Steel-Framed "Cajun Cottage" and "Steel Central" to be Featured at New Orleans' Housing Solutions Summit

Steel-framed homes will be in the spotlight at the New Orleans' Housing Solutions Summit today and tomorrow with the display of the 400-square-foot "Cajun Cottage" in the center of the exhibit floor at The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Constructed by the Steel Framing Alliance (SFA), a national industry association of steel framing builders, manufacturers, designers and suppliers, the cottage also anchors an area dubbed "Steel Central" where 14 steel framing companies will be concentrated, ranging from builders to suppliers of framing materials.

The Housing Solutions Summit, hosted by the City of New Orleans, the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans, The State of Louisiana, and Entergy, is being held on September 29 and 30 and is intended to provide homeowners, renters, leasing agents, contractors, businesses and investors with first-hand information about building technologies and resources that are available to them. Co-sponsors include the U.S. Department of Energy and American Institute of Architects, New Orleans. Admission to the summit is free and open to the public.

"We are excited to be able to officially introduce steel framing to New Orleans because we believe that it is an important solution to some of the challenges of rebuilding strong, durable homes in the Gulf Coast region," says Larry Williams, President of the Steel Framing Alliance. He notes that although steel framing has not been commonly used in Louisiana over the past 10 years, nearly 500,000 homes have been built with steel framing in the U.S., including 70 percent of the homes in Hawaii where issues like termites and mold have had a major impact on the homebuilding industry.

"In addition to the fact that steel framing cannot be eaten by termites and will not provide food for mold, steel won't burn, warp, crack, or split, giving homeowners straight, square walls without unsightly nail pops," Williams adds. "Better yet, steel framing can be designed to withstand hurricane-force winds and is protected from corrosion by a galvanized coating that can last hundreds of years.

"We're excited by this opportunity to show the many benefits of steel framing, and I believe that the exhibitors in 'Steel Central' will demonstrate that steel framing is an affordable and accessible option homeowners should consider," says Williams.

In addition to exhibiting, SFA will be presenting a 30-minute educational session on Saturday,
September 30, at 1 p.m. to provide homeowners with the basics they'll need when thinking about steel framing and to give builders some basic tips on steel framing as a business.

The Steel Framing Alliance and its 1,400 member companies are leading the development of steel framing as an efficient and cost-competitive alternative to traditional framing materials by providing builders and designers with information and resources they need.

SFA, along with 12 steel companies and the Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA), American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), and Steel Recycling Institute (SRI), is supporting the Gulf Coast Steel Initiative (GCSI). GCSI's collective efforts to help reshape future construction in the region include training code officials on steel framing and roofing best practices, working with the insurance industry to implement Builders Risk and homeowner insurance discounts, and promoting building codes that define state-of-the-art practices for hurricane-prone areas with state and federal legislators. The steel industry is also updating its national recycling database in the Gulf Coast region to list sites where consumers and businesses can bring their steel products for recycling.

For more information on the Housing Solutions Summit, go to www.hssno.com. To find out more about steel framing and the Steel Framing Alliance, go to www.steelframing.org; and for the Gulf Coast Steel Initiative, visit www.steel.org.

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