Aesthetic appeal and shorter building timelines are just some of the benefits of steel, writes Jeffrey Steele, in this Forbes article as he studies some of our residential and commercial projects.
In The News
Interim Housing Made Possible with Prefab Steel Buildings
Housing prices have spiraled out of control in many parts of California and some are finding it increasingly difficult to afford housing. Cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco are taking great steps to combat and even resolve the issues of homelessness by providing interim housing opportunities, however, some areas are still experiencing significant problems.
Providing housing units remains a challenge for many local authorities because of resistance from neighboring communities, the time-consuming effort needed by local authorities to get projects off the ground and the building time required. San Francisco, like many major cities in the U.S., has an increasing number of homeless people because of the housing crunch and is looking for solutions.
Related EcoSteel Project: Los Angles Homeless Shelter Campus
Prefab steel buildings are constructed under controlled conditions and can either be permanently installed on sites or used as a temporary solution, offering sustainability combined with beauty.
The construction of a prefabricated steel house is fast and cost-effective and is similar to the construction of a warehouse. Everything is pre-finished and pre-insulated, arriving on-site ready to assemble, which is almost 80% of the work done already.
Besides the speed and cost reduction, prefab steel buildings reduce waste and pollution, steel buildings offer a safer construction site and are one of the strongest buildings due to their ability to withstand some of Mother Nature’s most powerful conditions.
EcoSteel provides the prefab/architectural systems that will make the availability of interim houses for the homeless a reality. Our vision is to provide a beautiful, prefabricated steel housing units for those in need of assistance. Call our office today at 800.587.6604 or contact us here to learn how our products can provide value to your project.
Ecosteel featured as cover story of Modern Metals
Prefab building technology branches out from high-end luxury dwellings to affordable housing applications.
Often, when developing and perfecting a new technology, you must have other experimenters, other risk-takers, buy into your vision. Such was the case with EcoSteel, which works with iconoclastic architects whose clients are clearly after sustainability as well as beauty.
Based in Laguna Niguel, California, EcoSteel’s building system was used in a six-level, 9,570-square-foot home in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco that was listed last autumn for $25 million. Indeed, EcoSteel found other architects and designers that understood the vision of making prefab structural steel frames and insulated roof and wall panels both gorgeous and functional.
Now Phase II of the experimentation is coming to fruition. EcoSteel is focusing on another goal: to create affordable housing in regions where it is rare, like California.
Let’s first review the system and its benefits. EcoSteel’s construction process begins with 3D engineering/modeling and shop details. It then produces a prefabricated kit of parts that is assembled on the building site. Architects and their clients benefit financially by using prefab technology and readily available materials and labor.
Highlighted in NorthBay Biz Bonus Issue “Game Changers”
“Ecosteel is committed to making this planet a better place for future generations”
Ecosteel was highlighted as a “game changer” in NorthBay Biz.
EcoSteel Featured in Northbay Biz Magazine
Another alternative to wood is steel, though its use in residential construction in the North Bay is not yet widespread. Wellington Cellars in Glen Ellen, which produces small-lot, handcrafted wines, used steel for its new building. “We’re seeing more steel construction,” says Joss Hudson, president and founder of EcoSteel, which is based in Laguna Niguel, Calif. and has an office in Santa Rosa. According to Hudson, the use of steel in construction is a slow process because it requires specialized knowledge. Local steel unions and the American Institute of Steel Construction provide training, and as more workers acquire the necessary skills, the use of steel as a construction material for houses is likely to increase.
EcoSteel is a Type 1 construction material, so it has high resistance to fire, up to a point. It will buckle in the ultra-high, sustained temperatures like those the Tubbs Fire produced; however, it’s not combustible, so it doesn’t provide the fuel that allows fire to travel. Among its other advantages, it doesn’t sustain water damage or rot like wood, and it doesn’t attract termites. In addition, much of the steel for construction is recycled, and EcoSteel uses an insulated panel system for walls and roofs, so it’s energy-efficient.
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