{"id":56740,"date":"2019-05-09T11:25:47","date_gmt":"2019-05-09T10:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=56740"},"modified":"2019-05-09T11:25:47","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T10:25:47","slug":"light-steel-framing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/light-steel-framing\/56740\/","title":{"rendered":"Benefits of light steel framing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andrew Way, an associate director at the Steel Construction Institute, discusses how light steel framing can deliver fast, adaptable and cost-effective buildings<\/h2>\n
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Figure 1 – Housing development using light steel framing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the main advantages of light steel framing is its versatility and the range of building types for which it can be used.<\/p>\n

Applications of light steel framing range from low-rise housing to multi-storey, multi-occupancy developments, including panelised structural frames, external infill walling systems and fully finished offsite modular construction<\/a>. The range of building types is indicated by the projects shown in Figures 1 to 4.<\/p>\n

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Figure 2 – Medium rise development using light steel framing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The wide range of applications is in addition to the benefits one\u00a0would expect with a modern construction method: rapid speed of construction, high quality and performance, excellent safety and cost-effectiveness. A major sector for light steel framing is four to eight-storey residential buildings and mixed-use buildings often comprising commercial space and car parking at the lower levels. In these cases, the lightweight characteristic of the construction system is crucial to minimising the loads on the supporting structure.<\/p>\n

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Figure 3 – Multi-storey light steel framed residential development<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Forms of construction<\/h3>\n

Light steel framing comprises galvanised cold-formed C sections of 70mm to 100mm depth in the wall panels, and 150mm to 300mm deep C sections or lattice joists in the floors. Spans of up to 6m can be achieved, which can eliminate internal load-bearing walls and therefore leads to flexibility in internal space planning.<\/p>\n

The prefabricated wall panels are typically storey-height (ie 2.7m to 3.2m) and up to 8m long, depending on transportation and lifting.<\/p>\n

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Figure 4 – Light steel external walling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A house can be constructed from as little as 12 wall panels and up to four houses or large apartments can be delivered per lorry. The floors can be installed in the form of prefabricated floor cassettes, or as individual joists. A typical light steel project during construction is shown in Figure 5.<\/p>\n

The option to use composite floor slabs supported by the light steel walls (as shown in Figure 6) is popular in some sectors. In this case, the floor slab is typically 150mm to 180mm deep using profiled steel decking with in-situ concrete and spans up to 5.5m when propped temporarily during construction. Not only is the self-weight half of that of a concrete flat slab but it is shallower and provides for routing of ducts suspended from the decking.<\/p>\n

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Figure 5 – Light steel framing during construction\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Both joisted and composite floors often use slim floor beams that are integrated within the floor zone to create more open plan space, which is particularly useful in care homes and in lobby areas. Concrete and steel stairs are generally delivered as part of the light steel package and are integrated into the Building Information Model (BIM) provided by the light steel supplier.<\/p>\n

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Figure 6 – Light steel framing with composite floors during construction<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The structural performance of cold-formed sections enable their use in a wide variety of applications. A light steel C section of only 1.5mm thickness can support up to 50kN in compression. Structural bracing is integrated into the walls for stability so that medium-rise buildings do not require additional cores. Efficient design solutions are achieved by selecting the steel thickness and configuration of sections to suit the specific loading conditions.<\/p>\n

Urban developments<\/h3>\n
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Figure 7 – Multi-storey light steel framed hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The benefits of offsite manufacture<\/a> and of light steel framing in particular come to the fore in urban residential projects that often involve a mixture of townhouses and larger apartment buildings. Figure 7 shows a city centre hotel using light steel frame construction. The advantages that are sought by the client and contractor are:<\/p>\n