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Peak 2 Peak Gondola building at Whistler Blackcomb, B.C. Krasnoyarsk Soccer Arena, Russia. + Complexe 2 Glaces HONCO, Lévis, QC. BEHLEN's robotic welding system in action. A PR IL 2016 | 45 Steel Building Systems PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY BEHLEN INDUSTRIES LP; HONCO STEEL BUILDINGS S teel buildings and related systems are more intensely sought after than ever, and increasingly attractive prices are due to manufacturers who, unable to change the base price of the metal, bring cost advantages to customers by streamlining production efficiencies. One result of these efforts, according to BEHLEN, is that a structural steel framing system including decking and fire pro- tection will typically cost five to seven per cent less than a concrete framing system. As Canada's largest manufacturer of steel building solutions, BEHLEN has always sought to improve efficiencies, and recently it unveiled a one-of-a-kind technology: a combination of software, robotics and processes that enables robotic welding in custom applications. "Robotic welding is typically a high-volume, low-variable type of process, but since almost all of our production is custom-designed, we needed to find a way to make our robotic welding cell be used for high-variable, low-volume work," says Pat Versavel, VP, engineering and innovation. BEHLEN is the first pre-engineered steel building manufacturing plant in North America to employ this technology, which includes the creation of a highly-detailed 3D model of a building project; a robotic simulation program linked to a robotic arm that produces a visual simulation of the required welds; and the welding process itself, an extremely versatile metal-cored arc technique. Thanks to this technology, BEHLEN has been able to increase its plant productiv- ity and is planning to add more robots in the near future. Presumably, the robots will allow the company to surpass recent achievements, such as providing the largest convex-style frameless steel building in the world: a soccer stadium in Krasnoyarsk, Russia with a 313-foot-wide clearspan (the entire structure is 313' wide, 75' tall and 400' long). BEHLEN eliminated the need for structural steel by using an engineered panel system, and the convex-style roof design helped provide the necessary rigid- ity while saving construction time, labour and materials. In a similar vein, HONCO Steel Buildings takes pride in optimizing every aspect of project understanding and execution, frequently marshalling the resources of the six companies under the HONCO umbrella (including Sturo Metal and Garex Garage Doors). HONCO pre-engineered steel buildings serve as arenas, community centres, gymnasiums, factories, warehouses, hangars and storage facilities in communi- ties across Canada, in the U.S., Africa, Asia, Europe and in the Caribbean. Typical of the company's proficiency in handling all phases of a large-scale project is its recent work on Complexe 2 Glaces HONCO, a $15-million sports complex totalling 8,740 square metres and containing two NHL-sized rinks. HONCO was entirely responsible for the turnkey project for the City of Levis in Quebec, and it followed a mandate to design the facility for the comfort and vis- ibility of spectators. All materials were carefully chosen for their esthetic appeal, durability and ease of maintenance, and to maximize energy efficiency the building was outfitted with a carbon dioxide refrigeration system as well as a heat recovery system; virtually all of the mechanical systems are controlled from the manager's computer. "It really is a model for arena construction and already very popular with visitors, 500,000 of which pass through the doors annually," says Genevieve Filteau, HONCO's marketing co-ordinator. Wes Brooker, VP of marketing for American Buildings Company (a Nucor com- pany), echoes the sentiments of his colleagues when he says that metal building systems are "the poster child" for sustainability, and he points out that a typical American Buildings Company building is manufactured from at least 70 per cent Myth Busters Understanding the sustainable potential of steel building systems by ROBIN BRUNET recycled steel. "Considering less than five per cent scrap is generated in the man- ufacture of a typical metal building and that there is little or no scrap in the erec- tion process, this is one of the most sustainably friendly building systems available anywhere," he says. In addition, American Buildings Company was the first metal building manufac- turer in North America to switch to 100 per cent "cool" paint systems as standard, with no up charge, for all roof and wall panels; these coatings, originally developed for U.S. military stealth aircraft, help generate lower environmental temperatures, reducing smog and the heat island effect.

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