Steel structures are durable and require little maintenance, extracting maximum value from the resources invested in the structure and minimizing its whole-life costs. Long span steel sections enable large open plan, column free spaces to be created inside buildings, providing flexible areas that can be set out in an endless variety of configurations. Such ‘future-proofing’ means that the building’s intended use can be modified, and the layout adapted many times – extending the lifetime of the structure. Short construction periods will lead to cost savings in site preliminaries, earlier return on investment and reduced interest charges. Time related savings can easily amount to 3-5% of the overall project value, reducing the client’s requirements for working capital and improving cash flow.

Given this, choosing structural steel can help reduce your project’s overall cost and enhance its value.  You can further achieve savings by getting a steel fabricator involved early in the design phase.  Read more:  https://www.aisc.org/why-steel/resources/construction-costs/

Steel is the leading construction material for sustainability, offering exceptional environmental, social and economic benefits. The balance between the three elements sees steel deliver a sound sustainability case and contribute to the circular economy.  Consider these facts:

• The structural steel making process boasts a 95% water recycling rate with no external discharges, resulting in a net consumption of only 70 gallons per ton.
• Steel is the most recycled material in the world.  Domestic mills recycle more than 70 million tons of scrap each year and structural steel has a 93% recycled content!
• Steel production productivity levels are up by a factor of 24 and labor hours have been reduced from 12 to just 0.5 tons per ton.
• Steel’s carbon footprint is down 37%, energy use has decreased 32%, and greenhouse gas emissions have dropped by 45%.

No link to an article – I retrieved this information from AISC.org