WALLPANEL™

Steel Construction

We have long relied on steel to provide the strength and durability required to build skyscrapers, bridges, and ships. Light gauge steel is a thinner more flexible version of the heavy steel used for those massive projects, but offers many of the same advantages. As the quality and availability of wood declines and as more areas are destroyed by hurricanes and earthquakes, many are now looking to rebuild their homes and businesses with steel.

Advantages of Steel Construction

• Higher strength to weight ratio than other building materials.

• Dimensionally stable and produced to exact specifications, resulting in straight walls, true 90-degree corners, and doors and windows that will not bind.

• Architecturally flexible with long span capabilities, wide on-center spacing possibilities, and reduced foundation requirements.

• Non-combustible, offering less fuel for fires.

• Reduced builders risk insurance rates.

• Continued savings over the life of the structure with less maintenance and lowered insurance rates.

Exterior wall panels are manufactured 6″ thick, and comprised of two-pound density EPS foam. Studs do not penetrate the foam allowing a complete thermal break. The wall panels have joints that are covered and sealed with joining studs during installation. The entire wall surface has an effective and complete R-30 value.

The lower track is typically anchored to the slab while the second story is screwed to the wood decking. Exterior panels can be load bearing or non-load-bearing, depending on the application involved. Every panel has 3 vertical chases at 16 inches on center.

In load-bearing applications, trusses can be connected directly to a load bearing studs. No wood top plates are needed to facilitate truss attachments. Studs are spaced at standard 16 inches OC and opposite studs are offset by 8 inches to provide 24 inches OC for trusses loads. Headers, fully insulated with EPS foam are engineered and provided for all openings as required for design loads. Panels are designed with an internal cross-brace member with 3 inch steel web for lateral stability. Installation of windows and doors are precise. Exterior studs are exposed for installation of wood, vinyl or cement-board siding.

EIFS, stucco, or similar exterior finishes can be applied directly to the panels, per manufacturers’ specifications. No additional vapor barrier is required, as the EPS insulation provides approximately the same moisture permeability as typical house-wrap. Custom exterior wall design solutions are available upon request for specific applications.

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Interior wall panels are typically 4 to 6 inches thick, and fully insulated. Load-bearing walls are usually 18-16 gauge and non-load-bearing walls are 24-20 gauge galvanized structural steel studs. The panels are ready for electrical wiring. Headers are provided over all openings as required for design loads. Sound-attenuating interior wall panels are available in widths of 6 inches, and can be load bearing or not. In each instance, the double row of staggered studs minimizes sound transfer, and 6 inches of two-pounds density EPS foam insulation is used for sound attenuation. We can also custom design and build sound-attenuating wall system for specific requirements. Custom interior wall design solutions are available upon request for specific applications.

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The roof panels are 6 inches thick, with two-pounds density EPS foam insulation. The effective R-value of our roof panels is R-30. For composition shingle roofing, a layer of sheathing must be applied prior to shingle attachment. Custom roof design solutions are available upon request for specific applications.

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