As an architect, you balance vision with viability. The structure must perform—but it also needs to inspire. At Legacy Building Solutions, we offer a third path that bridges the gap between conventional pre-engineered metal buildings (PEMBs) and traditional construction: custom-engineered hybrid steel structures that elevate both form and function.
If you’re designing for athletic facilities, aviation, municipal, or commercial applications, here’s why our solution belongs in your design toolkit.
What Is a Hybrid Steel Building?
A hybrid building from Legacy combines a rigid solid steel I-beam frame with ExxoTec™ performance fabric cladding. This approach delivers the structural integrity of steel construction with the architectural freedom and aesthetic elegance of tensile fabric.
Unlike tension membrane structures with cable or truss framing, Legacy buildings are fully customizable, code-compliant, and compatible with insulation, HVAC, lighting, and suspended systems—offering true architectural control without compromise.
Design Flexibility That Respects Your Vision
Pre-engineered metal buildings often limit creative expression. Standard spans, rigid modules, and corrugated panels can stifle architectural ambition. Legacy’s hybrid solution removes those barriers.
Architectural Flexibility
Legacy structures offer a range of design options—including gable or arched profiles, custom overhangs, and tailored endwall treatments—to support your vision for both function and visual impact.
Scalable Dimensions
Select from a variety of clear-span widths and interior heights to accommodate the spatial needs of athletic, commercial, or municipal programs—without interior columns disrupting your layout.
Material Integration
Our rigid steel frame system allows seamless integration of various exterior finishes—fabric, metal panels, glass, or masonry accents—to match surrounding architecture or reinforce brand identity.
From sports complexes to campus additions, these structures support your aesthetic goals while providing the freedom to innovate.
Speed Without Sacrificing Quality
In today’s market, faster timelines are a competitive advantage. Our hybrid buildings reduce both design and construction durations:
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Streamlined engineering: Our in-house design and fabrication team works directly from your specs or integrates with your BIM model.
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Offsite fabrication: Steel components and fabric panels are manufactured concurrently, reducing jobsite congestion.
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Rapid install: Fewer components and simplified connections mean faster erection—typically in half the time of PEMBs or traditional builds.
This accelerated schedule gives your clients faster occupancy and reduces the risk of weather delays or cost overruns—without compromising design fidelity.
Interior Experience Matters—And So Does Exterior Impact
Fabric delivers a cleaner, brighter, more spacious feel than conventional materials. That matters for both athletes and end users.
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Natural Daylighting: In uninsulated buildings, our white ExxoTec™ fabric allows up to 12% translucency, providing soft, even daylight throughout the interior. In insulated applications, a white interior liner reflects light efficiently, creating a bright, shadow-reduced environment—ideal for athletic, training, and educational spaces.
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Thermal Comfort: Fabric is naturally non-conductive and can be paired with insulation to meet energy goals.
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Streamlined Interiors: In insulated or lined buildings, framing elements are concealed, creating a clean, modern interior aesthetic. Uninsulated structures maintain open visibility of the steel frame, offering a more industrial look—both options provide column-free spans and flexible space planning.
On the exterior, fabric offers a sleek, monolithic look with available custom colors, branding, or graphics—a striking contrast to the utilitarian appearance of PEMBs.
Performance You Can Count On
Legacy’s buildings are engineered to the same standards you’d expect from a traditional structure:
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IBC- and ASCE-compliant for wind, snow, and seismic loads
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Long-span capabilities up to 300+ feet clear span
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Support for collateral loads, including HVAC, fire suppression, and sports netting
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High-durability ExxoTec™ fabric with exceptional UV resistance and industry-leading warranties
These are not temporary structures—they’re built for decades of performance with minimal maintenance.
Sustainability, Simplified
As sustainability becomes a priority across the built environment, architects and owners are looking for smarter ways to reduce environmental impact without compromising performance or design. Legacy’s hybrid fabric-steel structures support those goals with a combination of low embodied energy, minimal jobsite waste, and high operational efficiency.
Key Energy-Saving Advantages
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Daylighting reduces electrical lighting demand, especially in uninsulated buildings where translucent ExxoTec™ fabric allows natural light to fill the space.
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Insulated buildings with bright white interior liners enhance light reflectivity, reducing the need for artificial lighting and improving visual comfort.
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A tight building envelope minimizes energy loss, enhancing HVAC performance and lowering long-term operating costs.
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Shorter construction timelines lead to fewer emissions and less disruption, contributing to a more sustainable build process.
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High solar reflectivity of the fabric roof helps maintain cooler interior temperatures in warm climates, reducing cooling loads.
And because our buildings can be fully insulated and sealed to meet or exceed code, you can maintain control of your project’s energy model without design sacrifices.
Put Legacy on the Board: A Smarter Solution for Forward-Thinking Architects
Legacy Building Solutions gives you a canvas—not a constraint. Our hybrid steel structures empower you to deliver:
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Faster turnarounds
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Visually dynamic forms
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Comfortable, high-performing interiors
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Stronger project ROI
If you’ve been designing within the limits of PEMBs, wrestling with traditional build timelines, and pushing the build project to its limits, we invite you to explore what’s possible with Legacy.
Let’s Collaborate
Whether you’re in early concepting or final specs, our team will partner with you to develop a structure that meets your goals—and exceeds your client’s expectations.
Connect with a Legacy design consultant today to review your next project, get preliminary design assistance, or receive sample specifications for your files.