Are there green benefits to framing with steel as opposed to wood?
Although using wood wisely for framing is the preferred method in green building, for our home we chose steel because of its strength and span. There are also a number of green advantages to building homes with steel frames, including eliminating a number of toxicity problems for the occupants. Termites are a huge issue in California construction and present health issues. Pest control can be quite toxic. Luckily, termites don’t eat steel so steel doesn’t require any chemical treatment at all to prevent against termites or any other wood-destroying insects. So that’s just one more chemical we can eliminate from the environment, not just the indoor environment, but the environment for the workers and the framing crews and the people who have their hands on these products every day. While preventing termite infestation and the toxic fumigation needed to eradicate them, steel-frame homes have another advantage: They’re not going to be a breeding ground for mold.
