Understanding Steel Frame Construction

Steel frame construction is regularly expanding its market share in the construction and civil engineering sector. However, is steel framing an efficient construction method compared to the alternatives? In this article, we will weigh out structural steel frame construction as a guide for developers and design engineers exploring different construction options.

Understanding Steel Frame Construction

Steel frame construction used to be originally used for large, simple structures, such as garages, large agricultural buildings, and warehouses – as well as high-rise buildings. This is how steel frame construction is still understood in popular belief, but it is now also used for a wide range of other types of development, including offices, factories, schools, public buildings, and some residential dwellings.

Steel frame construction is a good option for a diversity of projects for many reasons, including:

  • Durability
  • Affordability
  • Sustainability

Structural steel components can quickly be fabricated off-site and then transported to the construction site when needed, minimizing onsite labor requirements and reducing the impact of variables that can delay a project, such as adverse weather.

Steel is not known for its warmth, due to its high efficiency in conducting heat. The insulation value of walls can be reduced by as much as half when heat is transferred away through steel studs, which is not good news for energy retention in a building. Where steel frame construction is used, insulation measures need to be put in place to counteract the thermal conductivity of steel.