Steel Buildings in Europe

Part 1: Architect’s Guide 1 - 1 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Steel as a construction material Steel is synonymous with modern architecture. Throughout the twentieth century, the material has inspired architects and engineers, for it combines strength and efficiency with unparalleled opportunities for sculptural expression. The key attribute of steel is its high strength to weight ratio, which gives remarkable spanning and load carrying ability. Steel lends itself to prefabrication. Whole structures can be created in a factory environment and then constructed quickly on site. Steel buildings are highly adaptable, in that frames can be modified and altered. Costs are low, recycling simple and aesthetic opportunities rich and varied. As designers, fabricators and constructors continually advance the boundaries of steel design, both technically and expressively, steel has a crucial role in modern architecture. Steel is basically a simple alloy of iron and carbon, but its properties can be enhanced and modified by the addition of other alloying elements and by the manufacturing process. The material is then made into sections, plate, or sheet, and these simple products used to produce structures and building components. Standard approaches have evolved for many types of single storey structures but they are not constraining: departures from norms are commonplace, for steel lends itself to creative solutions. Modern architecture is rich with solutions that defy simple categorization, even in single storey structures. These do not have to be utilitarian. They can be formed into gentle arcs or startling expressed structure. Although greatest economy is often achieved with regular grids and standardization, steel structures offer outstanding opportunity for architectural expression and outstanding design opportunities. Some illustrations of the dramatic structural forms that are possible in steel construction are shown in Figure 1.1 to Figure 1.5.