4. Sustainable design, Assembling into components and systems and Erection on site 

Off-site manufacture of steel-based construction products and systems is more efficient, faster, cleaner and safer than on-site construction.

Useful link: ESDEP fabrication & erection

The optimized use of off-site production (which may go as far as 3D modular prefabrication) is synonymous to decreasing construction time, increasing predictability at project completion, reducing defects and increasing productivity.

Useful link: Yapi Merkezy Prefabrykasyon

Safety

Steel construction products are manufactured under factory-controlled conditions that are inherently safer than working conditions on the construction site. Furthermore, steel construction products are manufactured using automated or semi-automated processes that are far safer than manual site operations.

On the construction site, steel products are quickly and simply erected, which limits the time during which workers are exposed to the most common accident risks (falls, falling objects and vehicle accidents).

Modern steel composite construction, in which the steel deck acts as permanent formwork to the concrete, is inherently safe. The steel floor decking provides a safe working platform for workers on that floor and protects workers below from falling objects.

Useful link: ESDEP Composite construction

Impact on local environment

Building projects can have significant social and environmental impacts on neighbours to the construction site, particularly in congested urban areas. These local impacts include noise, dust, surface water pollution and traffic congestion. The severity of these impacts is a function both of the form of construction and the duration of the project. Steel construction has many attributes that lessen the impact on local communities:

Waste: Over-specification, damage to materials and components, off-cuts and defects cause significant construction site materials wastage. Off-site manufactured steel construction products are high-quality products.  They generate less waste, and any waste generated is easily collected, segregated and recycled. Steel components are delivered to the construction site to the correct dimensions, and there is negligible site waste.

Noise: Steel construction is relatively quiet; deliveries to site are fewer than for other forms of construction and can be made outside normal waking hours - lessening the impact on local traffic.

Water & dust: Steel construction is mainly based on "dry techniques" and are dust-free (clean).

Duration: Steel construction is fast, thus it minimizes the duration of the site occupation for construction activities.

Sustainable design

Thanks to its mechanical properties (ductility, strength, strength-to-weight ratio), steel enables a very efficient and sustainable structural design based on:

  • Light structures, synonymous with reduced foundations
  • Thin floor systems allowing an appreciable vertical space gain (more storeys in a given height or smaller height for a given number of storeys). The openings in the web of the cellular beams provide flexibility for servicing within the structural zone, thus saving space.
  • Long span capabilities enabling large open (column-free) and flexible spaces which can easily accommodate internal space reorganization induced by room modifications over the building's life time.. This flexibility ensures that buildings will last longer and that greater value will be extracted from the resources (materials) invested in them.

Useful link: OTUA

All these qualities not only apply to new buildings but also find remarkable applications in a large range of works on existing buildings like:

  • Façade retention: existing buildings can have their façades retained (in particular in historical city centres), whilst their interior is demolished and rebuilt. Thus, the valuated external appearance of the building is maintained, and its function is strongly improved and updated.
  • Interior reorganization: steel structures can be used to open up the interior of existing buildings by using steel mechanical properties to provide long-span, column-free space behind existing facades.
  • In dense urban environments, the flexibility of steel construction enables new structures to be erected within the confines of existing buildings/facades. New floors can be designed to fit with existing floors and window positions.
  • Over-roofing and over-cladding: It is often necessary to extend buildings (vertically or horizontally) to create more usable space and to improve the appearance of the existing building. This can be achieved by roof-top extensions or over-roofing (generally using lightweight construction), or by over-cladding in a variety of cladding materials.

Steel is generally the only structural solution for roof-top extensions as its weight does not over-load the existing structure.

  • Over-roofing an existing poor quality flat roof improves its weather tightness and thermal insulation properties. Light steel frames can span 10-20m between columns or walls, imposing no additional load on the existing roof. In many situations, new habitable roof space can be created at modest cost.
  • Over-cladding improves the appearance and life expectancy of buildings while making them more energy efficient. Importantly, over-cladding can be carried out while the building remains occupied.

Useful link: ESDEP refurbishment

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