Steel is a popular material for use in the construction of buildings, it is strong, durable, and widely available. In 2016, over 1,600 million tonnes of steel were produced, mainly for building construction, and this figure has continued to rise year on year.

While steel is used in modern building design, steel construction in fact dates back a couple of centuries. Let?s take a brief look at the history of steel construction and the importance of this material in the present day.
The use of steel in building construction coincides with the beginning of steel being used for other innovations such as railway development. However, in the early 1800s, steel was very expensive in comparison to other metals and so it was reserved for watches and swords, and wrought iron was more popular for building with.
By the middle of the century, English steelworker Sir Henry Bessemer invented a method that made steel production much more efficient and affordable. Bessemer was initially tasked with designing durable canons for the British Navy and found steel to be the best material for the job.
He found a new way to develop steel using oxygen, making it far more affordable to produce, and as a result steel construction soon became possible for people all around the world.
In the United States, steel construction suddenly became a more mainstream option following the devastating Great Chicago Fire of 1871, as timber frames were commonly used at the time thousands of homes were destroyed by...