Steel Market Development Institute Announces Launch of New Website Dedicated to Using Steel for Building Construction

WASHINGTON, DC – The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), has launched a new website that focuses on using steel for building construction. The new site, located at www.buildusingsteel.org, provides information for engineers, architects, owners, building contractors, code officials and other construction professionals; allows easy access to design resources; directs users to additional steel construction associations with information on cold-formed steel framing, structural steel framing, steel deck, steel joists, metal building systems, and metal roof and wall systems; and provides a tool for users to contact cold-formed steel framing professionals with individual project questions.

“The new website evolved in response to requests from users of www.smdisteel.org for general and technical information focused on building construction,” says Robert J. Wills, P.E., vice president, Construction Market Development, SMDI. “We also wanted to provide a platform where building professionals could quickly find technical information on a variety of steel construction products from our partner associations.” Wills said that information for other SMDI construction programs such as steel bridges, utility poles and pipe/tank markets is still located at www.smdisteel.org.

The new website, www.buildusingsteel.org, includes these categories:

About Our Program – Includes information on proposals and positions to advance the steel industry in the construction marketplace under the principles of fairness, transparency and performance; introduces AISI staff and steel construction partners; and provides updated industry news.

Why Choose Steel – Explores key benefits of steel including durability, strength/resilience, fire safety, product transparency, sustainability, energy efficiency, economic value, and adaptability and reuse.

Build Using Steel – Provides quick access to information related to cold-formed steel framing, structural steel framing, metal building systems, steel joists, steel deck, and metal roof and wall systems. It also provides links to the steel associations representing these products and their design guides/manuals/aids, research, webinar /seminar schedules and case studies.

AISI Design Resources – The library of AISI design resources is included here, with information on design guides/manuals/aids and standards, errata, research reports, papers and articles and a publications archive. The Ask an Expert section is included for users to receive personalized responses to their cold-formed steel framing project inquiries.

Contact Us – Provides access to the Ask an Expert section.

Links to the AISI Steel Store, a steel construction industry calendar, and tweets from the SMDI Twitter account @buildusingsteel are also included. For more information, visit www.buildusingsteel.org.

Featured

  • Designing School Spaces for A++ Performance

    In recent years, the educational world has gained greater appreciation for the ways a space’s aesthetics, just like its acoustics, can positively impact educational outcomes. Consequently, engineering, designing, and constructing a school environment demands acoustics to be equally an art and a science, requiring architects and designers to see with their ears, while acousticians must hear with their eyes.

  • S4L Launches 2025 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched its 2025 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which gathers information on K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide from the previous year. The data we get from you, our readers, forms an industry report offering an overview of current trends in school facilities.

  • Florida Elementary School to Undergo $47M Reconstruction

    The School District of Osceola County in Kissimmee, Fla., recently announced a partnership with construction firm Skanska to reconstruct Reedy Creek Elementary School, according to a news release. The $47-million project will involve the new construction of a 96,000-square-foot academic center, renovating the remaining facilities, a full-site redevelopment, and demolishing portions of the existing school.

  • Texas District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Splendora Independent School District (SISD) in Splendora, Texas, recently broke ground on a replacement facility for Greenleaf Elementary School, according to a news release. The district partnered with planning, engineering and program management firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) for the project.

Digital Edition