Whenever a company thinks of constructing a new building, many would assume a steel frame structure would imply they are constructing something like a warehouse or agricultural building. However, they have many wider uses than that.
As Gloucestershire Live has reported, tech consultancy the Traffic Group has turned to such a structure to help the firm develop a new eco-friendly headquarters. The new building will combine with two existing buildings at the site to provide the facility.
In the latest development, senior members of the management team signed their names on a large steel beam that will form part of the structure, which will feature 10,000 sq ft of space.
However, unlike some steel buildings, this will not be a bare, basic structure. Instead, the structure built around the frame will feature an array of exceptional eco-friendly elements, helping the firm to reach its corporate social responsibility goals. Among these will be high-quality insulation and the use of renewable energy.
The new facility will not only enhance our service delivery and operational capabilities but also create a new social space for colleagues to come together,” said Pete Hutchinson, the managing director of the family-based firm.
He added: “Additionally, we wanted to establish a campus-style facility that fosters long-term business growth.”
Part of the building will act as a warehouse, as one might expect for a building of this type. However, other sections will make up office space and it will be heated with air source heat pumps and 45kw solar panels. The aim is to produce a carbon-positive building that provides enough surplus energy to power the other two buildings.
Peter Nickols at architects RAA commented: ”This has been a very exciting project to be involved in, with some challenging conditions to resolve at both planning and building regulations stage.”
The fact that such a building is possible and can bring such wide-ranging benefits is a demonstration of the power of steel-frame buildings, even one that partly performs the archetypal function of a warehouse. It shows the sheer flexibility that steel-frame structures can offer.
It may also come as a revelation to some that steel can play such a strong role in creating eco-friendly buildings. Often people associate steel with glass and concrete in modern office buildings, with the concrete part having lots of embedded carbon.
At the same time, some will look at materials such as wood to be the most eco-friendly building options, given that the material is organic and should be sustainable. However, it is not as strong, nor as flame-resistant, so it has its disadvantages.
Steel frame buildings have so many more uses than some would appreciate. For instance, Balfour Beatty is using them in a new student accommodation complex it is constructing at the University of Sussex in Brighton.
It is assembling the modular steel frame structures off-site before adding the other parts of each structure, with this helping to cut carbon by reducing the number of lorry journeys needing to be made to the site.
It all goes to show that when it comes to steel frame buildings, it is time to look beyond stereotypes toward modernity, innovation and excellent environmental performance.