Technical Cost drivers of structural steelwork

Understanding the cost

of structural steelwork.
Part 1: Initial estimates
CHRIS DOLLING SYNOPSIS
BEng, CEng, MICE Cost is a key consideration in many design decisions, so an understanding
Manager, Marketing and Technical of approximate costs and cost drivers is a professional skill that structural
Development, Steel for Life, Doncaster, engineers are advised to develop through their careers. This article is the
UK
first of two; it provides an introduction to initial cost estimates for structural
steelwork and the key cost drivers in the early design stages of a project. The
DAVID MOORE
BTech, PhD, CEng, MIStructE
second article will present some best practice design guidance for optimising
the cost of steel construction to provide best value during design development.
Chief Executive Officer, British
Constructional Steelwork Association,
London, UK

Introduction
For most projects, the decision on the
choice and form of the frame material
happens early in the design process,
often based on early design principles,
limited information and budget costings.
Once selected, the frame material is
unlikely to change, as this can have
significant programme implications
from the consequential impact on the
design of other major elements, such
as cladding and service installations.
Hence, it is vital to support informed
decision-making with realistic cost
information at this early stage, before
refining during the detailed design
stages.

Initial cost estimates

At the early design stages of any
project, cost models, benchmarks and
historic cost data are key tools to be
used in the estimating of all building
elements. At this stage, the cost of ìFIGURE 1: loadings and the building function will be considered when determining the
Simple low-rise
the structural frame will usually be steel frame also result in different requirements for rate for the structural frame for early
expressed as a rate per m2 based on clear spans and floor-to-floor heights. estimates.
the gross internal floor area (GIFA). This means that the average weight It is also important to remember
Typical UK cost ranges for different of the steel frame will vary between that the rate per m2 is based on GIFA,
frame types are given in this article, building types. For example, a low- which will not account for variances in
but it is important to interrogate and eaves industrial ‘shed’ building could floor-to-floor heights. If for a specific
understand what those rates buy have a frame weight of 40kg/m2 GIFA, project these are outside the normal
and how the standard ranges can be while a city-centre office with a long- range, a higher or lower rate should be
adapted to suit project-specific factors. spanning grid to provide future flexibility considered to tailor indicative rates to
and adaptability could have a weight of the project.
Key cost drivers 90kg/m2 GIFA.
Function, sector and building height A requirement for fewer columns Form, site conditions and complexity
Different building functions across will lead to longer-spanning beams The complexity of the structure is closely
different sectors have varying typical and heavier steel sections, which can related to building form and function, as
frame costs due to their different usages increase the overall weight of the frame well as specific site conditions (Figures
of the created floor space. The usage and therefore the cost range for the 1 and 2). The building form will have an
of the building will influence the design building. Clearly, these factors need to impact on the regularity of the structural

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 Technical Cost drivers of structural steelwork

ëFIGURE 4:
Open-access site with
minimal constraints

eaves of 6–8m and high eaves of TABLE 2: BCIS location ceiling heights and increase flexibility for ëFIGURE 5:
Breakdown of costs
10–13m. factors (at Q2, 2020) the building fitout, cellular beams may be
of steel frame for
adopted with openings through the web typical multistorey
Cost ranges for two types of single- Location BCIS index for the distribution of services (Figure 6). commercial building
storey industrial building are also City-centre buildings are generally
Central London 128
provided. constructed on existing confined or
Costs are expressed as a cost/ Manchester 99 irregular sites, which influence the building
m2 on GIFA and include allowances Birmingham 96 form, are likely to prevent the use of a
for a concrete core. Indicative cost Liverpool 94
regular column grid and may result in
information is also presented on floor alterations to floor plates on the upper
Leeds 93
types and fire protection. The rates have storeys.
been developed from cost models of the Glasgow 93 In mixed-use schemes, transfer
different building types and for each the Newcastle 92 structures may reduce the wider grids of
average weight of the structural frame Cardiff 95
office or retail areas at lower levels to a
has been given. more rationalised residential grid on upper
Dublin* 97
To use Table 1: floors (Figure 7).
Ò| identify which frame type most Nottingham 104 All these factors contribute to a higher
closely relates to the project under * AECOM index average weight of the steel frame (typically
consideration 75-90kg/m2 including fittings) and, along
Ò| select and add the floor type under with the increased complexity, result in
consideration occupiers as possible. significantly higher structural frame cost
Ò| add fire protection if required. These buildings often need to be ranges than for the simpler, more regular
easily subdivided into smaller units and low-rise buildings.
For example, for a low-rise, short- have large floorplates. They are typically The rate range given in Table 1 is
span building with a composite two to four storeys with a uniform grid generally applicable for buildings up to
metal deck floor and 60 minutes’ fire of 6–9m that provides largely column- about 15 storeys; tall buildings above 15
resistance, the overall frame rate (based free space and relatively high floor-to- storeys start to have fewer comparables
on the average of each range) would be: floor heights of 3.75–4m. in terms of benchmarks and are likely
The lack of complex steel structures to have a much higher proportion of
£113.00 + £78.50 + £17.50 = £209.00 needed to construct the regular grid complex elements, non-standard sections
per m2 GIFA contributes to keeping the average steel and complicated logistics, especially
frame weight down (typically 50–60kg/ when constructed on tight city-centre
The rates should then be adjusted m2 including fittings), but this category sites. The rate range for tall buildings can
íFIGURE 6:
using location indices; Table 2 contains can cover a lot of building types and be 15–20% higher than the top of the Cellular beams to allow
a selection of indices as published and functions. This central assumption standard range. service integration
updated by the BCIS. therefore needs to be reviewed with the
For the example considered above, if design team. Due to the low-rise nature
the project were in Central London then of these buildings, the fire protection
the overall frame rate would be: requirements are not as onerous
as for high-rise developments and
£209.00 × (128/100) = £267.50 per m2 30–60-minute fire protection would be
GIFA considered standard.

Low-rise and short-span buildings High-rise and longer-span buildings

Low-rise buildings with a regular, short- High-rise construction (10–15 storeys) is a
span structural grid are typical features typical feature of city-centre construction.
of business park offices and teaching These buildings will often require longer
facilities. A key feature of these buildings structural grid spans to achieve more
is flexibility, particularly for speculative open space in the lettable floor areas,
business park developments that increasing the weight (and unit weight)
need to appeal to as many potential of the steel frame. To maximise floor-to-

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 Cost drivers of structural steelwork Technical

Industrial buildings frame cost of industrial buildings is the

Industrial buildings can cover a range of storey height of the warehouse space.
uses, including warehouses, non-food While the GIFA may be the same, the
retail, science parks and distribution weight of the steel frame of a high-
centres. The most common building eaves, single-storey industrial building
form is a single-storey warehouse with (Figure 8) will be greater than for a
varying proportions of office space on a low-eaves building (Figure 9), resulting
first-floor mezzanine level. The traditional in a higher overall frame cost per m2
structural frame for an industrial building GIFA. However, beware of minimising
is a steel portal frame, as flexibility of the eaves height to the point where fitting
internal space is a priority, necessitating in services and edge beam details
regular column spacings and long spans becomes problematic.
for a clear internal area. Typical structural steel frame
There can be variants on the standard weights for low-eaves buildings (6–8m
frame design, however. For example, éFIGURE 7: Transfer structure high) are about 30–40kg/m2 GIFA
a steel portal frame incorporating overall including fittings; for high-
‘northlights’ would need consideration eaves buildings (10–13m high), these
when adjusting the standard cost are about 40–50kg/m2 GIFA due to
ranges. The use of a northlight frame increased bracing and column sizes to
can increase the frame cost by as much resist sway and buckling.
as 30%. The grid of the main frame However, ranges for high-eaves
should also ideally be selected to suit buildings are generally wider than for
an economic layout for the secondary low-eaves buildings as they can have
steelwork, i.e. the purlins and side rails. a much higher proportion of upper
Fire protection requirements may floor areas, across as many as three
also be considered as part of industrial mezzanine levels; the frame rates for
building frame costs. The most common these buildings therefore need to be
situation in which fire protection is looked at carefully on an individual
required in single-storey buildings is basis.
where it is necessary to satisfy boundary
conditions. Generally, single-storey To be continued…
buildings do not require fire protection, The second part of this article will
but if they do, then member design and present best practice design guidance
fire protection should be considered for optimising the cost of steel
together to optimise the overall cost. construction to provide best value
Another key factor in determining the éFIGURE 8: Portal frame ‘shed’ with high eaves during design development.

Acknowledgments
The information presented here is based
íFIGURE 9:
Portal frame ‘shed’ on a series of articles commissioned by
with low eaves BCSA, written by Gardiner & Theobald
LLP and more recently by AECOM,
and originally published in Building
magazine.

REFERENCE

1) RICS (2020) BCIS Construction

[Online] Available at: www.rics.
org/uk/products/data-products/
bcis-construction/ (Accessed:
July 2020)

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