
Ricardo, our in-house structural engineer, uncovers the real reasons you should design in steel and the importance of a highly skilled design and drafting department. Ricardo is actively involved in the daily productivity of our highly skilled team of detailers and designers. Let’s take a closer look as to why he is so committed to designing in steel.
Why does design with steel make for better structures?
Steel frames offer a lot of benefits over timber, especially when you are concerned with quality, straightness, durability to the elements and termites. Steel frames can be used for residential dwellings, commercial medium density developments and other common applications in the construction industry.
- Designed to comply
Designing in accordance with the appropriate standard ensures a Building Code of Australia compliant frame. Steel Construction Australia (SCA) can assist building professionals by providing engineering detailing and documentation specifications.
- Member-to-member consistency
For the reason that steel has consistent material strength and complies with strict quality controls and tolerances, every member of the steel frame fulfils the Australian Standards. This means there is no time wasted sorting material to select suitable pieces.
- Design flexibility
Due to its inherent strength and consistency, and the wide range of sections available, steel offers the potential to reduce the number of framing members required. This is particularly useful on difficult sites where stable, slender structures and long uninterrupted spans are desired. This can greatly simplify foundation design and reduce construction time and cost.
- Steel structures perform in any environment
Steel is the most used framing material in extreme conditions, where temperatures can vary over 40deg. C in a single day. Steel adapts perfectly to cyclonic design requirements and is equally resistant in humid or cold climates
- Non-combustible material – Fire resistance
Steel is a non-combustible material, simplifying the design of structures in bushfire-prone areas. Steel framing is always fully earthed, so the potential for concealed ignition leading to building fires is reduced.
Our Structural Design & Drafting Advantage
The design and drafting department at Steel Construction Australia (SCA) uses the latest technology to ensure the products, plans and documentation delivered to our customers are of the highest quality.
The software we support is VERTEX, a leading software solution for cold formed steel construction. VERTEX software is focused on residential and commercial structures using cold formed steel (CFS) technology. By using BIM (Building Information Modelling) technology, Vertex BD maximizes productivity and accuracy by generating fabrication drawings, material reports, manufacturing data, and 3D visualisations all from one building model.
VERTEX Building Information Model (BIM) offers the following key features:
- True 3D modelling ensures 100% accuracy, reducing design errors
- Automated panel and building elevation drawings
- Project estimating through accurate cutting lists and bill of materials
The structural analysis of a structure or design is based on the Australian Standards. Loading information can be applied to the roof/truss structure and all members can be checked against their effective cross sections and the defined load combinations. Design results are generated for each member and for each truss structure. Once engineering criteria has been satisfied, the load is transferred down into the wall structure. Load bearing walls are defined during the design and the appropriate wind loads can be generated based on geographical location. Wind loading, taking into consideration speed and direction, can then be applied to the structure. Wall bracing can be checked against defined loading tables.
Our lead engineer works closely with the software developers to ensure the software is always becoming more flexible.
The design and drafting department prepares all the relevant documentation for manufacture and on-site installation. Steel Construction Australia (SCA) is able to provide assistance to architects, engineers, developers, builders and carpenters to ensure their vision is achievable and problem-solve, as required.
Steel Construction Australia offers a One-Stop-Service
Steel Construction Australia (SCA) is a one-stop-service to design, manufacture, install and certify your residential and commercial projects.
The frames are designed, engineered and certified by us and can be an excellent alternative to traditional timber frames. We offer a quick turnaround, smart design and precision-manufacturing service for all our clients. Our steel frames cater for wall, subfloor, midfloor and roof truss systems. We are a solutions-orientated company who welcome challenging projects. We pride ourselves in a personalised and smart design philosophy which allows our builders to build better
JUL