the benefits of steel for residential construction

8/3/2019 The Benefits of Steel for Residential Construction

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Client guide: The benefits of steel for residential construction

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Client guide: The benefits of steel for residentialconstruction

Introduces the wide range of forms of steel construction for residential accommodation and presents the principal benefits for developers, owner/occupiers, housing associations and

tenants.

Contents

1. Introduction 2

2. Types of client/stakeholders 2

3. The benefits of steel construction in residential buildings 3

4. Forms of construction and guidance on their applicability 4

5. Conclusions 8


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1. Introduction

The residential sector accounts for 25% of construction output in the EU; within this overall

market, apartments and larger residential buildings represent between 15 to 50% of homes inindividual countries.

The housing and residential sector demands more energy efficient, adaptable and higher

quality buildings. There are also important regional and demographical trends that demand

different types of housing, including single person accommodation and higher density living.

In many European countries, prime residential land has become scarce and new housing is

being encouraged on ‘brown’ land (previously used by industry) and on land with poor

geotechnical properties.

Steel construction is well placed to meet the demands for residential construction; pre-fabrication leads to speed of construction, financial benefits, improved quality and reduced

environmental impact. Its inherently light construction permits its economic use on ground of

low bearing capacity.

A wide range of steel technologies may be used in the housing and multi-storey residential

sectors and the principal systems are presented below. Importantly, steel construction has

achieved a high market share in some other sectors and national markets; the same

technologies and benefits may be realised in the housing and residential sectors.

While it is not appropriate to present any details in a Client Guide, Appendix A highlights

some of the developments that have taken place in steel construction technology forresidential construction in the past two decades.

2. Types of client/stakeholders

There are four basic types of clients/stakeholders directly involved in residential construction:

For-profit owners for tenanted occupation, including investment companies, pension

funds and private, buy-to-rent landlords.

Not-for-profit owners for tenanted occupation including local and national government,

Registered Social Landlords and Housing Associations.

Owner/occupiers.

Tenants.

All these different stakeholders have common requirements for high performance

construction that is cheap to maintain and has a long life. Contractors and developers want,

fast, easy, low cost construction that enables them to provide better value to their end-

customers.


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In addition, society at large is expressing, through its politicians and planning authorities, its

expectation for:

Reduced impact from new housing

Urban design that encourages the development of stronger local communities, probably

with greater housing density than was achieved last century

An increasing need for affordable housing, especially for key workers

Everyone now recognises, or should recognise, the urgent need for a more sustainable built

environment.

The following section highlights how steel construction can provide these wide ranging

attributes.

3. The benefits of steel construction in residentialbuildings

3.1 For the occupier

Thermal Performance

Modern insulation materials used in warm frame construction produce low U-values and high

standards of air-tightness which can result in a warm, draught free internal environment and

reduced energy bills for the occupant.

Acoustic performance

In lightweight steel construction, the presence of a cavity and the isolation achieved by

multiple layers of materials and resilient layers provides excellent acoustic performance.

Maintenance

Dry construction and the use of a framing material with no long term creep or shrinkage

movement will minimise cracking and the associated maintenance.

Durability

Tests on existing structures have shown that, when galvanised light steel components are usedin warm frame construction, the predicted design life is in excess of 200 years.

3.2 For the contractor/developer

Factory assembly

Light steel panels and modules are assembled in a dry factory environment giving continuity

of work and a good working environment for the labour force.

Material stability

Because material properties are stable and steel members do not shrink or creep, finishes do

not get damaged during the drying out period. The result is that there are fewer call-backs for

remedial work as zero defects are attainable.


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Long-span floors

Historically, room sizes have been limited by the span of timber joists in traditional

construction. Light steel joists have long span capabilities and this leads to fewer load

bearing walls and foundations.

Dry construction

The use of dry construction materials improves the speed of construction by eliminating

curing times and allowing continuous access. it also eliminates the risks of moisture related

problems such as the growth of moulds and fungus.

3.3 For society: sustainable construction that meetssociety’s current needs

There is a wide range of potential solutions in steel construction for residential

accommodation. They can, and must be used creatively to meet the breadth of our emerging

needs. Inspired architecture can both reduce impacts from new construction and ensure urban

planning that juxtaposes buildings in a way that encourages the creation of local building.

In the context of affordable housing, it is noteworthy that, in the recent government

competition to encourage affordable housing in the UK, steel frame construction was the

choice for the first four finalists to be announced.

There are also specific benefits for sustainability and quality:

Off-site fabrication provides a safer working environment than the construction site.

Factory working facilitates accurate and quality workmanship; reduced defects improve

durability.

Material use can be optimised and hence waste can be kept to a minimum. Any steel

waste is recovered and recycled.

Light steel joists are long span and this can result in less foundations and adaptable

internal partition layouts.

Because large panels or modules are manufactured in factories, less deliveries are

required to the site and hence there is less disruption to the area around the site.

4. Forms of construction and guidance on theirapplicability

There are two different approaches to modern steel construction for residential

accommodation.

Light steel framing, with load bearing walls made from studs, where the steel elements

are cold formed from galvanised steel strip 1,5 to 2,0 mm thick.

Hot rolled skeletal frames, where the steel elements are conventional hot rolled sections.


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4.1 Light steel framing

The individual steel elements are assembled into structural systems. These are usually

manufactured off-site and may well be delivered to site requiring a minimum of assembly andcompletion. The principal systems are summarised below:

Volumetric systems

The most factory-based form of production, volumetric systems involve three dimensional

modules that can be used in isolation or in multiples to form the structure of the building.

These modules can be pre-finished in the factory to include all fixtures and fittings, requiring

a very limited amount of installation work on site. A typical structural module is shown in

Figure 4.1.

Open panel systems

The two dimensional structural frames for the building are assembled in the factory. Open

panel systems are typically delivered to the site purely as a structural element with services,

insulation, cladding and internal finishes installed in situ. Figure 4.2 shows a building using

open panels under construction.

Closed panel systems

These are similar to open panel systems in that the structural elements of the building are

delivered to the site in flat panels. However, closed panel systems typically include more

factory based fabrication such as lining materials and insulation and may even include

cladding, internal finishes, services, doors and windows.

Stick built construction

This is the simplest form of construction. Individual elements are delivered to site and

assembled in-situ

Hybrid systems

A combination of volumetric, panelised and stick systems, where high value areas (kitchen

and bathroom) are typically formed from volumetric units (sometimes referred to as pods) and

the rest of the structure formed from some form of framing system.

Sub-assemblies Major building elements that are manufactured off site but do not form the primary structure

of the building. Foundation systems and cassette panels are typical examples.

Non-structural components

Non-structural elements that are assembled off site. Although currently less common than

structural elements, components such as mechanical and electrical services infrastructures are

being developed, with significant assembly work being carried out off site.

These reduce site construction times substantially and, in the right circumstances, achieve

substantial savings in cost.


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Span range (module width) 2,5 to 3,6 m

Building height: 4 to 9 storeys

1,0 to 1,5 kN/m2

Self weight

Figure 4.1 Modular construction

Span range 3 to 5 m


0,7 to 1,0 kN/m2

Self weight

Figure 4.2 Light steel framing

4.2 Hot rolled frames

Here standard approaches to multi-storey construction are adopted using systems that are

most suited to the plan arrangements for apartments. Typical systems are shown below:

Span range 6 to 15 m


2,5 to 3,5 kN/m2

Self weight

Figure 4.3 Composite construction using steel decking


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Span range 5 to 9 m


4 to 5 kN/m2

Self weight

Figure 4.4 Downstand steel beams supporting precast concrete slabs

Span range 5 to 9 m


4 to 5 kN/m2

Self weight

Figure 4.5 Integrated asymmetric beams supporting precast concrete slabs

Span range 5 to 9 m


3 to 4 kN/m2

Self weight

Figure 4.6 Integrated asymmetric beams supporting dep metal decking with composite slabs


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5. Conclusions

The steel construction sector has invested substantially in developing a wide range of well

engineered solutions for all forms of residential construction.

The technologies provide quality, value and structural, thermal and acoustic performance and

are sustainable. They can readily accommodate diverse architectural styles.

These technologies are now mature and are being used successfully in some major national

markets. These markets are intensely competitive and these successes, displacing more

traditional materials, demonstrate the potential for growth throughout Europe and beyond.


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Appendix A. Twenty years’ investment in a robustlight gauge technology

A.1 A difficult history

Along with the USA, France, Germany, and the UK developed several steel framed housing

systems after both the World Wars. While they were successful at alleviating short-term

housing need, most of them suffered from significant design faults. The ungalvanized steel

frames were generally exposed to temperature fluctuation and therefore prone to condensation

and corrosion. Insulation was either non-existent or inadequate if present, typically 25 mm or

50 mm of mineral wool. External cladding systems were frequently flimsy; they included

painted steel panels and render on expanded metal mesh. There was no separate vapour

barrier and significant water ingress occurred on exposed sites. No attention was paid to

acoustic performance. Despite all these faults, a range of surveys in the UK (by the BuildingResearch Establishment) identified relatively few homes with serious deterioration. However,

the houses were architecturally unattractive and were not popular with either occupiers or

funding agencies. They created a significant psychological barrier to be overcome in any new

market development.

A.2 Robust Technology

In the mid to late 1980s, several steel companies undertook a major initiative to develop the

effective use of light gauge, galvanised steel sections in modern construction. The target

markets were broad and included residential construction. In consultation with leading

industry figures, a comprehensive programme of testing work was conducted in its

laboratories with underpinning research and design development at the Steel Construction

Institute, Centre Technique Industriel de la Construction Métallique, Swedish Institute of

Steel Construction and associated universities. Potential corrosion issues were resolved by

rigorously adopting ‘warm frame’ principles with all steel elements being contained within

the insulation envelope and elimination of any potential cold bridges. Technical development

also addressed overall building stability, holding down systems, connection methods,

elemental and system design methods, modern cladding systems and acoustic attenuation.

A.3 Demonstration Projects

Demonstration projects were crucial to the launch of this technology. An outstanding low

energy house with a steel frame was constructed for the Ebbw Vale Garden Park in 1992.

In 1994, a consortium of The Steel Construction Institute, Centre Technique Industriel de la

Construction Métallique, Studiengesellschaft Stahlanwendung e.V./3L and Rautaruukki Oyj

attracted major funding from the European Coal and Steel Community to carry out the

following demonstration projects in France, Germany, Finland and the United Kingdom.

A five-storey apartment building was constructed in the centre of Rheims, using a

composite steel-concrete form and light steel infill walls.

A private family house was constructed using hot rolled steel sections and block work

infills. A habitable basement was included and the internal space is entirely adaptable.

A series of one and two storey houses and a three storey apartment building was

constructed for the annual Housing Fair near Tampere, Finland, using light steel walls

and floors with a high level of thermal insulation.


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A light steel frame student residence was constructed at Oxford. It consisted of a four

bedroom house, a two bedroom apartment, three study bedrooms and an occupied roof

space.

Collectively, these demonstration projects showed the wide range of solutions andtechnologies that steel may offer residential construction.


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Quality Record

RESOURCE TITLE Client guide: The benefits of steel for residential construction

Reference(s)

ORIGINAL DOCUMENT

Name Company Date

Created by G W Owens SCI

Technical content checked by G K Raven SCI

Editorial content checked by

Technical content endorsed by thefollowing STEEL Partners:

1. UK G W Owens SCI 18/4/06

2. France A Bureau CTICM 18/4/06

3. Sweden B Uppfeldt SBI 11/4/06

4. Germany C Müller RWTH 18/4/06

5. Spain J Chica Labein 18/4/06

Resource approved by TechnicalCoordinator

G W Owens SCI 13/7/06

TRANSLATED DOCUMENT

This Translation made and checked by:

Translated resource approved by:


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the benefits of steel for residential construction

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