When you go to a big city like Ortigas, Alabang, Makati, BGC, or even New York, the second thing you’ll notice, after the hustle and the bustle of the crowd, are the huge buildings towering over the place like giants who will devour you at any time. Of course, that’s a given because these places are business areas. These buildings houses the busy swarm of people walking, for the next 8 hours. In these 8 hours, business happens. Have you ever had the thought that what if these buildings suddenly collapse while you’re there? Not even because of an earthquake. It just collapsed on its own. Just like a scene in a movie, right? Although, no, we don’t want that to happen. We don’t want to witness something like that firsthand. In reality, buildings don’t just crumble down. We have engineers to make sure that the materials used are sturdy. And professionals inspect these buildings from time to time, to check whether repairs should be made. One of the most common materials used in the construction of a building is steel. Steel is a variation of metal, an alloy of iron and other elements of which is mostly carbon. Steel has been used for a long time now, in construction of roads, railways and other frameworks. Want to know why?

1. Steel is cheap.

With the cost that construction incurs, it is obvious that one will go for a cheaper product, unless quality is compromised. The use of steel is cost effective, you don’t have to go looking for something more expensive.

2. Steel is durable.

Steel is resistant to a lot of elements, like fire, pests, and corrosion. It will stand the test of time. Not much costs for repair too. That’s one great quality every engineer, architect or contractor is looking for.

3. Steel is environment-friendly.

Steel can be recycled, at its expiry. And it produces very little raw waste. As climate change today is such a big deal, the use of steel does not greatly effect this phenomena.

4. Steel is easy to fabricate.

Easy to cut, easy to weld, easy to form, steel is readily available for modification, and repairs.

5. Steel is not biodegradable.

It won’t rot to death, split in two, or crack. Now that’s something.   Most of the buildings in existence today are using steel, because of the ton of advantages it provides. One doesn’t have to break a sweat in analyzing why steel would be an appropriate choice for most infrastructures. So now, there’s no reason for us to think that buildings would collapse right before our very eyes. Superman was called Man of Steel for a reason and that reason is apparent. Steel is indeed resilient and strong. Tenacious, even.