STEEL FRAME CONSTRUCTION: DRIVEN BY STEEL: - OneSteel

Construction Solutions in Structural Steel 

I S S U E E I G H T M A Y 2 0 0 7 

NEW ADVERTISER 

& SUNDAY MAIL 

BUILDING: 

High profile 

headquarters 

DRIVEN 

BY STEEL: 

SX1 – Southern Cross 

Development 

STEEL FRAME 

CONSTRUCTION: 

Melbourne office tower

c o n t e n t s 

solutions 

WELCOME TO 

ONESTEEL SOLUTIONS. 

In the last issue of OneSteel Solutions we highlighted the increase 

in market share of steel-framed buildings in the multistorey 

buildings market. At the time of publishing, many of those 

buildings that contributed to the increasing share count were 

still in the construction stage. In this issue of OneSteel solutions 

we take a closer look at some of these buildings which are now 

complete, including several of the more high-profile buildings that 

are being added to the Australian skyline. 

Two high-rise buildings, namely the Southern Cross Building and 

the Urban Workshop from Melbourne, are featured in the pages to 

follow. The medium-rise buildings, specifically Latitude East, The 

Advertiser and Sunday Mail Building, and Flinders Link, illustrate 

that steel framing is suitable for a range of heights, occupancies 

and styles of buildings. 

When the projects were being researched for this publication, 

it was noticeable that the design teams all mentioned the 

sustainability aspects of their particular project. OneSteel, 

and indeed the steel industry, has over a number of years now, 

looked at the role that steel can play in sustainable developments. 

In this edition of OneSteel Solutions we take a look at this issue 

and will continue to explore the possibilities in more detail in the 

near future. 

Please enjoy this issue of OneSteel Solutions. 

3 IN THE NEWS 

• COMPOSITE ANALYSIS 

SOFTWARE 

Release of Latest Suite 

• ConnectED 2007 

OneSteel – proud sponsors of 

UNSW ConnectED 

• MARKET ASSISTANCE 

• OneSteel COMMUNIQUÉ 

NEWSLETTER 

Launch of monthly e-newsletter 

4 Structural Steel’s role 

In Sustainable Developments 

5 CASE STUDY: 

THE NEW ADVERTISER & 

SUNDAY MAIL BUILDING 

The new high-profile 

headquarters for Adelaide 

9 CASE STUDY: 

LATITUDE EAST @ 

WORLD SQUARE 

Experience & steel industry knowhow 

deliver a win-win result 

13 CASE STUDY: 

STEEL FRAME CONSTRUCTION 

DELIVERS 

New standards for Melbourne 

office tower 


DRIVEN BY STEEL 

SX1 – Southern Cross 

development 


BIG DEVELOPERS COMBINE 

IN STEEL TO CONNECT 

FLINDERS LINK 

Three developers combine to 

create Flinders Link in Adelaide 

24 CONTACTS 

OneSteel Solutions 

issue 8 page

in the news 

Composite 

Analysis 

Software 

OneSteel has recently completed 

the latest upgrade to its suite of 

Composite Analysis Software. The 

new suite consists of: 

CompSelector ® V1.0; 

CompLoader ® V1.0; 

COMPBEAM ® V2.1; 

CompPanel ® V1.2 (upgraded) and 

CompPen ® V1.0 (New) 

Version 1.2 of CompPanel ® now has a 

‘save’ function following feedback from 

designers that they would like to have 

the files stored electronically as well 

as on paper. CompPen ® , which allows 

web penetrations in composite beams 

to be analysed, is a new edition to the 

suite. CompPen ® will enable designers 

to either check a web penetration 

for structural adequacy or allow the 

software to determine the largest 

penetration allowable in a given position 

along the composite beam. 

Development is currently underway to 

write a module that will assist in the 

design of shear reinforcement. 

To get the latest copy of the software, fill 

out and return the coupon attached to 

this issue of OneSteel Solutions or call 

OneSteel Direct on 1800 1 STEEL. 

ConnectED 2007 

OneSteel is a proud sponsor of the University of New South Wales 

(UNSW) ConnectED Structure. 

This structure will be the combined creation of students from three Faculties of UNSW – The College of 

Fine Arts, Engineering and Built Environment. The structure will be the icon for the ConnectED Conference 

and have a prominent position on the Kensington campus through the duration of the conference. 

Creative and innovative design has a key role to play in the quest for designing environmentally 

sustainable buildings. OneSteel sees as one of its corporate responsibilities to promote sustainable 

developments to the designers of the future. As a material sponsor of the ConnectED Structure, 

OneSteel were given the opportunity to present to the students of the three faculties. OneSteel took 

this opportunity to promote ideas on design for sustainability. Students were encouraged to explore 

the possibilities of designs using steel sections which are deconstructed from other structures. The 

students were also challenged to consider designing a structure that could be easily deconstructed and 

relocated, or so that the steel could be recycled without the need for remelting. 

The students’ submissions can be viewed on the ConnectED website: 

http://au.omnium.net.au/projectx/mod/galleries/gallery.phpgix_id=18 

Market Assistance 

OneSteel has, since its origin, provided 

technical and market support to 

designers, builders and developers. 

This support includes the provision 

of design tools and publications, 

design advice for construction and 

fire engineering, a complementary 

composite steel design service, advice 

on products and facilitating expert 

advice. David Bell looks after the 

North/East Region covering NSW, ACT 

and QLD, while Spiros Dallas looks 

after the South/West Region covering 

VIC, TAS, SA, WA and NT. 

Both David and Spiros welcome any 

enquiries you may have on your next 

building project. It is their strong belief 

that the earlier they are involved in a 

project the better they are able to assist. 

Their contact details are listed below. 

David Bell – (02) 9792 9075 

0407 357 120 

Spiros Dallas – (03) 8312 2633 

0419 587 951 

Gary Oldfield, who has performed 

this role in Victoria for 36 years, has 

retired from OneSteel. While Gary was 

at OneSteel he was also very active in 

serving on numerous industry bodies 

including Engineers Australia and ASI. 

Nick van der Kreek, who previously 

serviced the Queensland market, has 

taken the role as OneSteel’ Technical 

Development Manager. 

OneSteel Communiqué Newsletter 

OneSteel has just launched a new email newsletter. OneSteel Communiqué is designed to provide practical know-how, 

showcase architectural and construction case studies and deliver the most up-to-the-minute news on steel initiatives. 

OneSteel Communiqué is a not-to-be-missed monthly e-newsletter. If you’re not already on the distribution list, you can 

make sure you are for future editions by calling or emailing OneSteel Direct 1800 1 STEEL or onesteeldirect@onesteel.com 

To see a copy of the first issue of OneSteel Communiqué, log onto www.onesteel.com 


issue 8 page

Structural Steel’s Role in 

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTS 

Grandstand at WIN Stadium 

relocated from the Aquatic Centre. 

It is generally accepted that the definition of Sustainable 

Development (SD) is: “Development that meets the 

needs of the present without compromising the ability 

of future generations to meet their own needs” 

The underlying principle behind this 

definition of SD is that there needs to be 

an integration of economic, environmental 

and social considerations, whilst seeking 

the optimal outcomes. These key factors 

should not be examined in isolation but 

in totality and a long-term view rather than 

a short-term view should be taken 

in making decisions. 

Even though the tools for making better 

SD decisions is a developing area, there 

is a strong and growing drive by the 

community to readily adopt all that is 

believed to be SD, and not necessarily with 

much understanding of whether tools or 

decisions are scientifically well grounded. 

The increased level of embracement of SD 

principles and tools is particularly driven by 

the broader community’s realisation that 

human interaction with the environment 

is impacting on climate change and water 

resources. Currently the most popular tools 

used to measure or compare the level of 

sustainability between developments are in 

the form of a checklist or scorecard. As a 

developing science, it is important that these 

tools are simple and easily adjustable to 

cater for the ever-increasing improvements 

in the science that will affect arbitrary 

weighting factors, credit points, and 

aspects to be rated in those tools. They 

Better informed 

design is the key. 

should be relevant in the decision making 

for building design and operation for the 

entire life cycle of the building including 

design, materials production, construction, 

operation, maintenance, demolition, 

component reuse or material recycle. 

If we look back at the definition of SD, we 

realise that the integration of environmental, 

economic and social policies is a complex 

task which is difficult to package and 

calibrate using just a simple scorecard. 

To be effective it requires all the 

stakeholders to examine the consequences 

of the scorecard and offer research and 

opinions to improve the calibration of these 

scorecards. OneSteel is committed to the 

environment and therefore has allocated 

resources into this area to provide feedback 

to the organisations responsible for 

administering these scorecards. 

The Green Buildings Council Australia’s 

Green Star system is one such a rating 

tool for which OneSteel has provided 

submissions to identify areas or issues. 

Steel is the most recycled material in the 

world by weight. This is presumably the 

reason why it is one of the first things 

that comes to mind when considering 

SD. However, this is not the key, better 

informed design is the key. In its 

submissions OneSteel has also reflected 

on the hierarchy of factors that will 

improve the environmental performance 

of buildings which contain structural steel. 

The hierarchy is based on the simple fact 

that the order of importance in SD is (1) 

Reduce; (2) Reuse; and finally (3) Recycle. 

OneSteel and its predecessors have devoted 

significant resources to improving the 

material strengths of their steel products. 

While this was predominantly to be the able 

to offer a premium product in the market 

place, from an SD perspective, it has also 

effectively reduced the amount of steel that 

would otherwise be consumed. The support 

OneSteel has offered to the development 

of Australian Design Standards and the 

design guides that OneSteel publishes 

promoting more economical designs are 

also now effectively facilitating design of 

SD by reducing the amount of steel that 

would have been used. 

Steel-framed buildings are chosen by 

many developers because of the inherent 

ease with which they can be modified 

or adapted. These buildings are easily 

extended either vertically or laterally, 

unbolted and re-bolted, strengthened and 

reshaped because of the nature of the 

connection of one piece of steel to another. 

Furthermore good design at inception will 

allow the steel elements of the structure 

to be unbolted and reused elsewhere. 

The grandstand seating for the Olympics 

at the Sydney Aquatic Centre, which has 

been disassembled and relocated to WIN 

Stadium, is one such high-profile example. 

Refurbishing steel members by re-rolling 

to straighten, cutting and drilling, etc 

for new application is also an option to 

consider before recycling. Component 

reuse will save more energy and reduce 

greenhouse effects, compared to the 

next option of remelting into new steel. 

However, when all the reduce and reuse 

options are exhausted the steel can be 

recycled as is already the case with 

around 95% of structural steel that is 

used for construction in Australia. 

The Green Buildings Council Australia 

has recently launched a Shopping Centre 

Design Pilot, which includes a new section 

in the Materials category that allocates 

points to “Reused Products and Materials” 

and “Disassembly and Adaptability”. 

This is a very pleasing development 

and indicates that the submissions by 

OneSteel and others are now being 

considered. 

For more information on 

sustainable developments 

contact OneSteel direct on 

1800 1 78335 (1800 1 STEEL) 


issue 8 page

300PLUS ® 

Ernst & Young Centre 

The new Advertiser 

& Sunday Mail Building 

The new high-profile headquarters of the 

Advertiser and Sunday Mail newspapers follows 

an Adelaide trend to build in steel. The project, 

which won Best Commercial Building at last 

year’s RAIA (South Australian Chapter) Awards 

was built with 1200 tonnes of structural steel at 

a cost of $50 million. 

The five-storey building, at 31 

Waymouth Street, is a steel-framed 

office construction using composite steel 

beams with a basement level and twostorey 

plant mezzanine above the roof. 

The building fits comfortably into the 

podium scale of the street and has 

been designed to enhance the quality 

of the pedestrian environment and 

provide a visually exciting façade on 

Waymouth Street. 

Designed by E.G.O │Fender Katsalidis, 

a joint venture between E.G.O, the 

Sydney commercial interior design firm 

and architects Fender Katsalidis, the 

impressive architecture presents a glass 

façade wall, while inside the building 

an atrium runs north to south, linked by 

bridges at each level from the lifts to the 

working floors. An open stairwell runs up 

through the atrium creating an ambience 

of light and space. 

The atrium, which runs the full height 

of the building, is a soaring space, 

naturally lit from above. This space 

allows immediate understanding of 

the workings of the building whilst 

providing natural light to the deep plan 

office floors. It also provides incidental 

staff meeting places via bridges which 

connect each office floor to the lift core 

and toilets, creating an environment for 

social and information exchange. 

Full height atrium 

naturally lit from above. 


issue 8 page

300PLUS ® 

Advertiser & Sunday Mail Building 

The building was on a tight design and 

construction schedule with financial 

penalties for the client if not occupied 

on time. Because of the medium-rise 

character of the building, structural 

engineers, Peter McBean and Loreto 

Taglienti of Wallbridge & Gilbert, in 

consultation with the architects, took 

the decision to use steel as the primary 

framing material to enable fast erection 

of the primary elements of the building. 

That approach meant that the fire-rating 

of the structure was taken off the critical 

path. Steel also provided the flexibly 

for the architecture, allowing for large 

edge cantilevers – an important part in 

realising the lightness of structure at the 

façade. While some of the steelwork was 

repetitive, other sections were unique. 

The typical 8.1 metre X 8.1 metre 

grid comprises OneSteel 300PLUS ® 

460UB67 primary and 410UB54 

secondary beams acting compositely 

with the steel-profile decking. Because 

of the large floor plate size the floorto-ceiling 

heights of 3 metres are 

significantly higher than is typical 

for office buildings. This avoids the 

horizontal squeezing of the internal view 

cone that would otherwise occur. 

The north and south perimeters have 

been designed to be column free. The 

3.5-metre cantilevered floors to the 

south and in particular to the north also 

influenced the selection of structural 

steel framing. 

On level two (the editorial floor) the 

client required a larger floor plate so the 

southern building edge at this level was 

designed to cantilever 3.6 metres out 

from the building face. This solution was 

made possible by large steel cantilever 

beams, which in turn become part of the 

visual expression of the building. 

The north façade in particular required 

an elegant and minimalist structural 

solution which could only be achieved 

through the use of steel. Deflection 

control of the cantilevered floors was 

very tight in order to service the façade 

weather seal. Consequently, Wallbridge & 

Gilbert considered steel the appropriate 

solution because of the greater 

deflection predictability, compared 

to a concrete structure. 

echoing the nature of the work within 

and communicating graphically the 

power of the use of words. It also 

provides pedestrian shelter along 

Waymouth Street and strategically 

locates the main public and corporate 

entrances to the building though a series 

of transition spaces from the public 

domain of the street and footpath into a 

lobby, before passing the security point 

into the building proper. 

The choice of hollow section columns 

was innovative as they provided an 

efficient, cost-effective and time-saving 

solution. Concrete-filled 400 x 400 x 

10.0 Square Hollow Sections (SHS) 

were used around the perimeter of the 

building, saving up to 30% in steel mass 

and fabrication costs. 

Floor beam connections to the hollow 

section columns took several forms. 

Circular Hollow Sections (CHS) columns 

with simply supported beams were 

connected by a single line of bolts to a 

web side plate welded to the column 

face. Continuous cantilevered beams 

utilised stub beams welded to the 

column face with (top and bottom) 

flanges welded to ring stiffeners around 

the column perimeter. Bolted moment 

end plate connections joined the stub 

beam to the suspended cross beams. 

The north façade in particular 

required an elegant and minimalist 

structural solution which could only 

be achieved through the use of steel. 

The glass façade on Waymouth Street. 

The glass façade has an inner skin 

curtain wall with an extended glass wall 

another metre away. This innovative 

‘second glass skin’ across the 

Waymouth Street frontage enlivens the 

building and integrates the corporate 

identity within an elegant, well 

considered façade. 

Environmentally it provides acoustic 

and thermal protection and shading as 

well as creating a distinctive urbane 

and graphically communicative façade, 

Perimeter SHS columns were either 

continuous with web side plate 

connected beams or, when these beams 

were cantilevered beyond the column 

line, discontinuous at every floor with 

cap and base plates connected to 

continuous beams. The floors were tied 

back to the two service cores, laterally 

bracing the building. 

Technology was critical to executing the 

multifaceted design. The integration of 

the 3D software enabled the exchange 


issue 8 page

CLIENT 

Advertiser Newspapers Pty 

Limited 

ARCHITECT 

E.G.O Fender Katsalidis 

PROJECT MANAGER 

E.G.O Group 

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER 

Wallbridge & Gilbert 

BUILDING CONTRACTOR 

Baulderstone Hornibrook 

STEELWORK CONTRACTOR 

Manuele Engineers 

This award-winning, high-profile 

office building is a demonstration 

of steel’s design flexibility. 

STEEL DETAILER 

USDSA 

STEEL DISTRIBUTOR 

OneSteel Steel and Tube; 

Smorgon Steel Metals 

Distribution 


issue 8 page

300PLUS ® 

Advertiser & Sunday Mail Building 

Innovative glass façade with 

an inner skin curtain wall. 

of shop drawings between the architect, 

engineer and detailer. Steel detailer 

USDSA created a 3D model as part of 

the USDSA/Manuele Engineers Joint 

Venture (drafting and manufacture inhouse) 

which allowed the steelwork to 

be both drawn and fabricated quickly 

offsite to meet the tight construction 

timeframes. Steelwork also meant 

a less congested site with a smaller 

construction team and reduced risk. 

This award-winning, high-profile 

building, with approximately 15,500 

square metres of office space over five 

storeys, is a demonstration of steel’s 

design flexibility, cost and time benefits 

and offers an example of what steel can 

deliver for multi-level developments. The 

steel frame of the Advertiser building will 

mean that changes for future use can 

more easily be accommodated. 

Fire engineering 

Advances in fire engineering design 

were key to the final framing system’s 

economy and competitiveness. 

Sprinklers and concrete-filled hollow 

section columns provide significant 

efficiencies to enable concessions on fire 

ratings to make the final framing system 

economically competitive. 

The fire engineering study allowed the 

majority of beams to be bare steel and 

the critical members to have a reduced 

fire resistance level (FRL). The 120 

minutes FRL required by the Building 

Code of Australia (BCA) deemed to 

satisfy requirements was reduced to 

60 minutes. This meant that only one 

coat of intumescent paint was needed to 

provide the required protection. 

Fire engineering design was done to 

Australian Standards and British guidelines. 

The gross floor area at each level is 

approximately 3100 square metres. 

An environmentally 

sustainable building 

Designed in an environmentally 

responsible manner the building limits 

emissions and other environmental 

pollutants. Careful consideration has 

been given to energy conservation, 

materials and user health and comfort, 

private and public realm and transport. 

The building design is consistent with 

Council Wide Principles 25 and 26. 

The Waymouth Street north façade 

has significant protection against solar 

infiltration into the interior. Horizontal 

sun-shading devices, located at each 

floor level and at intermediate levels, 

provide shading before the sun reaches 

the glazing proper. Sun shades are 

encapsulated within a ventilated doubleglass 

façade. The outer skin of glass 

provides an initial means of converting 

the solar radiation into heat before 

reaching the main building façade. The 

fine dot graphics, incorporated into the 

façade, provide additional shading. 

The western façade of the building 

is masonry, built against an existing 

building, and therefore not subject to 

heat infiltration. 

A much higher building (part of a 

redevelopment proposed to the east) 

is to be constructed, shading the east 

façade of the site further. Because of 

this factor and its orientation, the solar 

load on this façade is not great and 

is dealt with through the choice of an 

appropriately performing glazing system 

and integrated solar screenings. 

Stormwater runoff is collected and 

recycled in the watering systems for 

the courtyard and roof terrace and for 

flushing systems within the building. 

The building fabric is designed to reduce 

the heating and cooling loads on the air 

conditioning which has design initiatives 

that minimise energy consumption over 

traditional air conditioning systems. 

Walls and the roof materials have been 

selected from high thermal performance 

materials to substantially reduce heat 

transmission into space (and heat loss 

from the space in winter). 

More efficient lighting will reduce lighting 

energy consumption by more than 

50% based on typical office occupied 

hours. Wiring to the lighting has been 

configured to incorporate intelligent 

lighting controls that automatically 

switch off lights when an area is 

unoccupied. Similar wiring based on 

daylight controls lights close to the 

perimeter of the building. 

The carpark ventilation includes 

CO 2 monitoring to minimise energy 

consumption from the carpark exhaust 

and ventilation fans. 

Steel – The competitive advantage 

• On-time occupation for the client. 

• Steel facilitated greater flexibility in the architectural expression allowing large edge cantilevers, 

to realise the desired lightness at the façade. 

• A steel frame enabled fast erection of the primary elements of the building for speedy enclosure. 

• The steel solution gave greater deflection predictability and control of the cantilevered floors. 

• Advances in fire engineering design were key to the final framing system’s economy 

and competitiveness. 

• The integration of the 3D software enabled the exchange of shop drawings between the architect, 

engineer and detailer. 

• Offsite fabrication of the steelwork provided a less congested site with a smaller construction team 

and reduced risk. 


issue 8 page

Latitude East @ 

World Square 

E x p e r i e n c e a n d s t e e l i n d u s t r y 

k n o w - h o w d e l i v e r a w i n - w i n r e s u lt 

The last construction on the World Square site is a 

ten-storey A-Grade commercial office building known 

as Latitude East. The new building sits on top of 

an existing 12-storey concrete structure. The glass 

façade structure with an enclosed atrium is being 

built above the World Square Retail Complex. 

When completed in November 2007 it will deliver 

around 25,000 square metres of floor space, to 

be occupied by the Australian Taxation Office. 

An oversized pressed metal edge form was used at 

the edges of the slabs, enabling pouring to a level. 


issue 8 page

300PLUS ® 

Latitude East @ World Square 

Designed by leading architects Crone 

Partners and engineered by Taylor 

Thomson Whitting (TTW) Latitude East 

is being developed on the World Square 

site by Multiplex and follows the three 

high-rise towers and the Retail Complex 

completed between September 2002 

and May 2006. Construction on this 

site has presented a number of design 

challenges, not the least of which has 

been the pre-existence of the multi-level 

carpark, loading dock and parts of the 

retail structure. 

Multiplex had designed the World Square 

Retail Complex, over which Latitude East 

is built, to support a future residential 

development above. When the feasibility 

of a major government tenant (the ATO) 

became a commercial reality, Multiplex 

realised the layout of the proposed 

building would have to alter and the 

columns would have to be strengthened 

substantially to support the change. 

Weight, always an issue on the World 

Square site because of load limitations 

on the pre-existing multilevel carpark, 

became even more critical on Latitude 

East. Steel, as a material able to deliver 

a 30% lighter building, was the ideal 

structural solution. The lighter frame 

greatly reduced the degree to which 

the existing structure needed to be 

strengthened. 

Stephen Boss of Multiplex said that: 

“The strengthening work would have 

meant time delays on the project 

that couldn’t be predicted because 

of uncertain access to existing retail 

tenancies. However, a structural steel 

solution was around 30% lighter so 

many less columns needed to be 

strengthened, reducing the uncertain 

time risks. The steel option allowed 

Multiplex to improve our risk profile on 

the project.” 

Apart from the increased time and cost 

to strengthen the columns to carry a 

heavier commercial structure the site 

had other constraints including: 

• construction operating times 

restricted to 7am-7pm weekdays 

and Saturdays from 7am-5pm 

• limitation to traffic movements on 

and off the site 

• workforce number limitations 

of the site. 

OneSteel Solutions issue 8 page 10 

Construction work shows the atrium with 

balustrades to the lower floors in position.

300PLUS ® 


Offsite fabrication of the steelwork 

and a cooperative approach from the 

steel industry overcame these and 

other restrictions. 

TTW carried out the engineering design, 

including design of the floors to meet 

structural requirements. Greg Kane, 

TTW’s Structural Engineer, said that: 

“There are 12 storeys below the new 

structure. The first new level (level 13) 

was built as a transfer deck. From level 

14 the construction is composite steel 

decking with a structural steel frame. 

Of over 200 existing columns only 30 

needed to be strengthened for structural 

reasons, with a few more modified for 

architectural motives, greatly reducing 

the impact on the retail tenancies and 

to discuss the feasibility of the steel 

option. These meetings were the 

genesis of a cooperative coordinated 

working relationship between Multiplex 

and the emergent BlueScope Lysaght 

Design & Construction team which 

resulted in a win-win outcome for all 

and substantially reduced Multiplex’s 

risk profile on the project.” 

Multiplex contracted BlueScope 

Lysaght Design & Construction Pty Ltd 

to manage the steelwork packages, 

including supply, fabrication and erection 

of the steel frame and the installation of 

the steel decking and shear studs. 

Greg Kane said that: “Erection was very 

fast. The average deck was on a six-day 

site-work drilling, surveying, fitting 

safety barriers and the installation of the 

curtain wall brackets. We coordinated 

the work of over 20 suppliers. This 

approach gave Multiplex a completely 

integrated delivery of the steelwork and 

reduced the risks associated with the 

steel option.” 

Brent Poll said that the 900 tonnes of 

steel beams, plus the columns, decking 

installation and the roof structure, was 

erected over 11 weeks. 

The composite beams were designed 

with OneSteel’s latest CompPanel ® 

software. Pre-cambers offset the beam 

self weight and wet concrete deflection 

to provide a horizontal beam soffit and 

Erection was very fast. The 

average deck was on a six-day 

cycle. We started construction 

in mid September and had 

virtually finished the structure 

by late December. 

access to the carpark. Only eight new 

columns were needed.” 

Chris Mathews, a former Multiplex 

Construction Manager had worked on 

the Latitude/Ernest & Young Tower and 

the Retail Complex with Harry Young 

(Project Manager) and Stephen Boss of 

Multiplex. Their combined experience 

on both projects and Chris Mathews’ 

association as a consultant to BlueScope 

Lysaght’s Design & Construction 

business meant the team was able to 

sit down and design out a lot of the 

construction issues on the Latitude 

East project. 

Stephen Boss said that: “Chris Mathews 

bought to the evolving design table 

OneSteel engineers and the BlueScope 

Lysaght Design & Construction business 

cycle. We started construction in mid 

September and had virtually finished the 

structure by late December.” 

Greg attributed the speed of erection 

to pre-planning. “Once into the 

construction phase all went smoothly. 

It went very well largely because of the 

detailed pre-planning which went into 

the steelwork. Weekly pre-planning 

meetings were held between May and 

August to design out any aspects which 

might hold up the project.” 

Brent Poll, Manager of BlueScope 

Lysaght Design & Construction, said 

that they put a huge effort into the 

management of the job. “We took a 

holistic approach and integrated the 

design management, the steelwork 

detailing, fabrication, ancillary formwork, 

uniform slab thickness. This meant that 

the slabs could be poured to a level 

with a uniform thickness resulting in 

minimal concrete wastage. Site feedback 

indicated that the pre-cambers specified 

generally came out as calculated. An 

oversized pressed metal edge form was 

used at the edges of the slabs. 

Extensive interactions between 

BlueScope Lysaght Design & 

Construction and TTW generated 

highly economical connection details. 

Most of the web side plate (WSP) 

connections were changed to angle 

cleat connections. The single angle 

cleat connections (rather than a WSP) 

meant many of the primary beams, 

as well as all the secondary beams 

could be processed on a beam line 

by Sebastian Engineering rather than 

OneSteel Solutions issue 8 page 11

300PLUS ® 


OWNER 

Multiplex 

DEVELOPER 

Multiplex 

ARCHITECT 

Crone Partners 

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS 

Taylor Thomson Whitting 

BUILDER 

Multiplex Construction 

STRUCTURAL CONTRACTOR 

BlueScope Lysaght 

Design & Construction 

requiring the welding of a WSP, enabling 

greater speed of fabrication and ease of 

transportation. 

Connection to concrete core wall 

generally consisted of site welding an 

angle cleat to a plate that had been cast 

into the wall. Horizontally slotted holes 

in the cleat enabled fast installation 

of the beam. 

Innovative column to primary beam 

connections, fabricated by Phoenix 

Engineering were also used extensively 

to speed up shop fabrication and improve 

the economy of the finished solution. 

The OneSteel 300PLUS ® 310UB40 

secondary beams allowed the air 

conditioning ductwork to pass below the 

bottom flange. Using OneSteel’s beam 

penetration software, web penetrations 

were located in the primary beams 

where required. Some large reinforced 

web penetrations were beyond the 

scope of the OneSteel software, so were 

designed using finite element analysis. 

In the preliminary design the team used 

Murray et al, Steel Design Guide Series 

11: Floor Vibrations due to Human 

Activity published by American Institute 

of Steel Construction (AISC) 2003 to 

show that the vibration level was within 

acceptable limits for interior floors. 

Vibration performance of the cantilever 

areas was checked by TTW using finite 

element software. 

As there is a wall of glass on the internal 

atrium there was no need for any special 

vibration treatment here which would 

have been have needed if there had only 

been a lightweight balustrade. 

The cantilevered non-composite 

OneSteel 300PLUS ® 610UB125 primary 

beams were passed through a slotted 

stub 600-millimetre Circular Hollow 

Section (CHS) column. For ease of 

transportation and fast site erection 

they were fabricated as an assembly. 

The 600-millimetre diameter columns 

allowed good access for concrete 

pouring either side of the beams. 

The curtain wall façade dictated that the 

cantilevers and edge beams be sized to 

limit deflection at the mid-span of the 

edge beam between adjacent floors to 

within acceptable limits. 

Small scissor lifts were used to erect the 

beams, enabling easy, safe access for 

the riggers. Expandable foam was used 

to seal the gap between the decking and 

the circular columns. 

Some concrete blade walls were made 

with two small UC sections used to 

support the steel floor. Then the concrete 

blade columns were formed up and 

poured, allowing the floor construction 

to go ahead of the blade walls, and each 

floor and the supporting blade walls to 

be poured concurrently. 

The stairwells are supported from each 

level rather than self supporting over the 

entire height. 

According to Greg Kane the Latitude 

East project goes a long way to 

dispelling the beliefs and myths 

surrounding steel. He said that: “The 

construction industry doesn’t have a 

lot of experience building in steel so is 

chary about using it as a construction 

material. Steel may take more preplanning 

than a concrete structure but 

that pre-planning pays dividends in the 

speed of erection once construction 

gets underway. This building benefited 

from the experiences some of the team 

had gained on the Latitude/Ernst & 

Young Tower next door. The involvement 

of the steel industry at the early 

planning stage contributed to a troublefree 

construction program.” 

Fire Engineering 

Web penetrations were located in the deeper primary beams where required. 

Most web penetrations were un-reinforced for economy. 

Fire engineering conducted by 

Norman Disney & Young and 

supported by OneSteel provided 

a solution where only the primary 

beams and the main secondary 

beams joining columns were fire 

sprayed, and only to an FRL of 

60 minutes. The fire engineering 

solutions also allowed the entire 

top 2 levels of the office floors 

to be entirely unprotected steel 

floor beams. 

A completely enclosed safety mesh 

barrier was erected on the active 

construction level and moved 

upwards as erection progressed. 

Angle cleat connections saved costs on the project. 

The cleats were site welded to a plate that had been 

cast into the wall. Horizontally slotted holes in the 

cleat allowed quick installation of the beam. 


Steel frame 

construction delivers 

N e w s ta n d a r d s f o r M e l b o u r n e o f f i c e t o w e r 

According to its advocates, the new Urban 

Workshop at 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, 

designed by John Wardle Architects in 

association with Hassell and NH Architecture, 

has “unparalleled modern features that will 

set new standards in office accommodation.” 

The majority of the building’s occupants will be within 12 metres of a window, no 

matter where they are in the 54,000 square metres of floor space above ground 

levels. The Department of Human Services is the anchor tenant. 

The Urban Workshop took six years of interactive planning between the clients, 

The Industry Superannuation Property Trust (ISPT), Multiplex and architect John 

Wardle. Together they have created a landmark commercial building. The 34-level 

tower with a five-level basement (accommodating 476 cars, 216 bicycles and 89 

motorcycle spaces) integrates a mixture of uses, provides an innovative workplace 

milieu and an enhanced urban environment. 

At ground level a network of new public laneways was designed to reflect the original 

street configuration, lost to title consolidation in the 1950s, but now remembered 

and reinterpreted as pedestrian thoroughfares passing through the foyer, actively 

connecting to the life of the city. 

Built at a cost of $200 million, the building is light and transparent and very open, 

indicating there is a lot that is different under the skin. 

The four-level podium provides 

interactive office space with bridge links 

between the tenancies overlooking the 

large foyer and retail area below. 

The innovative design of the steel and 

glass structure was fundamental to 

achieving the light, airy, transparent 

look. The composite steel decking and 

a structural steel frame with innovative 

composite columns and metal deck 

was prop-free construction. Floor 

construction employs composite steel 

beams (up to 13-metre span), with a 

cantilever that supports floor to ceiling 

windows and provides a column-free 

façade effect. 

The 1900-square-metre floor plate 

is unique for a 34-storey building in 

Melbourne. The slender side core, 

housing 17 lifts in three rises with two 

dedicated goods lifts, is offset and has 

three core outriggers at the top of the 

building to assist in providing structural 

stiffness. Flying beam structures are 

employed for the podium floors. 


300PLUS ® 

50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne 

Peter Chancellor of Connell Mott 

MacDonald, the design engineers on the 

project, said that: “We produced designs 

for two versions – in post tension 

concrete and in steel. Both were costed 

by Rider Hunt and were pretty close. 

Because of similar floor-to-floor heights 

of 3.95 metres for the concrete and 

steel alternatives and the same vertical 

interval for accommodating services, 

there was no significant variation in 

costs for services.” 

Multiplex, the builder on the project, then 

made the call for the steel version, and 

the detailed design was done. In making 

the decision to use steel Multiplex 

said that steel presented less risk to 

the building program and a significant 

reduction in labour costs. 

Chancellor went on to say that: “There 

was a tight program for this job, and 

Multiplex felt there was a lower risk 

with the steel option as more of the 

components could be fabricated off site.” 

“Another benefit was the jump-start 

method of construction for which steel 

is very suitable. The lower podium 

floors are quite complex post-tensioned 

concrete structures so it was an 

advantage to remove these from the 

critical path for the project. The tall steel 

jump-start columns protruded above 

the podium levels. By building on top of 

those jump-start columns, work could 

proceed on the upper levels, while the 

complex and time-consuming podium 

“The innovative design of the 

steel and glass structure was 

fundamental to achieving the 

light, airy, transparent look.” 


300PLUS ® 


floors were simultaneously attended 

to. Steel construction is ideal for this 

approach,” Chancellor concluded. 

The project grid was 9 x 12 metres, 

with a central spine beam. Because 

the floor plate was not rectangular, it 

needed a bay of varying span secondary 

beams with one support on the central 

concrete core. Fabrication was carried 

out by GFC Industries. The beams were 

generally OneSteel 700WB and OneSteel 

300PLUS ® 610UB and 530UB sections 

with tubular steel perimeter columns and 

square steel internal composite columns, 

involving innovative splice details. 

The floor slabs were 120 millimetres 

with designated areas strengthened for 

compactus loading. 

Flying beams in the podium floors 

The reasons for going with steel 

included: 

• large floor plates ranging from 

1700 to 1900 square metres were 

economical in steel 

• simplicity and ease of construction 

• speed of erection 

• emphasis on repetitive engineering 

• considerable off-site construction, 

reducing on-site trades and labour 

• lower structural weight compared to 

concrete construction, which reduced 

column and footing sizes. 

The Building Management System 

is flexible, responding to occupant 

demands, as well as optimising energy 

use and logging usage patterns. It 

covers all energy aspects of the building. 

The system manages lighting, power, 

transport, safety, security and air 

handling. It can utilise outside air when 

outdoor ambient conditions permit, 

thus avoiding the need to cool air. Heat 

recovery from light fittings in ceiling 

voids can also be used to supplement 

heating in winter. 

State-of-the-art management and 

control of the building’s services is just 

one, albeit important, aspect of the 

project. The building has achieved a 

4.5 star Australian Building Greenhouse 

Rating (ABGR).The rating measures the 

management, health and wellbeing of 

a building’s occupants, accessibility 

to public transport, water use, energy 

consumption, embodied energy of its 

materials, land use and pollution. 

The steel solution presented less risk 

to the overall construction program 

and the contract time saving was 

estimated at two months. The major 

tenant moved in between March and 

the end of April 2006. 

The project lead the Royal Australian 

Institute of Architects 2006 Victorian 

Awards where it won awards for 

Commercial Architecture, Interior 

Architecture, Urban Design and shared 

the Melbourne Prize awarded for 

projects which have made a significant 

contribution to the CBD. 


300PLUS ® 


DEVELOPER 

ISPT 

ARCHITECT 

John Wardle Architects in 

association with Hassell 

and NH Architecture 


Connell Mott MacDonald 

BUILDER 

Multiplex Constructions 

Built at a cost of $200 million, the 

building is light and transparent and 

very open, indicating there is a lot 

that is different under the skin. 


GFC Industries 


Straightline Drafting 

QUANTITY SURVEYOR 

Rider Hunt 

FIRE ENGINEERING 

Norman Disney & Young 

OneSteel Solutions issue 8 page 16 

The Urban Workshop foyer

DRIVEN 

BY STEEL 

SX1 – SOUTHERN CROSS DEVELOPMENT 

An exciting new business development is 

taking shape at the top end of Bourke Street 

on the western corner of Exhibition Street. 

This prominent site was once the location of 

Melbourne’s prestigious Southern Cross Hotel. 

The site was procured by joint venture partners and is now under the ownership of 

Multiplex. The current phase of the project was completed in March. 

The new Southern Cross Development is well located at the eastern precinct of the 

Melbourne Central Business District. The site also enjoys excellent amenities with 

shops, restaurants, hotels, major office buildings and public transport nearby. 

The trend for modern corporations to seek larger floor plates rather than skyscrapers 

was a driving force in the commercial brief of this new corporate building. The target 

market is a mix of corporate and government tenants. 

Planned to be staged, the development 

of two building towers linked with 

Southern Cross Lane under the canopy 

and five basement levels, will offer to 

the market 120,000 square metres of 

office space in total, over 5000 square 

metres of retail space and secure 

parking for 950 cars, 150 bicycles and 

100 motor bikes. 

The SX1 building will comprise four 

major elements: 

• double height ground level consisting 

of main entries, foyer and secured lift 

lobbies, whilst the remaining space 

will be offered for mixed-use retail 


300PLUS ® 

SX1 – Southern Cross Development 

Due to various advantages, 

structural steel framing 

was selected for use in the 

construction of the extension. 

• above ground level, two podium 

floors providing 3500 square metres 

net lettable area of office area each 

• elegantly constructed and transparent 

canopy enclosing the space between 

the buildings at the top of their 

podium levels will open up to 

new civic and retail precinct labelled 

Southern Cross Lane 

• the tower above the podium levels 

will have open office floor plates in 

excess of 2100 square metres 

and will accommodate plant rooms 

and required building services. 

The SX1 (or East tower) with centrally 

located concrete core and only one row 

of columns to building perimeter will 

deliver 76,700 square metres over forty 

floors. The SX2 (or West Tower) with side 

core and two rows of columns (perimeter 

and centre of building) will provide 

45,200 square metres over 22 levels will 

be occupying the western end of the site 

in the future. 

Stage 1 of the development, fully let 

to the Victorian State Government, 

includes the construction of five levels of 

basement carparking below street level 

and the 40-level (165-metre-high) East 

Tower – SX1. Multiplex Construction is 

the ‘design and construct’ builder for this 

$300 million development. It is estimated 

that 40,000 cubic metres of concrete 

and 6500 tonnes of steel will be used on 

the project. 

Woods Bagot, the architect on the 

projects, has designed a dramatically 

angled glazed façade, to take advantage 

of the city views. Gordana Ticak, Woods 

Bagot’s Project Director said that: “On the 

eastern façade we utilised the slim profile 

of the slab and floor structure to extend 

glazing from floor to the underside of the 

slab above, thus maximising the views 

and natural light penetration. The steel 

structure and the beam cantilever has 

enabled creation of large podium floors, 

giving a dramatic effect of space without 

any apparent support.” 

Lift shafts, toilets, lobby and escape 

stairs were located centrally within the 

floor plates, with columns located at the 

building’s perimeter, creating column-free 

space. The floor plates for the building 

are approximately 4300 square metres 

through the podium levels (levels 1 to 4), 

while the typical floors are approximately 

2650 square metres. 

The 14-metre span was a massive selling 

feature for SX Developments and enabled 

work station layouts at a 1500-millimetre 

grid rather than 800 or 900 millimetres. 

This significantly improved building 

efficiency. 

The structural solution for the tower floor 

plate needed to accommodate spans of 

up to 16 metres radiating from the central 

core. Multiplex Constructions required that 

the structure be simple, easy to construct, 

repetitive and minimise the on-site trades. 

Durham Shaw, Multiplex Constructions’ 

Design Manager on the site, said that the 

two main drivers for steel were the price 

of formwork and competitive quotes from 

the steel fabricators. 

Durham said that GVP Fabricators, 

engaged as the steel fabricator and 

erector, conducted the operation in a 

highly professional manner. “There was 

no previous relationship with the site 

team but some relationship with Multiplex. 

The Multiplex site team was relatively 

unfamiliar with high-rise structural steel 

construction so the key was in the 

professional shop detailing, and GVP 

facilitated this. The big advantage in 

building in steel is floor turnaround time. 

With steel you can move the screens the 

next day whereas with concrete, screens 

cannot move until the back-propping 

is complete and the concrete has had 

sufficient time to cure.” 

“The other great advantage was the 

reduction in the number of workers on 

site. On this project the erection team 

was 15, whereas if the building had been 

a concrete frame the number of form 

workers would have been approximately 

80,” Durham said. 

Bonacci Group (structural engineers 

on the project) Director Stuart Rossiter 

proposed an unpropped steel frame, 

acting compositely with metal deck 

formwork as the most cost-effective 

solution for the tower, and this was 

then verified by Multiplex Constructions. 

Columns were spaced around the 

building’s perimeter, at 9-metre centres, 

to suit the architectural ceiling and façade 

grid, and there are no column transfers. 


300PLUS ® 

Brisbane Airport 

Steel detailing 

Steel detailer Ricky Hains of PlanIT 

Design Group said they created a 3D 

model for the project. “To ensure that 

the correct amount of precamber was 

being applied to the steel floor beams, a 

bay of steelwork was actually assembled 

at GVP’s plant and then loaded with 

steel plates to simulate the loading from 

wet concrete. The amount of deflection 

was then measured and compared to 

the theoretical deflection previously 

calculated. The fact that the measured 

figures were all within an acceptable 

range of the theoretical figures is 

testament to the level of engineering 

expertise employed on this project”. 

Columns 

“Full structural steel columns were adopted 

in lieu of composite columns or columns 

encased in concrete. This enabled the 

structural column to be relatively smaller 

in cross-section. We designed a fabricated 

column section, made from 400-grade 

steel plate, with the capacity to support 

the large axial loads.” 

These fabricated columns were not in 

the standard OneSteel Welded Column 

range and therefore it was sourced from 

overseas. GVP Fabricators, the steel 

fabricators and erectors, used these 

sections for the lower 28 levels of the 

building and OneSteel Welded Columns 

for the upper levels as this was the 

most economical solution. Smorgon 

Steel Metals Distribution supplied 5345 

tonnes of hot rolled and welded sections 

into the project from OneSteel. 

Beams 

The building floor framing system has 

composite steel secondary beams 

spanning up to 15 metres. Lou said that: 

“These were pushed out to 3-metre 

centres to optimise the span of the 

metal formwork, with cantilevers varying 

from 1-metre above level 5 and 4 

metres between level 2 and level 4.” 

“The cantilevers rely on beam continuity 

through the primary support beams,” 

Lou said. “To control tip deflections 

Multiplex elected to prop the ends of 

the beams, which was critical because 

of the method of fixing the curtain wall 

system. Steel channels were cast into 

the slab, so that the curtain wall could 

effectively be fixed to the building, 

controlling the tip deflections. There 

were no penetrations in the beams 

but a services haunch around each 

The SX1 (or East tower) with centrally located concrete 

core and only one row of columns to building perimeter 

will deliver 76,700 square metres over forty floors. 

“Apart from the steelwork supporting 

the façade work on the first four levels 

where there were some interesting 

geometric requirements, the detailing 

was relatively straightforward. One 

variable that had to be considered was 

the impact of the axial compression 

on the steel columns with an extra 2 

millimetres added to the height of the 

columns for each floor. Multiplex’s use 

of a web-based project management 

programme facilitated the exchange of 

documentation and helped coordination 

between the various sub-contractors, 

including those working on the façade 

glazing and the steel structure.” 

Structural steel design 

Lou Piovesan, Director at Bonacci Group 

described the design of the columns, 

slab and beams of the structural system. 

Generally, the columns were erected 

three storeys high, with splices at 1000 

millimetres above the finished floor level. 

Splices were designed in accordance 

with AS 4100 1998 Steel structures. 

The ends of columns were prepared for 

full contact with splice plates designed 

to transmit nominal axial compressions 

and minimum moments. 

Adjustments to the column heights 

were made to control the differential 

settlement between the concrete core 

shortening and creeping and shortening 

of the steel columns. 

Slabs 

Continuous metal deck formwork spanning 

3 metres between secondary beams was 

used to support the 120-millimetre thick 

floor slab, with continuous reinforcing top 

fabric. In areas where greater acoustic 

requirement was needed (such as plant 

rooms), a thicker slab with secondary 

beams at closer centres was adopted. 

beam. The secondary beams were 

also notched at each end, to assist in 

services reticulation for the building. 

Beams are supported by the concrete 

core at one end and steel primary 

beams at the other.” 

“Composite primary beams spanning 

between the steel columns support 

the secondary beams and gave the 

structure a degree of rigidity during 

erection and pouring of slabs.” 

“Connection details needed to be simple 

to reduce erection time of structural 

members on site. We designed 

bearing plate connections for primary 

beams, simple cleated connections for 

secondary beams and end plates, where 

continuity was required,” Lou concluded. 

DEVELOPER 

SX Developments 

BUILDING CONTRACTOR 

Multiplex Constructions 

ARCHITECT 

Woods Bagot 

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS 

Bonacci Group 

STEEL CONTRACTOR 

GVP Fabricators 

STEEL DETAILING 

PlanIt Design Group 

STEEL SUPPLIER 

Smorgon Steel Metals 

Distribution 


300PLUS ® 

SX1 – Southern Cross Development 

Fire engineering design 

A thorough fire engineering design 

was investigated by Lincolne Scott 

Fire, all working through the building 

surveyor, Philip Chun and Associates. The 

investigation considered all the other 

services, such as sprinklers, smoke 

detection and hydrants that also fire 

protect the building. The fire engineering 

solution adopted to comply with the 

requirements of the Building Code of 

Australia (BCA) was to fire protect all 

steel columns to the underside of primary 

beams, as well as primary beams with a 

surface area to mass ratio of greater than 

20 square metres per tonne. 

The fire engineering study reduced the 

protection from two hours to one hour 

through larger exits and covenanting 

design. This solution was an economically 

acceptable outcome as most of the 

structural steel was unprotected. 

Environmental 

Lou Piovesan said that: “This 

building is unique, in that Woods 

Bagot has implemented a number 

of environmentally sustainable 

development (ESD) initiatives, such as 

double glazing and double skin façades. 

ades. 

We have recycled steel off-cuts, black 

water treatment and, where possible, 

used environmentally friendly material.” 

“The ESD façade provided the design 

team with some challenges, in 

particular to support the outer façade 

skin. We also needed to maintain 

access between the two façades. 

ades. 

This was achieved by extending 

the floor plate structure beyond the 

concrete edge, in order to support the 

walkway outer skin, while at the same 

time carrying the vertical and horizontal 

load imposed by the external façade.” 

Conclusion 

Lou Piovesan, Director Bonacci Group, 

said that: “To achieve the maximum 

benefit for structural steel-framed 

buildings a more active role during the 

design phase should be played by the 

steel fabricator/erector and steel detailer 

so that systems of repetition, optimised 

connection design and planned erection 

sequencing can be implemented 

that best suits the capabilities of the 

fabricator. This, however, does mean 

engaging the fabricator before the 

design is finalised. Builders are always 

nervous about this, as it eliminates the 

opportunity for competitive tendering.” 

“A better understanding early in the 

design phase of external façade 

systems would greatly assist designers 

in optimising and detailing systems 

that accommodate façade system 

tolerances and fixing requirements. 

Again, this limits the builder getting 

competitive tender prices for the work, 

if the manufacturers and installers are 

employed at the beginning of the project, 

before the design is fully scoped.” 

“The other challenge, not only with steel 

framed structures but also with all 

construction, is that change to the floor 

plate is difficult to incorporate once 

construction begins. With steel it is 

because once steel fabrication begins, the 

steelwork is manufactured a number of 

floors ahead of construction. Late changes, 

which require modification on site, can 

be very expensive but are easier to 

accommodate in steel than, say, concrete.” 

Advantages of the steel solution 

Cost: The unpropped steel acting 

compositely with metal deck formwork 

was the most cost-effective solution for 

the tower. 

Ease of construction: The steel 

solution was simple, easy to construct, 

repetitive and minimised the on-site 

trades. 

Reduced workforce: The 

reduction in the number of workers 

on site made for a safer and less 

congested site. Erection team was 

15 as opposed to around 80 form 

workers. 

Flexiblity: The flexibility of steel 

allowed the architects to design a 

dramatically angled glazed façade, to 

take advantage of the city views. 

Metal deck: The slim composite 

steel deck enabled the architect to 

extend the glazing from the floor to the 

underside of slab above, maximising 

the views and natural light penetration. 

Lou concluded his comments on this 

project by saying that: “Bonacci Group 

has, over recent years, established 

an enviable track record in designing 

and delivering a varied range of steelframed 

structures. We recognised that 

pre-planning is paramount in achieving 

and delivering the project on time and 

on budget. It is through getting the 

project team working closely together 

at the initial planning phase that 

determines the success of the building 

system adopted. We were fortunate that 

architectural issues were addressed 

and accommodated early, as well as the 

services requirements for plant, duct 

work and penetrations.” 

“If the building can be planned and 

understood and all interfaces between 

the owners, consultants and builder 

coordinated early during the design 

phase, then the advantages of opting 

for a structural steel building system 

can be realised.” 

“Bonacci Group would have no hesitation 

in repeating the exercise, given the 

success of this project.” 

Technology: Creating a 3D model 

of the project allowed web-based 

document exchange facilitating 

accuracy and reducing the number 

of RFIs. 

Time: Big advantage in steel is floor 

cycle times. 

Large spans: The 14-metre 

spans enabled work station layouts 

at a 1500-millimetre grid rather than 

800 millimetres or 900 millimetres, 

significantly improving building 

efficiency. 

Off-site construction: Off-site 

construction of the structural steelwork 

reduced traffic and site congestion. 

Industry capability: Competitive 

steel fabrication industry. High 

professionalism of the steel fabricator 

and their facilitation of the professional 

shop detailing. 


BIG DEVELOPERS COMBINE 

IN STEEL TO CONNECT 

FLINDERS LINK 

In the heart of Adelaide three developers have combined to create 

Flinders Link. The new development is an exciting mix of office, retail 

and residential-use development. A complex of multistorey office 

buildings, residential and carparking is being built in five stages 

and is set to invigorate the inner city. 


300PLUS ® 

Flinders Link – Adelaide 

PT Building Services is a one-third 

partner developer with Kambitsis Group 

and Hindmarsh Group. The joint project 

at 58–80 Flinders and Wyatt Streets 

will replace the former Nolan Shannon 

Building, the rundown YMCA Building 

and the former BEA Motors site. A 

pedestrian walkway links Flinders and 

Pirie Streets and joins onto Freemasons 

Lane (stage 1); a multistorey public 

carpark, with 700 spaces (stage 2); the 

construction of a nine-storey apartment 

building fronting Wyatt Street with 36 

two-bedroom apartments – to be known 

as “Dakota on Wyatt” (stage 3); multistorey 

office building (stage 4); and 

an eight-storey office building for one 

tenant (stage 5). 

The first three stages currently being built 

are the 700-space multilevel carpark 

(stage 2) and IAG Building (stage 5) and 

the Santos Building (stage 4). Although 

described as stage 2 and 5 the carpark 

and IAG Building integrate, with the top 

two levels of the office building extending 

over the carpark. 

Stage 2 and 5 during construction 

IAG has leased 100% of the building 

and taken naming rights while the oil 

and gas giant, Santos, has locked in 

a ten-year lease taking 100% of the 

second new office building. These three 

stages of the project were planned for 

completion before March 2007 but were 

completed in July 2006. 

The IAG Building has achieved a Five 

Star Green Energy Rating under the 

Green Building Council of Australia 

system. High performance double 

glazing cuts down heat penetration 

and loss while the air system monitors 

CO 2 emissions, cutting in and out as 

required. Low-use water appliances 

have been installed and all the fittings 

and fixtures have low volatile organic 

compounds (VOC). Ample bicycle parking 

has been provided. 

Designed by architects HASSELL and 

engineered by Wallbridge & Gilbert, the 

façade of the new IAG office building is 


300PLUS ® 

Flinders Link - Adelaide 

a double glazed curtain wall on a steelframed 

structure with composite metal 

decks and a central concrete core. 

Square hollow section columns support OneSteel 

primary beams. 

Steel was perceived as the preferred 

material for several reasons. Greg 

Zafiridis, Walbridge & Gilbert’s Project 

Engineer, said that as the carpark was 

designed to be built in steel it became 

the most logical choice for the adjoining 

building. “We saw that there was market 

capability to deliver and erect the steel 

to meet the tight construction schedule 

imposed by the tenant’s need to occupy 

the building within a tight timeframe.” 

The Samaras Group detailed and 

fabricated the steelwork off site, delivering 

the structural steel to the site where they 

carried out the steel erection. 

Chris Watkins, project architect for 

HASSELL said that: “The site covers an 

area of 6600 square metres to deliver a 

building with 12,000 square metres of 

office space over eight levels. To level six 

the grid is 8.4 x 8.4 metres but changes 

at level eight to 16.8 x 16.8. These top 

two levels extend over the carpark below 

to deliver large floor plates of 3000 

square metres each.” 

To level six the building is supported 

on 508 x 10 circular hollow sections 

(CHS) filled with reinforced concrete. 

The column design was based on Corus 

Tubes Design Guide for Concrete Filled 

Columns. These columns have a fire 

resistance level (FRL) of 120 minutes. 

Typical primary beams in the office 

and carpark are OneSteel 300PLUS ® 

530UB92 primary beams and 410UB54 

secondary beams. All internal beams of 

the office and the secondary beams of 

the carpark are composite with web side 

plate connections. The primary carpark 

beams and all edge beams and minor 

trimmers are non-composite and erected 

without propping. 

OneSteel worked with the project 

team to provide information on the key 

benefits of structural steel, in particular 

the fire engineering design. This 

assistance ensured the most economical 

solution for the owner. More than 1600 

tonnes of steelwork has gone into the 

project with most of the steel supplied 

by OneSteel Steel & Tube. 

The structural steel decking has spans 

of 2.8 metres unpropped with a slab 

thickness of 140 millimetres. The floor 

to ceiling heights are 2.7 metres. 

Fire engineering 

The structural steel solution was adopted 

following a Fire Engineering assessment 

by The Centre for Environmental Safety 

and Risk Engineering (CESARE at 

University of Victoria. As the carpark 

module was limited to 25 metres in height 

with ample cross-flow ventilation, no 

sprinklers or mechanical ventilation were 

necessary. However, the additional two 

levels of office space over the carpark 

was required to include sprinklers. 

Fire engineering evaluation 

demonstrated that concrete-filled 

400x300x12.5 RHS and 300x300x10 

SHS carpark columns provided an FRL 

of 60 minutes. OneSteel’s Fire Design 

Note 3, Sept 2002 was the basis for 

these designs. These composite design 

columns also supports the two floors 

of office space located above the ninestorey 

carpark. 

Using the Cardington UK test as a 

reference only, selected office floor 

beams required FRL 60 minimum. 

These beams were all primary with 

grid line secondary beams. Assessment 

dictated that they be painted with one 

coat of intumescent paint. The painting 

was undertaken after erection and 

included connections. 

DEVELOPER 

PT Building Services, 

Kambitsis Group and 

Hindmarsh Group 

ARCHITECT 

HASSELL 



CIVIL ENGINEER 

The structural steel decking is predominantly at spans 

of 2.8 metres. 

Lateral resistance is provided via the 

combination of the central concrete lift 

and stair core, precast northern shear 

walls and K-bracing in the carpark. 

Greg Zafiridis of Wallbridge & Gilbert 

said that: “The fire engineering 

assessment resulted in a cost-effective, 

versatile structural steel solution which 

was simple to fabricate.” 

Thanks to steel the first stages of this 

exciting complex are now complete 

ahead of schedule and work has 

commenced on the next planned stages. 



Samaras Group 


Samaras Group 

QUANTITY SURVEYOR 

Currie & Brown 

STEEL DISTRIBUTOR 

OneSteel Steel & Tube 


ONESTEEL DIRECT 

Freecall 1800 178 335 

Website www.onesteel.com 

Freefax 1800 101 141 

Email onesteeldirect@onesteel.com 

OneSteel publications and 

product literature are available 

by contacting OneSteel Direct. 

Detailed engineering assistance is available from 

OneSteel State Market Engineers and Development staff. 

NSW/ACT/QLD 

DAVID BELL 

State Market Engineer 

Phone: (02) 9792 9075 

Fax: (02) 9792 9093 

Mobile: 0407 357 120 

belld@onesteel.com 

WA/SA/NT/VIC/TAS 

SPIROS DALLAS 

State Market Engineer 

Phone: (03) 8312 2633 

Fax: (03) 8312 2650 

Mobile: 0419 587 951 

dallass@onesteel.com 

NEW ZEALAND 

JOHN FREAR 

Regional Manager 

New Zealand & 

Pacific Islands 

Phone: +64 (09) 579 3002 

Fax: +64 (09) 579 1555 

frearj@onesteel.com 

This publication has been prepared by OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Limited ABN 42 004 651 325, a business unit of OneSteel Market Mills. Please note that any specifications or 

technical data referred to in this publication are subject to change and/or variation or improvement without notice and no warranty as to their suitability for any use is made. 

Users of this publication – to ensure accuracy and adequacy for their purposes – are requested to check the information provided in this publication to satisfy themselves as to its appropriateness and 

not to rely on the information without first doing so. Unless required by law, the company cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, damage or consequence resulting from the use of this publication. 

Photographs shown are representative only of typical applications, current at May 2007. This publication is not an offer to trade and shall not form any part of the trading terms in any transaction. 

©Copyright 2000-2007. OneSteel Market Mills. 300Plus ® , CompSelector ® , CompLoader ® , CompPanel ® and CompPen ® 16318 

are registered trademarks of OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Limited. 

ABN 42 004 651 325. COMPBEAM ® is a registered trademark of OneSteel Reinforcing Pty Limited. ABN 22 004 148 289. Issue 8. Printed May 2007. 16318 

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