In the frame

Steel framework represents a hi-tech, high-efficiency construction method.

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The typical challenges faced by contractors in the Gulf region include building green, on time and within budget. Contrary to popular belief, there are certain technologies and techniques which can help with all these issues.

Steel framework is one of them. While the technique itself is not new, it has, like all other technologies in the construction industry, developed over the years. Revolutionised by software, it is now able to offer more.

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Steel framework, and particularly light-gauge steel framing, is used for a variety of projects, from schools, villas and labour accommodation, to offices and high-rises.

It can also be used for partitions within buildings and for framing interior walls.

As an engineered product (often manufactured and assembled in a factory before being delivered to site), it is gaining popularity due to a lack of application limits.

“There are many standard sizes used in the industry, but one can use any size or shape,” says Nader Elhaji, regional director for steel-framing supplier Framecad Solutions. “It is an engineered product, and therefore there are no applicable limits on the building shape or size.”

He adds that, for steel framing to be economically viable, it is usually only used for buildings up to nine storeys. In sharp contrast to ordinary concrete construction, steel framing today offers an array of advantages both to builders and end users.

Speed, efficiency and cost-savings are among them. “Time-saving is one of the biggest advantages,” says a Kirby Building Systems representative. “Steel is 50% faster to erect than conventional concrete buildings.”

Other suppliers agree. “The structure is typically built using CAD/CAM systems, and as panels and trusses off-site, which means a much lower price [as much as a 35% reduction on construction costs] and a higher speed of construction than traditional systems,” explains Genesis Manazil Steel Framing CEO Maged Mostafa.

“And it adds some predictability, which enhances the confidence and certainty that the project will meet all of its targets. The quality of work is also not entirely dependable on the quality of workmanship, or on weather conditions, as 80% of the activity is carried out in an indoor, controlled environment,” he says.