In the May issue, we presented our annual list of top metal builders. (See it here.) The list has evolved over the years; just recently we separated metal contractors from metal erectors so we could represent the industry more clearly.
It’s time to start calling them metal building systems
It’s interesting to look at what hasn’t changed though. When companies send their submissions, we ask for a description of the kind of work they do. General contractor. Design-builder. Erector. Commercial. Retrofit. All of those terms pop up regularly, as does another—pre-engineered metal buildings (PEMB).
Either the term or initialization are the most common ways to describe the companies on this list, but that term is outdated and doesn’t really reflect the true nature of the metal building industry. More properly, we should be calling them metal building systems (MBS). That terminology better reflects the increased sophistication of these types of buildings, which are often custom designed and are no longer just off-the-shelf solutions.
The term “pre-engineered metal building” is outdated and doesn’t really reflect the true nature of the metal building industry. More properly, we should be calling them metal building systems.
Either the term or initialization are the most common ways to describe the companies on this list, but that term is outdated and doesn’t really reflect the true nature of the metal building industry. More properly, we should be calling them metal building systems (MBS). That terminology better reflects the increased sophistication of these types of buildings, which are often custom designed and are no longer just off-the-shelf solutions.
In fact, the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) chose the term “metal building systems” for its MasterFormat, section 13 34 19 because it is considered all-inclusive and can be expanded to include subsets to account for specific conditions.
According to Tony Bouquot, general manager, Metal Building Manufacturers Association, “The MBMA has been calling the product that our members produce metal building systems rather than pre-engineered metal buildings or PEMBs for decades. In 2002, we codified this preference by renaming our signature publication. We changed the name of the ‘Low Rise Building Systems Manual’ to the ‘Metal Building Systems Manual.’”
If you want to point to one thing that establishes the term, “metal building system,” as the proper one to use, point to the International Building Code. “Metal building system” was defined and adopted in the 2024 IBC.
This has been an issue that we have struggled with at Metal Construction News. We aim for clarity, and sometimes we felt that our audience would better understand what we were talking about if we used “pre-engineered metal building” or “PEMB.” Our style, beginning with this issue, will use the term “metal building system” exclusively. If we slip up, call us on it.
It’s time for the industry to recognize that the buildings we’re talking about are no longer kits to be ordered by mail.
To buttress my argument, let me share this anecdote. We participate in a number of design contests and I listen to a lot of architects talk about good design, comparing one building to another. When they talk about metal building systems, the thing that attracts architects is when a metal building is authentic. It doesn’t try to pretend to be something it isn’t. In architects’ terms, the metal building expresses itself. You can see the tapered column, the exposed beams or the other elements that differentiate a metal building.
Simply put, metal buildings are cool. They represent good design. Let’s use a term that reflects that attitude.
