Steel Designers Manual - TheBestFriend.org

This material is copyright - all rights reserved. Reproduced under licence from The Steel Construction Institute on 12/2/2007
To buy a hardcopy version of this document call 01344 872775 or go to http://shop.steelbiz.org/
Steel Designers' Manual - 6th Edition (2003)
214 Other structural applications of steel
appropriate option. This will depend on his/her long term interest in the building
fabric.
5.5.2.7 Acoustics
Large enclosed spaces may require acoustic treatment to limit reverberation times.
Hard surface finishes can exacerbate the problem. These considerations may affect
the choice of finishes within an atrium or necessitate the provision of acoustic baffles
or other treatments. This is only of particular concern if the atrium structure is
required to support the loads of such components. If so, these must be allowed for
in the design.
ETFE foil cushions are substantially transparent from an acoustic point of view,
which may make them unsuitable for city centre applications. They may also
generate significant noise due to the impact of rain.
5.5.2.8 Cost
There are several factors that affect the cost of steel structures of this type:
• Type of section used
• Complexity of fabrication
• Complexity of installation
• Type of finish
• Quality of workmanship
• Procurement arrangements
It is common to budget steelwork on the basis of rates applied to each tonne of
material. While this is a useful indication of cost, it is important to recognize that
the appropriate rates for these types of structure may be two to four times greater
than those for standard structural steelwork.
5.5.3 Fire engineering
5.5.3.1 Background
The fundamental principle of atrium fire safety design is to ensure that the design
standard is not compromised by the presence of the atrium; the standard of the
building with the atrium should not be less than the standard of an equivalent building
without the atrium. This section describes the considerations and processes