What is a Lightweight Steel Frame?
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Lightweight steel framing (LSF), or light gauge steel framing (LGSF), employs thin, cold-formed steel sheets to create strong, precise structural frameworks for efficient, durable construction.
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LSF remains significantly lighter than wood, enabling easy and cost-efficient transportation to your construction site.
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LSF can be prefabricated off-site, allowing for quick and efficient assembly at the construction site.
Advantages of Steel Framing
Durability and Resistance
Fire Resistant
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Fire Resistant: As a non-combustible material, steel enhances fire safety by not contributing to flame spread and maintaining structural integrity under high temperatures.
Termite Proof
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Termite Proof: Steel is impervious to termites, eliminating the need for chemical treatments and ensuring long-term durability.
Resistant to Mold and Rot
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Resistant to Mold and Rot: Steel does not absorb moisture, preventing mold growth and rot, which contributes to a healthier indoor environment and lower maintenance costs.
Structural and Material Benefits
Lightweight
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Lightweight: Steel frames are significantly lighter than traditional materials like wood or concrete, simplifying handling and reducing foundation loads.
Design Versatility
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Design Versatility: Steel's strength allows for flexible designs, accommodating larger spans and unique architectural shapes.
Exact, Straight, and Square
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Exact, Straight, and Square: Manufactured to precise specifications, steel frames ensure straight lines, accurate dimensions, and perfectly square panels, enhancing construction quality. This precision ensures uniformity in assembly, improving structural integrity and aesthetic consistency.
Lower Insurance Premiums
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Lower Insurance Premiums: Steel framing’s fire-resistant and non-combustible properties make it a safer and more reliable building material, leading to lower insurance premiums for contractors and property owners, resulting in considerable mid- and long-term savings.
Optimized Construction Process
Streamlined Design and Manufacturing
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Streamlined Design and Manufacturing: Our in-house design team utilizes Steelwise software by FRAMECAD to transform your vision into precise, buildable plans. This advanced software ensures compliance with the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) 2015 and 2020, guaranteeing that designs meet stringent safety and structural standards while optimizing the manufacturing process for efficiency and accuracy.
Reduced Project Timelines
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Reduced Project Timelines: Prefabrication and automated manufacturing of light gauge steel components significantly accelerate construction. Factory-produced elements require minimal on-site adjustments, enabling faster assembly compared to traditional methods. This streamlined process shortens project timelines, allowing for quicker project completion.
Reduced Labour Requirements
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Reduced Labour Requirements: The prefabricated design of light gauge steel framing simplifies construction by delivering pre-assembled components that require minimal on-site adjustments. This streamlined approach reduces the need for extensive labor, making the process more straightforward and cost-effective compared to traditional construction methods.
Eco-Friendly Construction
100% Recyclable
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100% Recyclable: Steel is fully recyclable, making it an eco-friendly choice that supports sustainable construction practices.
Insecticide-Free
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Insecticide-Free: Due to its termite-proof nature, steel framing eliminates the need for insecticides, reducing environmental impact from harmful chemicals.
Minimized Waste
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Minimized Waste: Precise manufacturing and assembly of steel frames result in minimal waste, as components are produced to exact specifications and efficiently assembled on-site, reducing excess material and environmental footprint.
How is a Lightweight Steel Frame Built?
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It begins with a detailed architectural plan. Our in-house design team utilizes FRAMECAD software for structural design, adhering to NBCC 2015 and NBCC 2020 standards.
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The steel structure elements are fabricated item by item from thin, high-strength steel sheets using a CAD/CAM cold-formed framing process. All notches, service holes, dimples, etc., are created by the machine.
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The elements are assembled and joined together in the factory to form prefabricated panels.
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The prefabricated panels are installed on-site.
