6. Conclusion

In France, steel is less widely used than traditional techniques, as designers are often too reluctant to prescribe it. Against this backdrop, pre-painted steel has made a remarkable breakthrough in France and Europe.

Steel has been used for non-industrial building envelopes for some twenty years now, and is an excellent alternative to other materials such as aluminum, plastics and Fibrocement.

Spectacular progress in coatings (galvanizing and paints) means that we can now offer guaranteed durability and a wide range of appearance qualities (embossed, metallic, pearlescent, anti-graffiti coatings, etc.).

In the space of just a few years, pre-painted steel has become a recurrent material in architectural design. The share of these products in building budgets is now often greater than that of primary metal-frame structures....