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Duane Ellifritt, a renowned engineer, college professor and artist, and the first Director of Research and Engineering for the Metal Building Manufacturers Association, passed away January 22, 2018. Just a few days earlier, MBMA’s current Director of Research and Engineering, Lee Shoemaker, PE, Ph.D., was invited to the Ellifritt home in Gainesville, FL, where he interviewed Dr. Ellifritt about his life with MBMA, his teaching career and his love of art.

Normally, at this time of year, we have already forgotten all about winter and things like snow and ice. This year, however, is a little different. Our calendars say that spring is here, but winter has been clinging to relevance with all its might. If you are a home or building owner, this is the perfect time of year for you to begin thinking about – and researching – snow retention

What do you do when you decide to put a pool where you originally planned to install a solar power system and the roof won’t work? You get TRA Snow and Sun to help you think outside the box and create an innovative concept. That’s what contractors of a Bourne, Massachusetts home did when they encountered this issue on the project being constructed in a beautiful wooded area with a steep hillside at the back of the property.

Customer service is a hallmark of Showmotion, a mobile marketing company based in Denver, CO. The same can be said of Schweiss Doors, one of the world’s premier manufacturers of bifold, hydraulic and designer doors, many of which are custom designed. Schweiss recently supplied a hydraulic door for a custom trailer Showmotion was constructing for an oversees aircraft corporation. It was not only the door application that challenged Schweiss, it was the time frame. They needed the 28’ x 7’-11” hydraulic-actuated door—manufactured and installed—in just eight days!

The sleek, modern facing on the FL40 “flat” insulated metal wall panels (IMPs) from All Weather Insulated Panels often catches the attention of architects, designers and building owners. Adding to their appeal, says Bill Lowery, president of AWIP, are design features such as porthole windows and curved walls, and just about anything else. If it's possible with an insulated metal panel, it can be done with an All-Weather panel.

There is a lot of fuss being made about the use of drones in all sorts of applications and roofing is no exception. However, we should keep it in perspective. Drones certainly help capturing an image of a roof so that smart software tools can be used to scale and extract measurements, but the tools for scaling and extracting measurements have been around for decades.

Multiple environmental considerations must be taken into account when designing metal architectural systems, including curtain walls, panels, commercial windows, sunscreens and louvers. Fortunately, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and its associated tools are helping architecture/engineering/construction professionals address these considerations.

“We’re blessed.” John Williams, President at Sterling Merchandising in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, was able to utter those two words after Hurricane Maria ripped through the island in September 2017. The Sterling Merchandising facility, constructed with insulated metal panels from Metl-Span, survived the category 4 hurricane with no leaks and minimal damage.

Occasionally, customers suggest that Schweiss hydraulic and bifold doors may be more heavy duty than they need to be. You won’t hear that from pilots who house their airplanes in hangars at the Aransas County Airport in Rockport, Texas.

In the beginning, we only had rocks and logs to help keep snow and ice from avalanching off our roofs. These were crude but effective means of minimizing injury and damage from snow slides. With the advancements in adhesives and fasteners, we now have various methods of snow retention attachment.

The Metal Roofing Association (MRA) recently released the results of its research into the use of metal in residential roofing and the changes during the past decade or so. They found that the percentage of residential properties specifying metal roofing has increased from 3% to 14% in that time. Spurred on by these results they have set an ambitious target of 20% market share by 2020.

Sparkling lights flash 24 hours a day, coaxing gamblers in for a night-cap and maybe even one more round of craps on their way back to the hotel. The metropolis shines just as bright in the late hours of the night as it does under the unforgiving Nevada sun. Visualizing the legendary Las Vegas Strip is not a difficult task, even for those who have never visited.

With its nearly endless color and texture possibilities, eco-friendliness and durability, prepainted metal’s popularity is on the rise when compared to other materials. With the technological demands of modern fabrication techniques, manufacturers may wonder if this new trend of greater use of prepainted metal can handle the rigorous processes of manufacturing, such as embossing and rollforming, while maintaining adherence to government regulations.

The green building movement has witnessed an overall shift in architecture in which locally sourced and responsibly manufactured building products are used. Today, the green building movement is focused on resource conservation and reducing the amount of toxic substances that are commonly found in building materials in hopes of creating healthier, more efficient building environments.

Are you ready to handle the coming metal construction boom or are you still ‘dancing in the dark’? With the statistics for the U.S. construction industry looking as good as they do now, is your business ready to tackle the inflow of work?

Feelings of hope and excitement swept over the world as we welcomed 2017 – a new year means a new start and provides the opportunity to reflect on past experiences. We evaluate ourselves through the ups and downs, set goals for the future, reminisce about the good times and learn from the bad. It’s refreshing to have a clean slate. There are endless possibilities, and the uncertainty of what is waiting ahead sparks excitement.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew swept over Florida and caused more than $16 billion in total insured damages. Consequently, over the ensuing two decades the state of Florida has legislated stringent building codes to withstand potential storm damage.

The last thing a customer wants to hear is “No.” Customers are looking for solutions. Being told something can’t be done does not instill much confidence in these so-called experts. Schweiss Doors, on the other hand, has been finding ways to say “Yes!” to customers for almost four decades. The Minnesota manufacturer of hydraulic and bifold liftstrap doors produces custom doors for hangars, commercial buildings, agricultural buildings and residential applications.

It’s no secret that a new metal roof is a big investment. Hard earned dollars are devoted to designing and constructing a commercial building with a roof that is not only durable and high-performing, but also stands the test of time. Of course, issues can arise over the lifetime of a metal roof, and relying on a warranty can come in handy in protecting that investment. However, not all warranties are created equal.

Whether we live in a big city or far out in the countryside, most of us spend our professional lives outside of the home. From skyscrapers and industrial complexes to big box stores and suburban strip malls, a large segment of the employed public works in buildings designed specifically to accommodate office space and commercial enterprises. And one of the growing features of these facilities is the use of exterior metal paneling.