Multi-storey office buildings – Steelconstruction.info

From Steelconstruction.info

The dominance of steel in the multi-storey commercial sector is based on tangible client-related benefits including the ability to provide column free floor spans, efficient circulation space, integration of building services, and the influence of the site and local access conditions on the construction process. For inner city projects, speed of construction and minimum storage of materials on-site require a high level of pre-fabrication, which steel-framed systems can provide.

There is a strong demand for high quality office space, especially in city centres. Corporate headquarters for banks and other high profile companies require that buildings are built to high architectural and environmental standards. Investment value is the main criterion for choice of the building architecture, form and servicing strategy. Many buildings are curved or of complex architectural form, and have highly glazed faades and atria.

In many large commercial buildings, a two stage construction process means that the tenant is responsible for the servicing and fit-out, and so the building structure has to be sufficiently flexible to cope with these differing requirements. Many smaller buildings are designed for natural ventilation and with a high proportion of renewable energy technologies built into them. Many solutions are possible using steel construction.

Main articles: The case for steel, Service integration, Cost of structural steelwork, Cost planning through design stages, Cost comparison study, Health and safety

The commercial sector demands buildings that are rapid to construct, of high quality, flexible and adaptable in application, and energy efficient in use. Steel, and in particular, composite construction has achieved over 70% market share in this sector in the UK where the benefits of long spans: speed of construction; service integration; improved quality; and reduced environmental impact are widely recognised.

The overall building economics are fundamental on the rationale for using steel construction in the commercial building sector, where the market share for steel has been consistently 65 to 70% for the last 20 years.

Recent cost comparison studies show that the building superstructure generally accounts for only 10% to 15% of the total building cost and that the influence of the choice of structure on the foundations, services and cladding costs is often more significant. For example, a reduction of 100 mm in the ceiling to floor zone can lead to a 2.5% saving in cladding cost (equivalent to 0.5% saving in overall building cost).

Therefore, best practice building design requires a synthesis of architectural, structural, services, logistics and constructional issues. Where this synthesis has been achieved, long-span steel systems with provision for service integration dominate commercial building design.

The results of a recent independent cost comparison study of multi-storey commercial buildings can be seen here.

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Multi-storey office buildings - Steelconstruction.info