5 WAYS LOAD BEARING ELIMINATES SITE CONSTRAINTS

There often tends to be a lot of constraints in construction, as there are many different challenges that businesses face and there are a lot of rules and regulations along the way as well. Because of this, the most successful businesses are those that look for innovative ways to try and eliminate these site constraints. In this post, we are going to take a look at one of these options in further detail: light gauge steel framing.

Light-gauge steel framing systems involve the fabrication of structural frames with the use of sections of cold-formed steel. You can use these parts throughout the structure, not only for the load-bearing wall, but also for roof trusses, curtain walls, floor joists, and a non-load bearing interior wall.

Light gauge steel frame loading bearing walls are known for their strength and durability qualities. The make-up of LGSF also creates a product that reduces a lot of the site constraints construction firms battle on a daily basis.

There is only one place to begin, and this is with the fact that a light gauge steel frame is manufactured and built off-site, which results in a whole host of other benefits for businesses. The non-structural and structural members are created within a factory setting. This boosts the quality of the construction first and foremost, which is always beneficial. At the same time, you get a strong and robust solution, despite the very low weight. Structural steel components are stronger and lighter than concrete products or weight-bearing wood. A typical weight-bearing steel fabrication is between 30 and 50 per cent lighter when compared with the wooden equivalent.

When this happens, it means that you have more time to focus on other tasks and you’re not going to need to get in the way of any other work, planning, or construction that is going on at the site at present, enabling things to flow a lot better.

One of the benefits of going for the light gauge steel frame approach is that you can lower the construction time frame. Not only this but as the material is lightweight, it is a lot easier to handle, meaning it is a lot easier to move parts around the site. It is estimated that you can reduce construction build time by between 20 and 40 per cent when compared with conventional building methods. Light gauge steel framing is also championed for being incredibly precise and accurate, which can help in terms of reducing errors, which would further add to the time taken to complete building construction. You can expect precision and accuracy of as much as 1mm per structural storey height, which means there is going to be no need for guesstimate soft joints to outer leaf fixtures.

Site waste is going to be reduced by a huge degree because the light gauge steel frame construction is going to occur at the factory. When you build a frame via traditional means on the site, there is often a huge amount of waste. This is contributing to the landfills all over the world. Therefore, by doing your bit and reducing site waste you are not only making a massive difference to your own company but the rest of the world as well.

Another reason to consider light gauge steel frame load bearing is that you are going to reduce your carbon footprint considerably. All of the materials can be recycled as well, and so this will further lower your carbon footprint. Another way that you can lower your carbon footprint is because there are fewer deliveries on-site, as the light gauge steel frame construction is done off-site and can then be transported in just a couple of trips. This all results in the production of on-site waste material reducing considerably, with up to a 20 per cent reduction in embodied carbon in the building fabric.

A lot of businesses are making the move to light gauge structural steel framing to reduce their carbon footprint and lower construction time. In today’s eco-conscious era, making a dedicated effort to lower your carbon footprint is imperative. This style of construction can also offer real efficiency gains, but it needs to be implemented correctly for this to be the case.

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