REINFORCED CONCRETE

Flexible, cost-effective and quick. Benefits of using steel-reinforced concrete include speed of construction, substantial economy, excellent fire resistance, minimum maintenance and flexibility in design. These advantages have been traditionally recognized by a building Industry which is highly skilled in, and well equipped to handle, steel-reinforced concrete construction.

But simple economics and rapid construction techniques are not the only reasons for its use, the material is now used by architects in new and exciting ways. Aesthetically, the standard and quality of finishes possible in concrete today would have been unthinkable at the beginning of this century.
The thermal mass of a reinforced concrete structure offers a lower rate of building heat gain or loss resulting in reduced building cooling/heating costs. In addition, lower floor-to-floor heights result in a reduced interior volume of air that must be heated or cooled by the HVAC system. Structural design changes are more easily accommodated in the field with a reinforced concrete framing system due to the fact that the system is constructed on-site rather than months ahead of time at a fabricating plant. Reinforced concrete buildings are inherently stiffer than structural steel framing systems thereby eliminating the floor vibration associated with structural steel. Seismic considerations can also be more easily handled with a reinforced concrete framing system through the use of shear walls and reinforcing steel detailing techniques. The high mass of a reinforced concrete structure reduces sound migration from floor to floor and room to room.

STRUCTURAL STEEL

The versatility of steel gives architects the freedom to achieve their most ambitious visions. Structural steel is an essential component of most stadia, shopping centers and commercial developments; steel cladding systems adorn iconic, landmark structures worldwide. Steel is one of the most sustainable construction materials. Its strength and durability coupled to its ability to be recycled, again and again, without ever losing quality make it truly compatible with long-term sustainable development. Building owners value the flexibility of steel buildings, and the value benefits they provide, such as the light, open, airy spaces that can be created, making it ideal for modernization, reconfiguring, extending or adapting with minimal disruption, and without costly and sometimes harmful demolition and redevelopment. Even without these benefits, steel is often the first choice on the basis of cost alone.

PRESTRESSED CONCRETE

Typically Larger spans are possible when pre-stressing. A section of pre-stressed concrete member is less compared to Reinforced concrete member as it utilizes the maximum tension and compression of concrete, so it reduces the cost. The use of pre-stressed members is ideal for modular construction and long span or in cases where heavy loading is limited by an architectural demand where span to depth ratio overpasses the reach of reinforced concrete. The overall quality control of pre-stressed members is typically higher as most of the work is done in the shop versus in situ. Careful consideration has to be given to building flexibility needs as penetrations and retrofits have to be carefully evaluated.

COLD FORMED STEEL

Cold-formed steel framing installed quickly, more over modular buildings and homes made from cold formed steel framing could be the best solution for specific types of projects. A variety of products thickness, size and arrangement of cold-formed steel members enable us to meet bigger and larger open spaces. Also, cold-formed steel typically is used to achieve taller buildings when compared to wood. Five and six stories high are common with light cold-formed steel framing.

TILT-UP WALL CONCRETE

Tilt-up construction involves site-casting the concrete walls of a building on its floor slab or on a separate casting bed and then tilting and lifting them into position by crane. The result is rapid construction arising from a well-planned process more akin to a factory production line, but retaining the flexibility of in-situ concrete work. Its use is popular for large buildings with simple floor plans

WIND DESIGN

When wind flows around a building, it can produce some very high suction pressures. These occur mainly at the leading edges. In these areas, the cladding has to be firmly fixed to the structure and the roof has to be firmly held down. The flatter the roof, the higher the suction forces are on the roof and the more important it is to make sure that the holding-down straps are fixed securely into the structure. Moving air affects a structure by exerting pressure on it. This pressure varies with the velocity of the air (speed and direction) and also with the shape and orientation of the structure. Hence, the main factors that affect wind pressures are: Geographic Location, Terrain Category, Height of the building or structure, shielding and building shape.

SEISMIC DESIGN

M performs a detailed technical evaluation of the performance of structures and foundations, utilizing strong motion records to assess the effectiveness of earthquake protection methods, including detailing that enables the building to behave elastically and have an actual performance that promotes human safety.

TIMBER DESIGN

Timber framing is the height of the wood crafting tradition. In which the frame of a structure is built by linking huge timbers through intricate woodworking joinery. The structures that result are intensely stable and practical, while also remarkably beautiful. For modern timber framers, each piece of wood placed in the frame is not only selected for its strength and ability, but also its aesthetic beauty. In its most pure form, timber framing uses only heavy timbers, woodworking joints, and pegs to create the wooden frame of the building. Often seen inside and outside of the home, the timber frame remains visible to the eye, becoming part of the building’s design and wrapping it in natural beauty.

LONG SPAN

A structure with span larger than 65ft can be regarded as long span structure for this span is usually unable to be achieved by ordinary Reinforced Concrete structure. The parallel beam approach is effective for spans up to around 45ft. Floor grids comprise two layers of fully continuous beams running in orthogonal directions. Services running in either direction can be integrated within these two layers, so that services passing in any direction can be accommodated within the structural floor depth. Composite beams with web openings Web openings are typically formed in beams to allow services to pass through the beam. This enables the structural and service zones to occupy the same space, thereby reducing the effective overall depth of floor construction for a given spanning capability. Openings may also be formed for aesthetic reasons, for instance with cambered beams used to support a roof. Composite beams with web openings have been shown to be a cost effective solution for spans in the range 30 to 50 ft. Tapered girders can be a cost effective solution in the span range 10 m to 20 m. They are another solution that allows services to be accommodated within the structural floor zone.

The depth of the girder increases towards mid-span, where applied moments are greatest, and thereby facilitating hanging services under the shallower regions near the beam supports. It is also possible to form web openings in tapered girders in regions of low shear, towards mid-span. Stub girders are a Vierendeel form of truss, a rather exotic hybrid that can be thought of as lying somewhere between a solid web I-section and a truss. The bottom chord is typically formed from a shallow open section, on which sit short lengths (stubs) of deeper I-sections. The top chord, at least in the final state, is formed by the composite slab, and therein lies one of the disadvantages of this option – until composite action with the hardened concrete is achieved the beams may need temporary support/restraint. A big advantage of this option is that spans in excess of 65ft can be economically achieved. Services and/or secondary beams can pass through the gaps between the beam stubs, reducing overall construction depth. Composite trusses, which use the concrete slab as the upper chord in the final state, can achieve spans in excess of 20 m. This means they have been used when very long spanning capability was needed. The main disadvantages are that during the construction phase the truss may be rather flexible (laterally), and that in the final state the costs of fire protection can be high given the large number of surfaces to protect. Clearly one of the prices to pay for the spanning ability is that fabrication cost is higher than for a plain beam. Services can be passed through the gaps between the truss members to reduce overall floor depth.

CONSTRUCTION ADMIN

The construction phase of a project M provides close supervision to coordinate the project with the Owner, Design Professionals. We oversee the contractor’s work to ensure proper constructiontechniques, materials, equipment, and personnel areemployed throughout the duration of the project and monitor the contractor’s progress and compliance with the Structural Documents. M provides a close review of a contractor’s sequence of operations and progress schedule to ensure a successful project completion with the highest quality.

PEER REVIEW

We offer detailed observations and suggestions that benefit the overall design of a project. Our approach to peer review services sums the 50+ years of combined experience from engineering new buildings, and renewing existing structures. We understand the key details for each building type, and focus on those issues in our reviews to make project move forward.

BIM

Transitioning from CAD to BIM, in which Design coordination plays a pivotal role, has been one of M’s central interests for almost 6 years, stemming from our passion for structural design and construction processes. Hence, we use BIM on every project by creating intelligent model-based processes that provide insight to help plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure. We use this method of carrying out the design process, from the original design development, to the actual construction of the project. Every bit of information that is gathered from start to finish is placed in the model. This means that all of the design data from all disciplines structural, mechanical, civil, electrical and architectural is entered into the same model in which the financial, planning and legal information is stored. This way, everyone who has access to the model can locate any category of data and use it as a guide for coordination.