Off Namulondo Road, Bweyogerere Kampala Uganda
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Multistorey Steel Buildings are now the most common type of high-rise buildings used internationally, due to the advantages of structural steel for this type of construction. In most multistorey steel buildings, the skeleton is generally constructed out of structural steel, while the foundations and infill floors are generally out of reinforced concrete (RC) laid onto special steel decking sheets. This is known as composite construction.
The main reason why this type of construction is now the most popular is the faster construction time by up to 50% under current conditions. This means that while a concrete multistorey buildings may have a construction period of 18 months, the same building in steel can be completed in under 12 months.
The financial model for the savings and gain made by this faster construction would far outweigh any increase in construction cost out of steel, which in many cases is negligible, making the case for a multistorey steel building a ‘no-brainer.’ Site management costs can easily be reduced by at least 20% to 30% because of the shorter construction period, which can lead to a 3 to 4% saving in terms of overall building cost.
With a multistorey steel building, you will not have to worry greatly about the quality of overall construction, including checking of the concrete mix practically used on site, the quality of the cement used.
Additionally the quality of the workmanship on site, the quality of the commercial grade reinforcement steel, the mess of concrete construction materials (‘wet-works’), including the internal props and shuttering required, leading to access and safety issues etc.
By virtue of pre-fabrication, precision design and manufacturing tools that only steel-framed systems flexibility, better quality checks and safer construction.
Since steel fabrication is carried out off-site, under controlled factory environments, all weather construction is also possible, unlike concrete works done on site, which is very dependent on fair weather. There is also a minimum need for storage of materials on-site due to the high level of pre-fabrication.
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1 | Slower construction | Faster construction by up to 50% |
2 | Delayed revenue on account of longer construction | Earlier ROI (Return on Investment) |
3 | Higher cost of finance | Lower cost of finance |
4 | High site management cost | Reduced site management costs |
5 | Serious concerns on quality of cement, rebars, site workmanship, and overall quality of construction | Prefabricated and manufactured accurately, under controlled, factory conditions, and to established quality procedures. |
6 | The framework is susceptible to drying-out movement or delays due to slow strength gain. | Immediately at full strength and ready for use. |
7 | Massive site activity, site storage requirements, site administration etc | Less on-site activities, plant, materials and labour. |
8 | Safety concerns for this type of onsite construction | Safer construction |
9 | Internal props or shuttering required, leading to access, and safety issues | No internal props or shuttering required. Apart from adding to the strength of the composite beam/slab, the decking sheets act as a permanent shuttering or formwork |
10 | Works dependent on fair weather in many instances | All-weather construction possible |
11 | Longer spans and fewer columns only possible with a heavier design | Longer spans and fewer columns possible with a lighter structure |
12 | Higher loads lead to increased foundation cost | Lighter building loads result in reduced foundation cost |
13 | Deeper beams & thicker slabs increase the nominal floor-to-floor heights, increasing overall building heights with related costs of the structure and cladding etc | Shallower beam and slab heights can result in reduced floor to floor heights with same functionality, including better integration of services |
14 | Modications would be expensive, and more extensive and disruptive. Dismantling would involve breaking completely and discarding | Easy to modify, dismantle and reuse if necessary |
15 | Highly disruptive to the nearby buildings and roads due to the onsite construction | Dramatically reduced disruption to the locality (noise, dust etc) |
16 | Enhanced concrete usage has a more profound impact on the environment | Steel is more environmentally friendly, waste is minimised, and most importantly steel is recyclable |
When all these factors are considered, the overall cost of MSB is much less.
SKYCOVER 45/150 decking sheets are designed to free span between the beams, therefore eliminating the need for props and shuttering during casting of the concrete slab. This makes the construction very quick and efficient since the contractor doesn’t need to wait for curing time of the concrete slab before moving to upper subsequent floor levels. The concrete steel beam and concrete deck system can be designed to accommodate loads of 2.5kN/m2 for light weight office
blocks right up 10kN/m2 for heavy industrial load and car park systems and even heavier loading subject to the slab being additionally reinforced to resist high sheer loads and longitudinal loading stress. Since decking sheets are generally only internally used, and therefore not subject to weathering, our standard finish available is bare (unpainted) galvanized both sides. The bottom of the shutter acts as the slab soffit finish.