The Steel Construction Institute has been a trusted independent source of information and expertise in the steel construction industry for 30 years
The Steel Construction Institute (SCI) was formed in 1986 as a non-profit distributing independent company to build on earlier work that was delivered in-house at British Steel with the aim of encouraging greater use of steel in construction.
A well-organised combination of vision and finance from the national steel producer, working closely with SCI as the technical provider and BCSA (the British Constructional Steelwork Association) as the link to steelwork fabricators, saw the UK steel construction sector become the envy of many around the world. Steel's share of the medium-rise market grew from around 30% in the early eighties to over 70% by the late nineties. It continues at those levels.
Today, SCI is much less closely linked to steel producers, but as a specialist consultant continues to support everyone involved in steel construction; from manufacturers, consulting and design engineers, architects, product managers, commercial directors right through to industry groups and peers.
Consulting and design engineers look to SCI for reliable and robust technical information and training on best practice design of steel structures, including the latest codes and building regulations.
Our industry-defining Design Guides and Eurocode advice is renowned; in fact, you'll find SCI behind the technical guidance texts of several of our construction peers. Throughout our 30-year existence, we have been heavily involved in the development of codes and standards, and this continues today with several of our experts occupying key roles in the development of the next generation of Eurocodes. We use the knowledge gained to inform the advice and guidance we produce, but also use our understanding of practical industry needs to inform the development of the codes.
Our engineering expertise and consultancy services encompass all areas of development, assessment and specification of steel-based products, providing clients with support during all phases of the research, technical development and commercialisation of new products.
Above all, SCI works in partnership with clients, members and industry peers to help build businesses and provide competitive advantage through the commercial application of our knowledge. We are committed to offering and promoting sustainable and environmentally responsible solutions.
SCI product certification
Over 15 years ago, we developed the SCI Assessed scheme as a way of providing specifiers with a third-party assurance that the claims made by manufacturers were credible. The scheme continues to cover a broad range of products. Indeed, one of its major strengths is the flexibility to cover offerings as diverse as a manufacturer's engineering methodology to load-span tables for purlins.
SCI has also offered manufacturers of light steel framing systems for the residential market our so-called NHBC Stage 1 assessment for over 10 years. We review the proprietary details contained in a manufacturer's system manual and confirm their alignment with NHBC's Section 6.10 standard details for structural aspects of a system.
In response to demands from industry, over the past year, we have been developing the 'Stage 1 process' into a much broader scope. SCI Product Certification (www.scicerts.com) covers not only technical content, but also factory production control to provide assurance that a certified product is, and does, what it says.
Sandi Gentle - Membership/Marketing Manager - SCI
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