Steel Buildings in Europe

Part 1: Architect’s Guide 1 - 10 Figure 2.3 Prefabricated components are easily and rapidly connected on site 2.4 Flexibility and adaptability A steel structure is both flexible and adaptable – design in steel is certainly not limited to rectangular grids and straight members, but can accommodate dramatic architectural intent, as shown in Figure 2.4. Figure 2.4 Dramatic, expressed steelwork Thanks to the numeric control of modern fabrication, components may be designed and fabricated to almost any shape desired. In most cases, a structure with an irregular floor plan or curved components is manufactured as easily as a rectilinear design, although there will be cost implications of the more complex fabrication.