Sustainability and Green Building

Construction project designers are increasingly concerned with the impact of their work on energy and the environment, especially as certain aspects of construction and building envelope design are becoming mandated by government codes, such as the California Title 24 Energy Code. In addition, change is being promoted through voluntary green building guidelines, like LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), as promulgated by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This emphasis on sustainable building design presents growth opportunities for steel construction products.

SMDI and its partners in the steel construction industry are providing instruction for builders on the environmental benefits of framing with steel and cool metal roofing at venues such as the USGBC Greenbuild Conference and Exposition.

Building a Sustainable Future

SMDI's Board of Directors has long identified environmental stewardship and commitment to sustainability as part of the industry’s strategic plan and vision for the future. The industry will continue to actively examine strategies to advance that vision and its commitment to global leadership for our sector. Read more about sustainable steel in the booklet "Building a Sustainable Future."

  • To download "Building a Sustainable Future" in PDF form, click here.

Also check out some of the other Green Building resources:

Steel framing has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any building material, and also provides substantial discounts on Builders Risk insurance.

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Did You Know?

For re-roofing projects, metal roofing can often be applied over the original roof, saving removal and disposal costs. Learn more about the benefits of cool metal roofing.