History of Steel Framed Houses

Although the use of steel framing for making residential structures is quite new in New Zealand, it has been popular in other countries for many years. From the 1950s, Japan has used steel frames successfully for constructing houses. Moreover, the metal has also been used to erect commercial and office establishments all over the world for more than six decades now.

Immediately after World War II, the people of Japan had to face large-scale housing crisis which necessitated the construction of around four million houses in the least amount of time possible. Before 1940, most domestic and commercial buildings in Japan were made using wood, but everything was lost to the war. Also, there was not enough wood available to rebuild the destroyed homes and it would have required constant timber growth for about 150 years to meet with the housing needs. So, in order to resolve the situation, the Japanese people turned to steel for constructing homes, which gave birth to the market of steel housing.

The steel industry of Japan developed and produced light-gauge components that were in the shape as well as size of the conventional lumber. These were efficiently used in the construction frames of the new residences. The designs gained popularity very quickly and the concept started spreading to various other regions of the world. United Kingdom was among the first who embraced the idea, and now there are several building companies in the country that use steel for constructing two-storey homes and flats. In Australia and the United States, the concept came like a blessing for the housing industry, where most project managers and general contractors now prefer the remarkable metal for residential developments and often use the same design for a number of projects. Builders in Scandinavia produce affordable apartment by incorporating steel among the other popular building materials, which also include gypsum board and mineral wool.

In New Zealand, steel was commonly employed as a construction material for office buildings and commercial establishments before builders started using it for residential structures as well. In the modern times, a considerable percentage of affordable homes in New Zealand are made from steel. These houses are far more energy efficient, termite proof, invulnerable to fires, strong and have no or very less negative effect on the environment. Besides, the metal is 100 per cent recyclable which means less generation of waste.