SCI’s 2014 annual event addressed overdesign of steel structures and how we can design and construct more sustainable steel buildings, i.e. safe, efficient structures but using less steel. Rationalisation was cited as the main reason for the observed over-design, both in the design and fabrication of steel frames. Currently steel is plentiful and relatively cheap, particularly compared to UK labour costs, and as we all know, in construction, ‘cost is king’!
Over-design is wasteful however and surely it is time for smart engineers to design more efficient structures using modern design techniques that are safe, cost effective and low carbon. The environmental case for using less steel is compelling. Surely this is the future of structural steel design, certainly in a resource and carbon-constrained future. We have the design and manufacturing skills and software to be more efficient so why aren’t we?
To investigate these findings SCI, in partnership with Cambridge University, Price & Myers and William Hare, has started a two-year Government-funded research project. The project will seek to explore the balance between the weight of steel structures (and the associated carbon impact), against their cost. We are looking to engage with steel designers who are prepared to share their experience and practice for designing multi-storey, steel-framed buildings, to understand why they are over-designed and to help develop a new design approach where weight, cost and carbon can be balanced and optimised. We understand why rationalisation happens and we are not looking to critique others’ designs; we simply want to understand better how steel structure design can be improved and optimised. If you would like to engage with us in the innovative project please contact Michael Sansom.
