With structural steelwork you generally get the outcomes you design for. If the objective is to achieve safer, faster and zero-defect installation, those goals are inextricably bound up with a design process rooted in practical expertise and the realities of the location where final installation will happen.
Take safety for example. This is clearly easier to ensure when you design to have fewer and less complex onsite operations with minimal need for manual handling or working at height.
Modern structural steelwork should be at the opposite end of the spectrum from Victorian engineering projects that featured a small army of onsite workers bolting, riveting and welding small component parts to form a massive structure – with all the hazards that came with that way of working.
Similarly, when you design effectively around the site topography, access restrictions and potential obstructions such as overhead power lines, you eliminate potential clashes and the ‘unforeseen’ complications that typically cause late-stage design changes, delays and added costs.
Modular Methods
Modularisation and pre-assembly have achieved a much higher profile in recent years with the drive to adopt modern methods of construction. We see the practical benefits in projects such as the 43m span footbridge and bridleway that was installed over the M27 near Fareham.
Pre-assembled modules were transported to the site, joined together and then installed over the motorway in a single seamless operation. The design and detailing precision ensured a successful first-fit installation within a narrow scheduled highway closure.
Simpler, Safer, More Efficient
For FTE, safety, speed and eliminating defects have been essential design and early contractor involvement (ECI) principles since we started the company and developed the intelligent integration approach to delivery. ‘How can we make this structure simpler and more efficient to install on a real construction site?’ This has always been the key design driver.
Generally, the more you can pre-assemble structures in a controlled manufacturing environment the better. But these pre-assembled modules also have to be safely handled and lifted within the operational constraints of the site.
Finding the optimum balance efficiency and practicality needs active collaboration with fabrication and installation experts. And that’s a capability that takes time and multiple projects to perfect.
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