Promoting steel buildings

Bangladeshis are globally known for their boundless energy and innovations. Could anybody realise decades ago that there would be a class of entrepreneurs right here in the country venturing to build homes only on steel without using bricks, sands, cement and other construction materials? They have already fetched US$10 million by exporting 15 such buildings abroad so far.
Could anybody comprehend beforehand that Bangladeshis would one day export ships abroad after building those at home? The country was known only for scrapping foreign ships. But building of ships also in Bangladesh is now a stark reality today.
The innovative entrepreneurs have seized many advantages steel buildings offer over traditional reinforced concrete with lower costs, sustainability and flexibility being among the many benefits of choosing steel framed buildings over the alternatives.
According to the Steel Building Manufacturers Association of Bangladesh (SBMAB), steel construction utilising a prefabricated structural steel frame can reduce overall building costs greatly when compared to reinforced concrete.
According to architects, steel buildings are strong and durable and they also have environmental benefits that most people would never even consider.
Steel is in fact one of the most recycled substances in the world. The same piece of steel can continue on forever. This is because when steel is recycled, it is melted down and then made into a different steel product. However, unlike other products that are recycled, steel doesn't lose any of its strength in the recycling process.
In areas where there is extreme weather or earthquakes, a steel building will often still be standing when a traditionally built structure would crumble. Less destruction equals less need for waste management in the affected area, which will help, even if it's just a little.
Cool coating in such buildings is beneficial to the environment. These coatings are added to the exterior of steel buildings resulting in several environmental benefits. With traditionally built buildings, heat is stored in the roof surface as the sun beats down on it all day. At night, that heat is radiated back up into the air.
In densely-populated areas as in Bangladesh, all that heat going back up into the air at night means that the night temperatures can't get as low as they normally would. This contributes to global warming, and is reduced with steel buildings because the heat is reflected back up during the day.
A few Bangladeshi entrepreneurs have set their sights on rapid growth of steel buildings in the country. In fact, steel buildings are now gradually becoming popular in the country as 10,000 such buildings have so far been constructed. The number of manufacturers today stand at 70 and they have invested Tk 20 billion so far. And nearly 2,000 engineers are at present working in the manufacturing units.
Bangladesh's readymade garment manufacturers, facing an international outcry over collapse of the Rana Plaza and other shaky factory buildings, can go for steel buildings as a bulwark against future collapses and other hazards as such building technology and materials are readily available in the country. Huge amounts of foreign currencies could be saved by avoiding costly imports.
The ever-expanding steel building sector needs support from the government as it has not only the potential to ensure a hazard-free housing in the country but also earns a sizeable amount of foreign exchange by exporting components of such buildings abroad. The skills of Bangladeshi engineers in this field have earned reputation globally.
As the government is a facilitator of business, it can help the newly emerging sector face tough foreign competition by giving it supports including tax incentives for import of raw materials as readymade garments sector is allowed at least for ten years. It is expected that this sector will receive due attention in the coming 2015-16 national budget.   

The writer is a third-year student of Eastern University who recently attended an international workshop on building materials in Dhaka.  ddami666@gmail.com