Before initiating any Georgia building project, contractors and builders must apply for permits and ensure their plans meet all Georgia codes and new building standards. It’s a lot of paperwork—but it’s worth it.
Why?
Georgia is home to a wide array of natural disasters. The intense conditions that occur during these events will affect Georgia buildings. The safety of all building occupants and Georgia community members must ensure that buildings can stand the test of time—no matter what the future has in store.
Contractors and builders receive years of training to keep building projects safe. So, what are they looking for to ensure safety? What tests must a GA building pass to be considered safe?
The Protocols Contractors and Builders Follow
Aside from simply making sure that buildings are up to code, good GA contractors will consider the following building characteristics and factors before finalizing a structure and deeming it safe:
Strength and Stiffness
To design and build a genuinely weather-resistant structure, it’s crucial to pay attention to the lateral and vertical stiffness of a building and its strength. During a storm, a structure will receive a lot of force from the sides and from the earth itself (e.g., during earthquakes). A building prepared to take on these directional forces will remain stable in the face of intense storms.
Regularity
A building’s regularity refers to how the structure moves when pushed in various directions. You’ll want to see that the building moves equally so that any forces don’t cause it to move in a way that might shift the main load off-center.
Redundancy
Is just one safety strategy enough when you’re designing a steel building? Not a chance. A building’s redundancy refers to having multiple ways to correct for expected forces—or extra fail-safes to provide security if one safety strategy does not work. This might increase the building’s cost up-front but will add to its longevity and resilience.
Foundation
It doesn’t matter how stiff, strong, or redundant a building is if it isn’t reliably tethered to the ground. During the design process, one of the first considerations your contractors will have is the stability of the foundations. A stable, strong foundation will ensure a building’s long-term survivability through earthquakes, hurricane-level storms, tornadoes, and more.
To add extra security to buildings in specific locations, contractors can consider elevating them to avoid flooding or anchoring them to solid rock (especially if they are coastal). In addition, any building should have an easily accessible storm shelter or basement, regardless of its overall safety.
In any event, steel buildings are very strong. Steel is a weather-resistant, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant material. It’s also versatile and can function well in various building applications. Your Georgia contractors will know precisely what to focus on to strengthen your steel building. In the meantime, rest assured that when choosing steel, you’ve already taken great strides to ensure your GA structure will be as safe as possible.
Trust GA Steel Building Contractors to Test Your Building for Safety
When you’re building a steel structure, you need to ensure that your building is as safe as it possibly can be. This is much too important to leave up to chance—or leave in the hands of amateurs.
Instead, contact professionals to ensure the job gets done well. We’re ready to help you design your structure with strength, stiffness, and load path in mind at Peak Steel Contractors. We can also handle construction and more! Check out our past projects and contact us for more information.