Construction and Structures 2: April 2008

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Article 7: BlueScope Steel Case Study 2

Steel Decking A Money Saver At Morayfield

26 February 2008

http://www.bluescopesteel.com.au/go/case-study/steel-decking-a-money-saver-at-morayfield

This case study is very similar to the previous case study, but it talks about the benefits of a different steel product for a different form of construction. In this case, focus is placed on steel formwork and the benefits that comes along with it. This case study also talks about the function of steel decking as formwork and its huge money savings.

I strongly encourage everyone to visit the BlueScope Steel website and read these case studies as they are beneficial and interesting. They help us become aware of particular steel products that are sustainable and highly economical.

Location: Morayfield, Queensland
Country: Australia
Project Size: 20,000 square metre extensions
Client: Caboolture Shire Council
Builder: Leda Design & Construct
Contractor: Alltype Welding
Products Used: LYSAGHT W-DEK®

A major shopping centre extension at Morayfield north of Brisbane will cater for a population growth that is expected to add 70,000 more residents to the surrounding area in the next 20 years.
Leda Developments opened the original Morayfield Shopping Centre in 1997. Now its subsidiary, Leda Design & Construct is undertaking Stage Two extensions which will increase the size of the Caboolture Shire facility by 30 percent.

The building project will add a major discount department store, specialty retailers and extra car parking facilities and includes the first use in Queensland of the innovative LYSAGHT W-DEK® structural steel decking system from BlueScope Lysaght.
LYSAGHT W-DEK® is a deep profile steel formwork system that has been designed to provide optimal efficiency, speed of construction, and economy.
Constructed of high tensile Australian steel, LYSAGHT W-DEK® spans distances up to 40 percent more than traditional re-entrant systems. Its unique "w" shaped profile has been designed specifically for its spanning capability.

LYSAGHT W-DEK® is also a slightly wider cover than most other steel formwork systems, at 700mm wide. With less sheets to lay and fewer props to handle it creates labour time and money savings.
Alltype Welding of Stapylton, in South East Queensland, won the steel fabrication contract for the 20,000 square metre extensions and also installed the LYSAGHT W-DEK® formwork. "The job wasn't originally specified for that product, but BlueScope Lysaght keep us up to date with the latest building product developments and we soon recognised that LYSAGHT W-DEK® could provide advantages for us, for the builder and for the project," Peter Jakubenko of Alltype Welding said.
"I believe our decision to use LYSAGHT W-DEK® formwork made the difference between winning the job and missing out. Decking isn't something we usually do, but it was part of our supply and install contract so we took it on.

"There are other products available which would span three metres between

beams, but you would need to use a heavier thickness to do so. With the aid of BlueScope Lysaght, we worked out that we could use 0.75mm sheet thickness instead of the 1.0mm required for the originally specified product.
"Our early calculations showed that we could save $A100,000 on material costs just by using LYSAGHT W-DEK® for the first 5,000 square metre slab of the 20,000 square metre extensions."
Alltype Welding's workers improved their laying out and fixing speed as the job progressed. "Because we hadn't used the product before and don't normally layout and fix formwork we were learning as we went," Peter Jakubenko said.
"We got to the stage where we were laying out a nine metre by 10.5 metre bay in just ten to 15 minutes. Even with stairways and slab penetrations we are confident that we could now lay out and secure 1,000 square metres a day."
The use of a lighter gauge made handling nine and 12 metre lengths easier on site and also simplified stud welding of the LYSAGHT W-DEK® to the steel frame.
This was accomplished in a shorter time and with lighter duty equipment than would have been possible with alternative steel formwork systems. Alltype Welding stud welded the whole deck using just 32amp machines.
The design of LYSAGHT W-DEK® optimises the way in which it bonds with concrete, giving it composite strength tested to be nearly four times the capacity of similar products tested overseas.

Steel formwork acts not only as formwork, but additional bottom reinforcement as well, so less reinforcement needs to be used in the concrete. It also requires less propping than traditional ply formwork, and there is no stripping, which reduces material handling on site, leading to faster installation and reduced cycle times.
LYSAGHT W-DEK® is made from DECKFORM® zinc coated high tensile steel which was developed by BlueScope Steel specifically for the steel decking market. It delivers excellent durability and is backed by a 10 or 15 year BlueScope Steel warranty and nationwide technical support.

Article 6: BlueScope Steel Case Study 1

Mobile Roll Forming Makes For A Fast Hundred Metres

22 February 2008
http://www.bluescopesteel.com.au/go/case-study/mobile-roll-forming-makes-for-a-fast-hundred-metres

This case study is about steel products that are proven to be economical, sustainable and perfect for this particular design and construction of the Grand Stand in New South Wales. This case study informs us about the best steel product to use for roofs with extremely large spans. In this case, roll forming appears to be the best option in terms of workability, as it reduces the amount of cranes and machinery used to construct the roof of the Grand Stand.

Location:
Blacktown, New South Wales
Country:
Australia
Project Size:
100 seat grandstand roof
Architect:
Ryder DesignInc
Builder:
Hooker Cockram
Contractor:
Axis Metal Roofing
Products Used:
LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH

Sheets of roofing more than 100 metres long have helped to create an iconic new grandstand building for the athletics track at Blacktown Olympic Park in Sydney's west.
Design and construction of the gull wing shaped roof has challenged and reunited the members of the Ryder DesignInc team responsible for the creation of the award winning Dunc Gray Velodrome.
The velodrome, which was the track cycling venue for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, was designed by Paul Ryder, an architect renowned for his elegant and simple structures, and implemented with DesignInc.
The new athletics venue grandstand at Blacktown, one of Ryder's last designs before his unexpected death early this year, has challenged the skill of those charged with its completion.
Design and construction of the 1200 seat grandstand has brought together architects DesignInc, builders Hooker Cockram, roofing contractor Axis Metal Roofing and building products supplier, BlueScope Lysaght.

Axis Metal Roofing, and BlueScope Lysaght collaborated on the visually stunning but technically challenging construction of the Dunc Gray Velodrome roof, which involved the world first use of curved LYSAGHT® Cee purlins supporting specially tapered LYSAGHT LONGLINE 305® cladding.
The Blacktown Olympic Park grandstand roof is a smaller structure, but its construction also required careful planning and innovative solutions.
"There were several challenges from the outset," Axis Metal Roofing Director, Hugh Tabone said. "A roof designed as a massive valley gutter looked spectacular, but we had to consult BlueScope Lysaght about the practicalities of actually erecting it.

"We sat down with Mike Celeban, BlueScope Lysaght's New South Wales Technical Support Manager, and eventually we got to the stage where we fabricated a prototype of the critical elements to replicate the pitch and fall of the roof.
"We were using LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® cladding, which is a concealed fix profile and we built the prototype to put it to some quite unusual tests."
The Ryder DesignInc design for the grandstand envisaged rainwater cascading over the ribs of the roof sheeting at right angles to its rain shedding design, then coursing along the low point of the cladding to spill into a cauldronstyle tank at one end of the structure for recycling.
"The BlueScope Lysaght guys are really good," Hugh said. "They worked with us on the most effective method for sealing the laps and eventually we got to the stage where we conducted a flood test to see whether the roof would leak during heavy rain.
"It was the crucial part of the project, so we had representatives from DesignInc and from Blacktown City Council on hand as well as from BlueScope Lysaght.
"We filled the prototype section with water and there wasn't a drop of leakage. In fact, months later the test rig still has water in it and it still hasn't leaked."
With the issue of watertightness resolved there was still a major construction hurdle to be overcome before the design could be declared a success.
"There was only one way we were ever going to get 103 metre sheets of cladding up onto the roof," Hugh said.
"On-site roll forming was the answer, but the roll forming mill also had to have the capability to output sheets directly to the roof frame, so that we could avoid having to use multiple cranes to lift them into position."
Axis Metal Roofing discussed the challenge with BlueScope Lysaght's mobile roll forming Project Manager, Bill Reeve, who pointed out that the machine has a theoretical sheet length limit of up to 320 metres.
Getting the sheets of LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® cladding onto the roof wasn't a problem either, since the mobile mill is fitted with a tilt mechanism which allows it to output to eaves or roof edges up to 13 metres high.

BlueScope Lysaght conducted a site inspection to confirm the suitability of the roll forming solution and worked with Axis Metal Roofing to resolve issues related to fixing the sheets to the framework.
"This wasn't a particularly large job for us, but the challenge created a lot of interest," Hugh Tabone said.
"It only required seven long sheets of LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK 700 HI-STRENGTH® cladding for the central section of the gull wing shape, but the mobile roll former also produced the various shorter lengths required.
"We had great co-operation from BlueScope Lysaght's crew and that made a challenging job easier than it could have been.
"One of the unusual requirements brought on by the design was that our roofers had to apply sealant to the side laps of each 103 metre sheet. The sealant loses its workability after 20 minutes, so smooth production of each sheet was essential.
"The BlueScope Lysaght roll former crew produced each sheet as we needed it, then waited for us to apply the sealant and fix the sheet to its concealed clips before they rolled the next one."
BlueScope Lysaght's mobile roll former is built on a structural cage to eliminate roller distortion and the need for time intensive adjustments, which on conventional roll formers can become more frequent as sheet length increases.
For long length sheets rolled at ground level a spreader bar is available to minimise sheet flexing problems while craning cladding to the roof frame.
The spreader bar can be extended in 12 metre steps to a maximum span of 72 metres.

Article 5: Falling Slab Kills Grandpa

Herald Sun Newspaper
Anthony Dowsley
March 09, 2006 12:00am

This article explains how a construction worker was crushed by a per-fabricated concrete slab, because the bars holding the slab in place where unlocked.
We need to take this article very seriously, particularly Construction Managers, because a simple mistake like this can seriously injure or kill someone, if we dont take these small things into concideration.

HORRIFIED building workers watched yesterday as a grandfather of four just months away from retirement was crushed and killed by a concrete slab.
Christos Binos, 58, of Reservoir, died instantly when a 14-tonne pre-fabricated slab fell on him at a Pakenham construction site.
Two workmates escaped from under the slab, which had been about six metres off the ground, when it crashed down in the Hogan Court lot about 10.50am yesterday.
A family member said Mr Binos was a devoted family man with three children and four grandchildren who had intended to retire next November and move to the beach.
"He was a hard worker, a lovely family man," his goddaughter, who did not want to be named, said.
"He would do anything for anybody. Not once would he say no to anybody.
"He'll be badly missed. It's very difficult for the family."
Mr Binos had been employed by Mascitti Concrete for eight years. His boss, Robert Mascitti, said Mr
Binos had never missed a day.
"He was a good bloke, a hard worker," Mr Mascitti said. "He was liked by his mates. He always rolled up on time."
WorkSafe and Victoria Police are investigating.
It is believed the accident happened when bars holding the slab in place were unlocked.
Two men scrambled to safety but Mr Binos could not get out of the way.
WorkSafe spokesman Michael Birt said it was the first construction site death in 14 months -- a record for the industry.
"There has been a major effort by WorkSafe, unions and employers to drag this (fatality) figure down,"
he said.
"But the so-called near misses are happening all the time . . . One man died, but it could have easily been three."

Article 4: Commercial Express Wall System

Master Builder Association 'Build It' Magazine
Victorian Edition
Issue no.7
Pg 124

This small article promotes the 'Cemintel Commercial Express Wall' that is used for external cladding buildings, particularly in Commercial buildings.
I included this small article as it briefly explains the benefits of the wall system and how its used in Commercial buildings.

Article 3: Commercial Energy Measures Case Study

Building Commission's 'Inform' Magazine
June 2006 Issue 30
Pg 8-9

This Case Study focuses on Kangan Batman TAFE's new Automotive Centre of Excellence, designed by Lyons Architects. Although this case study is already 2 years old, it deals with investigating ways of reducing the amount of energy used in the construction of commercial buildings, which is still being analysed today.This case study helps us all to realise and understand construction methods and ideas that we can integrate into our buildings to make them more sustainable and energy efficient.

Article 2: Steel Firmly in Frame

'Build It'
The Guide for Victorian Builders and Contractors
Victorian Edition 2004
Pg 138

This article talks about steel construction and ZINCALUME steel, and how both are beneficial as they are sustainability, durable, and strong.
Although this article is a few years old, it is a very interesting as it talks about the huge impact steel has had on Australian construction and its helps us understand the benefits of steel construction, particularly ZINCALUME steel.

Article 1: Concrete vs Steel

'Master Builder' Official Journal of the Master Builders Association of Victoria
February/March 2008 Volume 62 Issue 1
Pg 37-38

This case study shows that concrete framed construction delivers far more value to Builders than steel construction.
Concrete construction has been found to be: