INTERVIEWRichard BarrettINFORMATION KEYVisit the One<strong>Steel</strong> websiteat: www.onesteel.com forinformation on Fire SafetyEngineering withstructural steelor contactOne<strong>Steel</strong> Direct on1800 1 STEEL(1800 1 78335).market - with almost all industrial andwarehousing and a good chunk of retailand leisure. About 80 percent of thisis steelwork contractor designed. Inmultilevel it’s more like a quarter but thereis no doubt the trend is moving inexorablytoward the Design and Build option.”“You can cut the tonnage by say 40percent on a competitive consultantdesign. So when people say what’s thecomparative cost between steel andconcrete it almost means nothing becauseyou have to ask who’s designed it.”THE DRIVERSFOR STEELRichard Barrett maintains that in countrieswith higher GDP per capita, steel will havea higher market share because of what hecalls ’the atrium factor’ where clients arelooking for more flexibility, light andinterest in the structure, factors towhich steel is well suited.“But the really big drivers are theflexibility you get with structural steel,the bigger spans, the open floor spaceswhich give you wider areas, fewer andsmaller columns taking up a lot lessspace in the offices area and providingenhanced light and space.”“The speed of the actual build and thefact that it can be altered duringconstruction are especially helpful withhospital construction.”“I reckon nothing can beat a steel framedsolution for floor to floor height so thefloor zone, including integrated services,will be less or as good as anythingconcrete can provide, even with a posttensioned flat slab solution.”“The floor height is obviously a keydriver for the economy of the buildingbecause it reduces the amount ofmaterial you have on the façade. Withheight restrictions in the UK in someareas limiting projects to 10 storeys, youcan sometimes squeeze in an additionalfloor, because you’re saving 200 mmevery floor, and that can transform theeconomics of the site. You get a totallydifferent approach to the duct work andthe loaded beams.”SAFETY FACTORSThere are powerful drivers on safety onall construction sites. In Europeconstruction design and managementregulations place a ‘duty of care’ on thedesigner to take into account theconstruction of the building and its postconstruction maintenance. In the UKthere is a major drive on trying to reducesite accidents.“One thing you can do to make thebuilding safer to build is to do as muchas possible of the work off site. On asteel site risks are reduced by keepingthe number of site personnel to aminimum. That ‘duty of care’ is just theway the world is going.”FIRE ENGINEERINGIn the UK, the steelwork contractor, ifhe’s any good, should also be doingthe fire engineering design. The oldfashioned way was to design the steeland then design the fire protectionsystem. Now we integrate both so youget the optimum steel beam with its fireprotection. This might mean you mighthave a beam that is slightly heavier withless fire protection.In Australia, fire safety engineeringoffers an enhanced solution through thereduction, or even the elimination ofpassive fire protection, in combinationwith active sprinkler systems. Thisallows many forms of multi-level steelframed buildings, for instance carparks,offices, open sports stands and retailbuildings, to have the majority of thestructural steelwork constructed withoutthe need for such protection.SUSTAINABILITY“There is pressure from the UKgovernment to have a sustainable andprofitable building industry. Pressure isalso coming from clients. The blue chipcompanies, commissioning a building,want it demonstrated that the buildinghas been done in a sustainable waybecause shareholders now expect anddemand it.Richard Barrett thinks we have a fantasticstory to tell on sustainability and saysthe quicker it becomes more prevalentthe better.“<strong>Steel</strong> has a massive advantage overconcrete as a sustainable material sothere are huge possibilities. It’s easier toadapt, it’s fundamentally more flexible, ithas fewer columns so you can rearrangeit at relatively low cost so that makes itmore sustainable right from the start.”“A steel building will toleratesignificantly more change than aconcrete building, and the chances arethe material in the first place may havebeen used before.”“Finally if you do need to demolish thebuilding you can recycle the steel. In theUK 11 percent of steel is actually reusedrather than recycled, by far the best thingyou can do, and 83 percent is recycledand only 6 percent goes to waste. Aconcrete building is messy to demolishand grind up. The waste is used as somesort of base course so it’s about as low agrade application as you could imagine.”THE SUPPLY CHAINThe UK Government viewed theconstruction industry as primitive andinefficient and commissioned a reportinto its operation. One of the waysrecommended for improvement is to holdtogether project teams so that experienceand efficiency gains are not lost. Thisis leading to a move towards moreintegrated supply chains in most of thekey areas.onesteel solutionsissue 5 page 8
300PLUS ®Suncorp StadiumSuncorp StadiumSTRUCTURAL STEEL SCORES WITH ITSCOST AND CONSTRUCTION ADVANTAGESThe high profile and complex Suncorp Stadium Redevelopmentembodies a number of unique structural steel aspects. The dramaticroof structure exemplifies the physical and sculptural possibilities ofsteel as a structural material but the real cost benefits were realisedin the use of steel framing for the grandstands.The Suncorp Stadium Redevelopmentcosting $280 million was the largestbuilding contract let to-date by theQueensland Government.The high profile and complex SuncorpStadium Redevelopment embodies anumber of unique structural steelaspects. The dramatic roof structureexemplifies the physical and sculpturalpossibilities of steel as a structuralmaterial but the real cost benefits wererealised in the use of steel framing forthe grandstands.Located on the site of the former LangPark development, just a short distancefrom Brisbane’s CBD, this world-classstadium integrates with its surroundingsand existing transport infrastructure,and with its modern facilities hastransformed the comfort of spectatorsfor Rugby League, Rugby Union andSoccer matches.The inner city site, the presence of theretained western grandstand, some poorsoil site conditions, and major drainageand electrical services under the site allpresented challenges for the engineersand builders.The other major challenge was theQueensland Government’s time frame forthe project – a short two years.Multiplex and Watpac formed the LangPark Redevelopment Joint Venture(LPRJV). From experience on StadiumAustralia and the Gabba, the joint venturepartners were keen to use structural steel.onesteel solutions issue 5 page 9
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