We made a mistake. Flashback to June 2024 in Washington D.C., where the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) exhibited at the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) national conference for the very first time. Our presence at AIA24 was meticulously planned by the members of the MBMA Architect Committee. We selected a larger 3- x 6-m (10- x 20-ft) booth space. We designed a flashy new backlit display. We developed a “magic book” containing every MBMA resource we thought might be of value to architects. We selected booth furnishings, attendee giveaways, and even passed out MBMA-logoed vests for our members who served as booth staff.
For the 6- x 2-m (20- x 8-ft) display, we decided to headline it with a simple question: “Can you spot the metal building?” Committee members pored through the extensive MBMA photo library to find examples that demonstrate the versatility and variety of metal buildings. We included a map showing the locations of MBMA member plants and images of entries from our student design competition. The display looked fantastic!
Once the show started, the display functioned perfectly. The images were eye-catching, and the challenge of spotting the metal building was a great conversation starter, allowing our booth staff to engage in lively conversations with attendees. The display also drew people into the booth space so they could take a closer look at the collage of attractive structures to see if they could spot the metal building. Of course, it was a trick question because all the buildings on the display were metal buildings that were manufactured by MBMA member companies. Show attendees were amazed by the breadth and variety of buildings.
It was during one of these conversations that I realized our mistake. A young architect from Austin, Tex. couldn’t decide which one was the metal building, so I hit her with the big reveal, to which she responded, “Cool! But what makes these metal buildings?” I explained that it’s the tapered steel primary frames coupled with cold-formed secondary framing that make up the bones of a metal building system. But my words came up short—one thousand times short, in fact—because as the old adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. We were so keen on creating a display of beautiful, finished metal buildings that we neglected to include any images showing the bones of a metal building system.
So, for my friend from Austin—and all the other visitors to our AIA24 booth—here are the photos I wish we’d included in our display. They’re a before and after of a physical therapy office in Avon, Ohio.
What makes the beautiful, finished medical office building on the right a metal building is the precision-engineered steel framing system on the left. The tapered rafters and columns were designed and manufactured to optimize the use of steel. Framing members are deepest where the loads are highest and shallower where they’re not. The end result is an efficient, cost-effective, environmentally friendly building structure that can be clad with virtually any finish material.
For this building, the architects selected a mix of metal wall panels, glass storefront, and stone veneer. They could just as easily have clad the building with insulated metal panels, brick, masonry, or exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS). And that was the point of our AIA24 display: you can’t judge a building by its cover.
Despite this mistake, MBMA’s experience at AIA24 was an overwhelming success! We engaged with thousands of attendees. We followed up with hundreds of inquiries for additional information on the many programs and resources available from MBMA. Most importantly, we furthered our goal of being the authority to the design and construction community on all aspects of metal buildings. We’ll definitely be back for AIA25 in Boston!
If you missed us in Washington D.C., this special section on metal building systems is a great place to start learning about MBMA’s resources and programs. Check out our latest AIA learning unit courses, or marvel at the amazing entries in our architectural student design competition. If you don’t see what you’re looking for here, go to mbma.com for access to our full library of design resources, or email us at mbma@mbma.com.
Tony Bouquot is the general manager of the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA). He is also the onscreen talent for the popular Travels with Tony YouTube series and speaks regularly at conferences and conventions throughout the U.S.