A workshop needs space to work, not just space for equipment. Around the machine there must be room for the operator, the workpiece and service equipment. Material must also be delivered and the finished product collected. That is why planning a steel hall for a workshop is best started from the workstations. The building outline is the result of these arrangements, not an accidental constraint on them. Mark the successive operations on the plan. Receiving material, processing, assembly and setting aside finished components should not block each other's routes. In a small steel hall it is particularly easy to run out of space at the gate. Using this area as permanent storage can mean that every delivery requires moving several things.

Galvanising protects steel, but its durability also depends on service conditions and workmanship. Galvanised profiles can be damaged even before the first sheet is screwed on. It also happens that correctly delivered material ends up in an environment different from the one assumed when the order was placed. Protection should therefore be considered from specification through to acceptance of the building envelope. This applies to Z-sections, C-sections, sigma and omega profiles. The order must specify the type of coating and its designation. The manufacturing technology also matters. Profiling pre-coated strip and galvanising the finished element are different processes. One should not assume that their effect will be identical in every detail.