Thanks to its wide range of benefits, steel is the preferred material of construction in the commercial sector. Added to this, steel-framed systems provide a high level of pre-fabrication. Thus they can be used for projects within the city, guaranteeing high speed of construction and minimum on-site storage of materials. Steel enables builders to offer buildings of high quality,flexibility and energy efficiency,while ensuring high speed construction. Therefore, steel commands over 70% market share worldwide.
Use of pre-fabricated components reduces site activity for frame construction by up to 75%.It also gives site engineers the freedom to operate. A controlled, manufacturing environment ensures high quality and improves safety on site.
Floors completed and decked are used as a safe working platform for subsequent installation of steelwork. For this reason, the higher floor in a group of floors (usually three floor levels) is often concreted first.
Steel framed office buildings built for offices and commercial establishments most commonly use the following flooring choices. Below are the generic forms of flooring systems most commonly used in steel framed office buildings.
A typical 6 storey commercial building in steel.
A typical 6 storey commercial building in steel. Fire engineering is widely used in large, complex and uniquely designed steel buildings. In a fire accident, such buildings will be safe. Advanced fire protection is dominated by boards.
Factor | Improvement | Economic Benefit |
---|---|---|
Speed of construction | 30 to 40% reduction in construction time relative to site-intensive construction, depending on the scale of the project. | The economic benefit depends on the business operation. In terms of overall building cost, a saving of 1% in interest charges,and 2% inearly rental or use of the space is predicted. |
Site management costs | Site management costs are reduced because of the shorter construction period,and the packaged nature of the construction process. | Site management costs can be reduced by 20 to 30% which can lead to a 3 to 4% saving in terms of overall building cost. |
Service integration | The integration of services in the structural zone leads to reduction of 100 to 300mm in floor to floor zone and hence to savings in cladding cost. | A 5% reduction in floor to floor height can lead to one additional floor in 20, and to a similar reduction in cladding cost, which is equivalent to about 1% in total building cost. |
Foundations | Steel construction is less than half the weight of an equivalent concrete structure, which is equivalent to a 30% reduction in overall foundation loads. | Foundation costs depend on the sub- structure and factors such as underground services and represent up to 5% of the building cost . A 30% reduction in foundation loads can lead to a significant overall saving in terms of construction cost. |
Column free space | Long span steel construction provides more flexible use of space. | A large column in the middle of the space leads to a loss of space in the total area of the storing space, which represents about 1% of the floor area, and may lead to an equivalent loss of rental income. |