Steel Frame Considerations

How will the steel frame inform the final design?

Steel is a very robust material that is lightweight, making it very flexible to design with. The beams can span as far as 75m! St John Bosco Arts College in Liverpool is an example of a 55m wide, column free space with 11 trusses supporting the roof. The space is easily transformable with moveable wall partitions that don't add any strain onto the foundations (due to the steel frame already being light). The transformable space also works really well for the ever changing school environment.

The steel frame will enable me to have flexibility in how I divide up the rooms, however I must consider the height of the building (how many storeys), other materials I want to use (what cladding?) and the roof garden (how large do I want it, do I want trees etc as this is heavier?).

How does the steel frame work?

A steel frame is made up of vertical columns and horizontal beams that are connected together through welding, riveting or bolting, to form a grid. The beams resist the lateral loads and the columns transfer the compressive loads. The grid then can support the other building aspects eg. floors, walls etc. To add to the strength of the building the steel work can be braced. Bracing the frame works effectively in both tension and compression increasing the overall strength and durability of the building. The beams and columns will carry the vertical loads while the bracing will carry the lateral loads. 

What cladding should I use?

I am currently leaning toward black metal sheeting cladding as I believe that:

1. It will make the building stand out and make an impact on the road it is on, adding to the regenerating and reboot of the area.
2. The black colour will absorb more light and warmth therefore creating more thermal comfort for the buildings users, especially in summer. 
3. It needs minimal maintenance. 

However, metal is not a good source of insulation and with the UK summers getting warmer, the building could get too hot and actually decrease the thermal comfort in the building.

Other options that could work are brick:

1. It is a material that holds the heat and helps adjust the buildings temperature. In the winter the walls offer warmth and in the summer they have a cooling effect. 
2. They are expensive to build entirely with, however save money in the long run. 
3. They don't deteriorate as quickly as other materials.
4. It's a natural material that doesn't have a huge impact on the environment.
5.  It also absorbs moisture and humidity making it difficult for there to be an damp.
6. Brick absorbs noise due to it being a heavy material, which is great to block out noise between rooms and also from the outside in. 

The Traffic Street Project in Nottingham

Therefore, I'm still unsure of what cladding to pick so I will do more research in some later posts to figure this out.