STEEL CONSTRUCTION INSTITUTE
TECHNICAL & STANDARD DEVELOPMENTS
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THE POPULARITY OF LIGHT STEEL FRAMING CONTINUES TO GROW AS DOES THE UPTAKE OF OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION MORE GENERALLY. ANDREW WAY, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AT SCI, PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON RECENT MATERIAL DEVELOPMENTS.
Key benefits of light steel framing are quality, speed and cost which makes it ideal for many sectors of construction and especially growth markets such as build-to-rent. The Steel Construction Institute (SCI) has been a trusted, independent source of information and engineering expertise globally for over 30 years, and remains the leading, independent provider of technical expertise and disseminator of best practice to the steel construction sector. SCI support everyone involved in steel construction – from manufacturers, consulting engineers, architects, and manufacturers right through to industry groups and peers. Consulting and design engineers look to SCI for reliable and robust technical information and training on
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the effective use of steel in design, including the latest design standards and building regulations. Manufacturers utilise SCI’s engineering expertise for product development and certification of performance, particularly when bring new products and systems to market. TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS SCI, in conjunction with industry partners, has been instrumental in bringing about many technical developments to the light steel construction sector. Recently, the combined performance of light steel framing and other materials has been of interest. Materials commonly used in combination can lead to enhanced design efficiency. A number of projects would fall into the category of the development of improved design guidance to enable the use of light steel framing in a wider range of applications.
LIGHTSTEELFRAMINGMAGAZINE.CO.UK
Some of the technical development work carried out by SCI is generic and is undertaken through the Light Steel Forum for the benefit of the whole industry. A recent example is SCI publication P426 which provides guidance on using continuous masonry cladding with light steel framing. SCI will be disseminating the outputs from various ongoing industry projects when they have been agreed and finalised. SCI has seen an increasing demand from clients for proprietary technical product development which is understandable in a highly competitive commercial market. The involvement of an independent body, such as SCI, in this type of development is seen as highly advantageous by manufacturers and their customers. SCI’s participation provides reassurance that appropriate procedures are
