One early stage design task that is often valuable to an Architect and a Client is a comparison of different structural systems.
It’s often an initial question for a new job. “Are we working on a Concrete, Steel or Timber building here?”
Arriving at the answer requires some investigation and should have some data to back it up. Often this is done by taking a few bays of the proposed building and producing structural framing and some basic sections for different forms of construction.
The information that this can estimate includes:
- Geometry. What spans are possible and therefore where columns might be needed.
- Depth. Overall depth of the system which informs floor-to-floor heights.
- Volume. The volume of material required. Information for builders and services like fire and mechanical.
- Cost. An indication of the cost of structure.
With these aims in mind, we have created a new site we hope might be helpful to provide some of this information for different options at www.StruCompare.com.
This is a simple web based service where a user can get a structural framing plans for their floor area simply by uploading them. They can then apply different structural forms and compare the results in a simple table. More detailed information is also available for each option including basic sections.
Optional parameters allow testing of different maximum spans, loading and member sizing requirements and others.
With a design aimed at simplicity, this site should be straightforward and quick to use. Give it a go today!
Structured Parametrics 