Driving efficiency in construction
Faithful and Gould carried out an independent cost and programme comparison between Hadley Steel Frame System and Traditional Blockwork. The objective of the study was to determine the most cost-effective build method in the United Arab Emirates (UAE):
A sample size of 2,000m2 external wall area was selected
Tendered unit rates for The Hadley Steel Frame and blockwork were obtained from Contract Bills of Quantities (BoQ)
CTBH were engaged by F+G to evaluate and quantify the productivity and programme implications for building the sample area in blockwork
The cost and productivity of building using Hadley Steel Frame were obtained from a recognised industry source
Main contractor time-related preliminaries were quantified to determine the wider cost impact of each building method
The total costs were calculated including the supply and installation of the façade as well as the potential cost implications for Main Contractor Time Related Preliminaries
In a typical week with a single 2 + 1 crew, The Hadley Steel Frame proved significantly quicker to install compared to traditional blockwork. This resulted in a reduced overall construction duration.
The Hadley Steel Frame proved to be 14 weeks quicker to install 2,000M2 external wall compared to traditional blockwork.
Based on the findings, the potential benefits of using The Hadley Steel Frame system in lieu of the traditional blockwork are
This cost comparison of The Hadley Steel Frame against Blockwork speaks for itself.
There is a significant saving in Main Contractor Time Related Preliminaries when using The Hadley Steel Frame compared to traditional blockwork. The magnitude of this potential cost saving is largely driven by a shorter overall construction duration. In the sample used for the purposes of this study, the savings equalled nearly 4 millions AED.
The results show that there is 95% less wastage for an SFS wall compared to traditional blockwork. SFS can be repeatedly reused and recycled without losing its qualities as a building material. This unique characteristic gives steel a high economic value at all stages of its life cycle.
The results show that the SFS system has a higher carbon intensity by mass compared to dense concrete blockwork. However, SFS has a lower mass of material compared to dense concrete blockwork resulting in a much less embodied carbon.
SFS external wall systems are easily adaptable if the configuration of the building needs to change. The steel frame itself can be easily adapted, with parts added or taken away. It’s light weight nature means that extra floors can often be added in-build without over-loading existing foundations. On the other hand, blockwork is fixed.
The SFS wall solution has a positive impact on site logistics, traffic management, Health & Safety and the environment. It is estimated SFS requires up to 25 times less lorry deliveries to site compared to blockwork.
ENGINEERED FOR VALUE
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