Steel Apartment Building

JDCC structural steel framing achieves low floor-to-floor solutions with ideal bay sizes for apartments and condominiums. Structural steel framing has long been recognized as a high-strength, dimensionally predictable, rapidly erected framing material. The selection of a structural steel framing system for a multi-story residential project provides significant benefits to the project, including:
Low floor-to-floor heights and maximized floor-to-ceiling heights using steel framing elements and thin-floor systems
Flexible spaces thanks to column-free areas-ideal for amenities and a mixture of unit types
Enhanced framing quality through the use of a long-lasting, durable, high-quality material fabricated off-site to tight tolerances
Adaptiveness, as a steel framing system is simpler to expand or remodel
Reduced foundation loads, column footprint and overall project costs thanks to steel's lightweight properties
Earlier building occupancy thanks to quick erection, which reduces overall on-site construction, labor and associated time and costs
Structural steel framing systems are competitive with alternative framing materials -- with the "sweet spot" for buildings five stories and above.
A structural steel building provides more useable floor space because buildings framed in structural steel have smaller columns and longer spans than buildings framed in competing material. The benefit is two-fold: greater design freedom for laying out floor plans and more useable space for occupants. The use of slender columns and lateral systems maximize useable floor space and long spans for open, column-free spaces. The typical steel column occupies 75% less floor space than an equivalent concrete column. In addition, integration of HVAC systems into structural cavities allow taller interior spaces with more natural light.
Mid-rise structures, which are 3 to 9 stories in height, are frequently used for hotels, motels, apartments, dormitories, barracks, condominiums, and multi-family housing. The structural details play a critical role in the cost and configuration of the building. That means choosing the right material is critical. Every additional square foot built onto a project means more potential revenue for the building owner. More stories and higher density mean more revenue from the same urban footprint.
Consider cold-formed steel (CFS) framing, which is a cost-effective solution for mid-rise buildings. With the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any construction material, less material is required to carry the same structural loads as other materials. Cost savings in steel buildings start at the foundations, where the loads imposed by a steel frame are up to 50 percent less than those of a concrete alternative, and therefore foundation costs can be considerably less. The light-weight quality of CFS framing also means that it is possible to build in difficult soil conditions where heavier materials would require expensive deep foundations.
Along with its design flexibility, steel construction offers inherent safety advantages. Virtually all steel construction is manufactured offsite, which means most of the work is carried out in safer, factory controlled conditions, and fewer workers are required on site. There are fewer deliveries of materials and equipment to the site, which means fewer potential jobsite hazards. And using steel means shorter building programs, hence less pressure on workforces to reach completion targets.
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