MBMA Releases 2020 Annual Report For Building Design And Construction Professionals

Cleveland, OH - The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) has released its 2020 Annual Report entitled "Inspired Designs Coast to Coast". This resource notes the challenges that MBMA has faced this year and emphasizes how the association and its members have met them. It also celebrates many intriguing and appealing metal buildings from a range of end uses across North America.

The report provides valuable information for anyone who works with metal building systems, has an interest in metal buildings or is involved in the low-rise commercial building market. It is available for free download at the MBMA blog, blog.mbma.com.

“2020 has been an unprecedented year for the association and the world at large,” said Steve Browning, MBMA chairman. “We’ve had to face challenges that no one could have foreseen, and we’ve met these head on. We moved meetings online, expanded our collaborative work and even saw several major industry mergers. Through it all, we persisted in producing the important and valuable work of the Metal Building Manufacturers Association.”

The 2020 MBMA annual report is full of information on metal buildings and describes the work undertaken by MBMA throughout the year. Its contents include:

• Management perspective and a message from Chair Steve Browning

• An architect’s perspective, noting that metal building systems are more than utilitarian and how they inspire architects to innovate

• A report from the new Architect Committee, which was established early in the year, and describes its outreach initiatives to influence architects and designers

• Information on efforts to promote accreditation for both metal building manufacturers (AC472) and metal building erectors (AC478)

• Educational outreach, highlighting activities to engage future engineers and architects with the preliminary development of a design competition for students and their faculty representatives

• Efforts to enhance current energy codes and educate members, builders, architects and specifiers on best practices and how to apply them

• Sustainability resources for the entire design and construction community, including work on updated environmental product (EPD) reports

• Publication of several new case studies, including Commercial Communities and Warehouses & Storage, and new videos such as “Build Forward” and the upcoming “How It’s Built”

• Fire protection and insurance work to ensure safe, code-compliant and insurable metal buildings, including studying the impact of hail on metal roofing

• Promoting safety in the workplace and meeting the unexpected challenges of the pandemic through online meetings, documenting best practices and advice from outside experts, including MBMA’s legal counsel

• Industry-leading research and technical initiatives such as work on the AISC Design Guide 25: “Frame Design Using Web-Tapered Members” and research on minimum design loads that provides valuable input into the upcoming ASCE 7 standard.

“MBMA has seen a lot of changes in the years since its founding in 1956,” noted Tony Bouquot, MBMA general manager, “and this year has been unique, to say the least. Our annual report highlights the association’s leadership through these unusual times. We’ve continued to carry on our work—from gathering and disseminating information about the unprecedented challenges to workplace safety. We’re continuing important technical research, emphasizing code compliance and communicating industrywide educational efforts. This year’s report also showcases the many attractive qualities of metal buildings as we engage with the expansive architectural community through our new Architect Committee.”

MBMA’s membership includes 45 Building Systems members and 64 Associate members. Member companies account for over 28,000 building projects each year, comprising a substantial share of the total low-rise construction market in the United States.

MBMA provides engineering leadership throughout North America, working with major universities and engineering schools, as well as with code officials and other organizations. MBMA’s completed and ongoing research improves the performance, efficiency and quality of metal building systems and impacts the entire building industry.

About The Metal Building Manufacturers Association

Founded in 1956, MBMA serves manufacturers and suppliers as it works to promote the metal building systems industry. Its membership supplies high-quality buildings for use in commercial, retail, office, industrial, institutional and other end-uses. The association provides a wealth of information on its website for anyone who works with or is interested in metal building systems. It includes technical materials and design guides. For more information, visit www.mbma.com.