Coming from a country where most buildings are made of brick, wood or stone, it was quite a shock to come to Taiwan to find that modern buildings all over the country made of poured concrete, which is a wonderfully flexible material for construction, but characteristically bland, even ugly.
But, if you go to industrial or agriculture districts around the country or take the high speed train, you will see metal buildings all over the country built as store rooms, factory units, garages, etc. It seems that they are an affordable alternative to traditional construction, and can really be dressed up to look more like a traditional building. I’m not sure, given the heat in Taiwan, that it would be livable as an alternative to living in concrete house.
In fact, many people in Taiwan use metal roofing as an attempt to dissipate the heat that strikes the top floor of their building. It can be effective, and also creates a sheltered area when it’s rainy. Ideal for hanging up the washing. This is an easy thing to do here as most top floors are actual open/flat modern, not the traditional roofs of Europe.