Image Credits: Dynamic Steel Frame
Cold-formed steel (CFS) framing played a critical role in the construction of a new $30 million, 3-story regional employment hub in Morwell, Australia. The Latrobe Valley GovHub features prefabricated facade pods, a key architectural element for the government office completed in July 2021 and built with metal framing.
FRAMECAD Automates Process
Dynamic Steel Frame, a CFS manufacturer based in Melbourne, manufactured 18 modular steel-framed facade pods for the project, each weighing nearly 4 tons. The pods are approximately 26 feet wide (8 meters) and 45 feet tall (14.5 meters), making them one of the largest CFS or light-gauge steel framed facade structures in the world.
According to Castlerock, project developer, a radically different approach was taken on the project by assembling the modules on-site before lifting them into place. Dynamic Steel Frames made the complex and demanding engineering and construction task feasible.
Dynamic Steel Frame pioneered the use of automated framing systems to create 3D facades and balustrade modules. “We were the first company in Australia to use [SFIA member] FRAMECAD software to manufacture large scale 3D façade elements,” said Peter Blythe, managing director of Dynamic Steel Frame. “Prior to this, they were handmade by cutting up purlins and studs. We thought outside the box and automated the process.”
The pods are approximately 26 feet wide (8 meters) and 45 feet tall (14.5 meters), making them one of the largest CFS or light-gauge steel framed facade structures in the world.
Steel Saves $1 Million in Scaffolding Costs
Light-gauge steel was selected because it was the lightest, most accurate way to create the complex shapes specified for the project, according to the Australian Steel Institute.
“This was a design and construct job, so the methodology was completely open to any technology, ” said Blythe. “Light-gauge steel is significant lighter and has a much higher tensile than any other product that could have been used to achieve the desired outcome on this project.”
“The structure itself is a combination of structural steel, with concrete floors, so it had to be lightweight,” said Blythe. “It would have been almost impossible to use either concrete or wood as both these materials are more than twice the weight of lightweight steel and nowhere near as accurate.”
CFS also sped up the construction process, saving on access equipment and scaffold costs. If the façade had been fabricated on-site, the scaffolding costs would have been approximately $1 million and added an extra 4 or 5 months onto the construction schedule, according to an article from Australian Steel Institute.
Project Wins Excellence Award
The Latrobe Valley GovHub project won the Australian Steel Institute’s Steel Clad Structure Award. The award promotes excellence in Australian steel, profiling the beauty and versatility of Australian steel as a design and prime building material.
“This award shows what can be achieved when all parties decide to shun traditional approaches to design and construction and opt for a radical solution that has given Morwell a building it can be proud of,” said Adam Bronts, director at Castlerock.
Additional Resources
- Steel-Framed Facade Adds ‘Magical Element’ to Multifamily Project
- Steel Framing System Cuts Construction of 90-Unit Apartment Building by 75%
- eBook: Specifying Cold-Formed Steel Framing: A Guide for Architects and Engineers