APPLICATION
Add space while limiting the weight added
A side extension, an additional storey or a roof-level volume: the low weight of a light steel frame can become a significant advantage. The solution is nevertheless chosen only after understanding what the existing structure, its supports and its foundations can genuinely carry.
BEFORE CHOOSING THE FRAME
Read the existing structure, the junction and the new volume
The existing building
Identify the load-bearing system, the supports, the known condition, the current loads, the documented foundations and the uncertainties that call for a survey or a further study.
The old-to-new junction
Design the load transfer, the connections, the differences in movement, the roof junction, the weathertightness, the façades and the service routes.
The new volume
Define the use, the storeys, the openings, the roof, the envelope, the loads and the erection sequence of the added project.
An advantage to be verified, not an exemption from study
Limited superstructure weight
It can reduce the loads added compared with heavier comparable solutions, without on its own demonstrating the capacity of the existing structure.
Upstream preparation
Sections, perforations, identification marks and panels can be prepared before working on a site that is often constrained.
Largely dry assembly
It can make it easier to organise an occupied or hard-to-reach site where protection and sequences have been planned.
Choose the level of prefabrication according to the site
Structure Kit
Transport is more compact and the components can be assembled progressively on site. This option calls for an organised local team and a controlled working area.
Panel Kit
Pre-assembly reduces local structural work, but the size of the panels increases the requirements for transport, handling, lifting and storage.
Access, occupation of the building, the crane available, temporary protection and the connection sequence can weigh as much as the geometry of the extension.
PREPARING THE STUDY
Document the existing structure before concluding
Send the drawings of the existing building and of the added project, photographs, the location, any available surveys, the known structure, the foundations if documented, the intended use, the access, the lifting equipment and any studies already carried out.
Have the existing structure and the interfaces assessed before choosing the solution.
Have the Existing Structure AssessedYou can also write to us: commercial@algerialightsteel.com