [i.e., titanium dioxide, carbon black, wood dust, and bitumen], they are not generally considered to be hazardous in their finished form.”

Other newer alternative documents may offer better information, he said. “There is a whole new generation of MSDSs that are starting in 2014 that are based on a very, very rigorous, globally harmonized system, now endorsed through international treaties and endorsed and integrated by  the U.S. EPA.” The new SDSs offer hazard information in a very similar methodology to HPDs and will be available much more rapidly, he said.

Another new product is the Product Transparency Declaration (PTD), which addresses risk as well as hazard assessment. “PTDs take a look at threshold levels and paths for exposure that are important in many products,” he said. Developed by the Resilient Floor Covering Institute and submitted  to become an ASTM standard, the PTD could be available to a wide variety of products, Hoff said.

Meanwhile, Hoff stressed that HPDs are included in LEED v4 and are likely to be proposed for next version of International Green Construction Code. As such, he calls on material suppliers to

  • be proactive and engaged.
  • develop a uniform approach and promote industry-wide initiatives to develop consistent reporting.
  • use the Notes section of HPDs to explain or tell the whole story of their products.
  • promote alternatives to HPDs that include risk assessment in addition to hazard identification.

For more information, contact Dr. Jim Hoff jhoff@roofingcenter.org.

Metal Construction Highlights: Las Vegas Edition

Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health,
Las Vegas

By: John Ryan, Metal Construction Association

I’m getting ready to head to Las Vegas next week for the International Roofing Expo. I have to admit, I’m excited. Believe it or not (and most do not), I’ve never been to Las Vegas.

There’s no doubt that most of my time will be spent within the concrete walls of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center manning the Metal Construction Association (MCA) booth (booth #2143–stop by to say hello!), but I am looking forward to exploring the sights and sounds of Las Vegas.

One thing I always try to do before I travel to a new city for business is scope out some architectural highlights to visit. And since I work for MCA, I admit that I am always looking for real-life examples of metal construction.

Here are a few examples of metal roofs and walls that I plan to see while in Las Vegas. Feel free to let us know what your favorites are!

McCarran International Airport, featuring Alucobond Plus
Alcoa Reynobond - Terminal 3 Parking Garage

McCarran International Airport

I won’t have to wait long to see an example of metal construction after touching down in Las Vegas–the McCarran International Airport recently completed an expansion project that featured Alucobond Plus metal composite material (MCM) panels from 3A Composites.

The Terminal 3 parking garage also features metal wall panels: Reynobond aluminum MCM panels from Alcoa. I’m sure the airport won’t be the most exciting part of my stay in Las Vegas, but the metal cladding will at least give me reason for pause at the airport.

The D Casino

The D Casino, Petersen AluminumAfter a long day on the convention center floor manning the MCA booth, I can usually be found enjoying a quiet meal and catching up on e-mails back in my hotel room. But Las Vegas is all about the casinos, so I am sure I will venture into a casino or two at some point during the week. Why not try my luck with the one-armed bandits at The D Casino in downtown Las Vegas, which sports a new, metal-clad entrance from Petersen Aluminum? I’m looking forward to walking the strip–and I understand it is a long walk– to see the impressive architecture of the casinos. The over-the-top extravagance and grandiose resorts should serve as a not-so-subtle reminder that the odds are not in my favor for a big payday!

Downtown Container Park

Downtown Container ParkLas Vegas isn’t all casinos, glitz and glamor–there is plenty for families to do and enjoy. Even though my family won’t be traveling with me, I plan to check out the Downtown Container Park for some shopping and dining. It’s located away from the main strip on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. It’s just what it sounds like–a park and shopping center crafted from shipping containers. Architects and designers are finding new ways to utilize old shipping containers as structures, and this project reminds me of one of MCA’s 2012 Chairman’s Award Winners that also features shipping containers.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, featuring Centria IMPsAnd if I feel the need for speed, perhaps I will make my way over to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Even though the speedway’s NASCAR weekend events won’t be until the first week of March, it may be worth a quick visit to check out the exterior  since it is clad in Centria’s Formawall insulated metal panels.

Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

Designed by esteemed architect Frank Gehry, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (pictured at the top of this blog post) is a national resource for research and treatment of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s Diseases, Multiple Sclerosis and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). While the design of the building has been a lightning rod for both praise and criticism, the important work being done within the stainless-steel clad walls is what’s most important.

Let us know if you have any other recommendations for Las Vegas architectural highlights. And if you are at the IRE show, we hope you will stop by the MCA booth–as well as our member’s booths–to say hello and learn about the many benefits of metal roofing.