What is a Steel Portal Framed Building?

What is a steel portal framed building you may ask?  In simple terms, they are low-rise structures consisting of rafters and columns.   These common structures are widely used in the UK.  It is estimated that 50% of constructional steel used is in erecting steel portal framed buildings.

What is a steel portal framed building

Steel Portal Frame Building

Steel portal framed buildings

As mentioned above these structure consist of columns and rafters.  These are then connected to moment-resisting connections for super strength.  As a result, they are constructed bay by bay which make them very fast to erect on site.  They were first developed in the 1960s, and have now become the most common form of construction.  

Portal frame construction is therefore typically seen in warehousesbarns and other places where large, open spaces are required at low cost and a pitched roof is acceptable.

 

Why is using steel framed portal buildings a popular choice?

Due to the design, this type of building is highly resistant to lateral and vertical movement.  The frame is a very rigid structure making them very strong and stable.  And lastly,  Portal frames are very simple to erect and can be constructed very quickly. 

Two types of roof can be chosen for the portal framed buildings:-

  • Pitched roof symmetric – A pitched roof is a roof that slopes downwards, typically in two parts at an angle from a central ridge.   The ‘pitch’ of a roof is its vertical rise divided by its horizontal span and is a measure of its steepness.
  • A mono-pitched roof –  can be a smaller addition to an existing roof or a stand alone structure with an angled slope.

Portal framed buildings can be clad with all sorts of material but the most popular solution, is insulated or insulated metal cladding.  The lightweight cladding would be carried on sheeting rails spanning between the columns of the portal frames.

Let Sharp and Strong Ltd find the portal frame building for you.   We are experts at constructing the best portal framed buildings for you. Our professional design, planning and installation service will guide you