Lower Cost

The benefits of light steel construction in relation to residential buildings are:

• Speed of construction (up to 40% faster than traditional methods).
• Excellent performance characteristics e.g. fire resistance, acoustic insulation, and thermal insulation.
• High level of quality control, accuracy and freedom from shrinkage, reducing call-backs for defects.
• Light weight for medium-rise and mixed use buildings, in which the residential floors can be supported on a podium level, thereby reducing foundation requirements.
• Minimum disturbance to the locality during construction, with fewer deliveries; this is particularly advantageous where site constraints may limit the storage space available.
• Waste recycling in manufacture and reduction of on-site waste.
• Structural robustness and ability to create long spans and large openings.

Speedy Construction

Rapid installation and early dry envelope allows other activities within the building to proceed much earlier than would be possible with block work

Design Flexibility

• Tall walls up-to 5m are readily achievable and with clear spans up-to 6.5m within the apartment
• Non-loadbearing stud walls can adapt along with the future space requirements
• Light gauge steel walls can be used to support a wide range of cladding systems

Offsite Construction

The benefits of light steel framing and modular construction in housing are:

• Speed of construction (up to 40% faster than traditional methods of house construction)
• Excellent performance characteristics e.g. acoustic and thermal insulation.
• High level of quality control, accuracy and freedom from shrinkage reducing call-back for defects.
• Light weight for use on poor ground, with reduced foundation requirements.
• Minimum disturbance to the locality during construction due to reduced number of deliveries.
• Waste recycling in manufacture and reduction of on-site waste.
• Compliance with Code for Sustainable Homes.
• Room in the roof systems can be constructed without difficulty.
• Can easily be extended and modified internally in the future.

Sustainable Solution

The sustainability benefits of light steel framing and modular construction are based on the off-site nature of the construction process; these are:

• High levels of thermal insulation and air-tightness are achieved in light steel framing and modular construction.
• The lightweight of these construction systems means that foundation loads and sizes are reduced by over 70% relative to concrete and block-work construction.
• Productivity and speed of construction is increased by over 30% which reduces site impacts.
• Transport is greatly reduced. A single delivery of light steel frames is typically sufficient for 3 houses.
• Site safety is improved by a factor of 5 according to HSE statistics due to the off-site construction process.
• Site waste is virtually eliminated by the use of pre-fabricated light steel and modular components compared to the industry average wastage of 10% in construction materials.
• Use of components rolled to length results in no production waste.
• Embodied carbon in the building fabric is reduced by up to 20% when using light steel framing and modular construction.
• Renewable energy technologies can be attached to and built-in light steel and modular components.
• Light steel structures can be modified and extended easily. Modular units can be disassembled and re-used.
• Light steel and modular construction are widely used in building extensions and in renovations, due to their lightweight and speed of installation.

Quality Performance

High levels of accuracy, with no shrinking/creeping

Non-Combustible

The benefits of light steel construction in relation to fire safety are:

• Steel is non-combustible; it does not add to the fire load of the building.
• Fire protection for light steel framing is typically provided by the boards used for internal lining, e.g. gypsum-based boards.
• Fire resistance periods of up to 120 minutes are readily achievable.
• The amount of combustible material in a light steel framed building is much lower than in some other forms of construction.
• Modules and pre-boarded light steel panels are fire protected before delivery to site.
• Light steel floors, walls and modules are easily repairable after small fires.
• The fire risk during construction is much lower for light steel framing than for some forms of construction

Durable

The benefits of light steel construction in relation to durability are:

• Maintenance-free, dimensionally stable
• Design life predictions for light steel framing in a ‘warm frame’ environment are in excess of 250 years.
• The NHBC and other housing warrantee providers, require a design life in excess of 60 years, and accept the use of light steel construction.
• Light steel sections are protected from corrosion by continuous hot-dip zinc coating.
• Steel does not shrink, warp or change its shape.
• Light steel construction can be used for walls, floors, roofs and suspended ground floors.
• Steel does not creep under load.
• Galvanised steel does not suffer from fungal or biological deterioration and is not susceptible to insect infestation.
• Even in uninsulated roof constructions light steel sections provide a design life in excess of 100 years.

Large Span

• Light steel framing and modular construction provide robust structures that satisfy the Building Regulation requirement for avoidance of disproportionate collapse.
• Robustness is provided by multiple members with a high degree of inter-connectivity.
• Load bearing walls are produced that distribute loads rather than relying on discrete load bearing columns.
• Light steel frame construction generally has lateral bracing distributed throughout the structure.
• The form of construction creates multiple load paths which mean loads can be transferred around areas of local damage.
• Light steel structures are capable of resisting high wind loads.
• Light steel buildings are commonly used in seismic zones with a good record for surviving earthquakes and flooding.
• The lightweight nature of the construction means that if any local damage does occur, debris loading is considerably less compared to heavier construction materials.
• Steel is a ductile material which is able to sustain significant deformation without detrimental loss of strength.

M+E CO-ORDINATION

• Reducing follow on trade costs
• Clash detection pre-punched service runs

Acoustic Performance

The benefits of light steel construction in relation to acoustic performance are:

• High levels of acoustic performance can be achieved.
• Light steel construction utilises multiple layers of construction, which are ideal for providing high levels of acoustic insulation.
• Light steel products such as ‘acoustic’ studs and resilient bars are specifically designed to reduce sound transmission.
• Junctions can easily be detailed to minimise flanking sound.
• The high quality assurance ensures repeatable acoustic performance.
• There is a wide variety of proven light steel wall and floor construction systems.