
Many, such as terrorist attacks, are man-made. Weather-related events aren’t the only potential threats buildings must be prepared for. Department of Defense Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) for blast loading applied to the exterior framing and progressive collapse requirements. Security For the AIT Barracks project in Monterey, California, the project team used cold-formed steel to ensure the building could resist seismic loading, as well as adhere to U.S. Building professionals can be assured that CFS framing members, produced under a third-party certification program, will arrive at the jobsite certified to comply with all standards. Wood and concrete have a number of variables that can affect their performance, but once a steel stud has been formed it will remain straight with no change to the thickness, width or other dimensions, as well as strength and stiffness. Cold-formed steel has also displayed resilience against fire exposure in tests that follow rigorous NFPA 285 protocols. According to the Steel Framing Industry Association, both load-bearing and non-loadbearing CFS-framed assemblies are fireproof up to four hours when subjected to tests conforming to ASTM E119. Because it won’t burn, the material is eligible for use in Type 1 buildings where fire-resistance standards are most stringent.
#Cold formed steel framing architcture plus
This inherent strength, plus the fact cold-formed steel is such a relatively light material, also makes CFS-framed structures less susceptible to the forces of inertia that wreak havoc on buildings during seismic events. When cold-formed steel is formed into a C-shape, like a stud, the bends act as stiffeners and increase the strength of the steel dramatically, providing a strength-to-weight ratio that is significantly greater than that of dimensional lumber. It has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of all commonly used framing materials.This gives it a higher degree of resistance to lateral loads, uplift and gravity loading, such as those imposed on a structure by seismic or high wind events. Cold-formed steel can easily bend or stretch without breaking when force is applied, and later return to its original shape without losing its material properties. Cold-formed steel has a number of inherent properties that help ensure a building remains intact during and following an extreme event. The first attribute of a resilient building is whether it can protect occupants during a life-threatening event such as a hurricane or earthquake. In this article we will analyze resiliency in the context of the built environment, explore the various attributes of a resilient structure, and make the case for why cold-formed steel performs best in each scenario. When it comes to framing, there’s no more resilient option than cold-formed steel. The resilience of the building corresponds directly to how well these attributes enable the building to meet these demands.Īmong the numerous strategies for designing resilient buildings, material selection is of particular importance. These attributes are presented as basic requirements for addressing natural and man-made hazards, as well as the environmental conditions of the building’s location. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and National Institute of Building Sciences lays out five key attributes that comprise resiliency: safety, security, durability, environment and energy conservation. With so many potential forces at work against a building, it’s important to take a holistic approach to resilient design.Ī joint report from the U.S. Of course, fortifying a structure against hurricane force winds and minimizing loss from fire present entirely unique sets of design challenges. $91B in 2018, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a sign that a growing number of extreme weather events are taking a significant economic toll.īut what defines a resilient building? Put simply, resilience refers to a building’s ability to withstand, respond to and recover rapidly from extreme events in a cost-effective manner. Resiliency has become an oft-used buzzword in the engineering and construction industries, as building professionals seek methods for countering increasingly intense hurricane activity, wildfires, flooding and other natural events. When Looking to Build a Structure that will Bounce Back from Catastrophe, CFS is the Answer
