Steelmakers also must encourage the development of improved fastener systems that lower construction costs. That will allow buildings to be used for a variety of applications over a longer life cycle and make components that are easier to reuse or recycle if a building is torn down. The steel industry has a strong position in the office and industrial markets but is weak in the residential-building market, de Vries said. Steelmakers must focus on renovations and additions, because they account for almost 40 percent of the construction market, he said. Steel's lighter weight makes it especially useful in adding an upper level onto an existing apartment building.
Builders can attach steel framing to ground-level structures to expand buildings outward.
Two-thirds of the buildings that will be used in 2030 are already there. Crawford asked conference attendees. We all know what the right answer to that is. But the general public might not. Much of the public envisions trees as a natural, replenishable resource and steel production as detrimental to the environment, said Mark Stephenson, executive director of the Steel Alliance.