Monday, 22 August 2016

The CSSBI Blog has moved!

We have moved the blog into the CSSBI website to better integrate it with all the other great content we have to offer on that site.
If there is anything you would like to see on our blog or website, contact us and we’ll be happy to include it! Until then, we hope you continue to read up on what’s new with sheet steel building products and let the CSSBI help you turn your design visions into realities!

Thursday, 4 August 2016

AISI and CFSEI Announce Kick-Off of 2016-2017 International Cold-Formed Steel Building Student Design Competition

The 2015 Cold-Formed Steel Design Competition Problem
Competition offers expanded design challenge and timeline, new rules, and professional mentors 


WASHINGTON, D.C., August 3, 2016 – The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) are joining the American Society of Civil Engineers, Committee of Cold-Formed Members; and the University of North Texas as co-sponsors of the 2016-2017 International Cold-Formed Steel Building Student Design Competition. Now in its sixth year, the competition was previously known as the International Student Competition on Cold-Formed Steel Design. The competition is now officially under way and will conclude on March 31, 2017. 
“This year’s competition is different in many ways than those held in previous years,” said Maribeth Rizzuto, LEED AP – BD+C, managing director of the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute. “Previously, the design problems involved cold-formed steel components. This year, the design problem is a three-story cold-formed steel condominium building, and we are challenging students to push the creative bounds of structural design with light cold-formed steel framing. We are extending the deadline for entries and are encouraging students to work as either individuals or teams. Upon request, we will also provide an engineering mentor from CFSEI for project support. With these changes, our goal is to provide an expanded experience for students to work on a specific project while interacting with other team members, as they would in the workplace.”
The design problem is a three-story cold-formed steel condominium building located at 8601 Scholar Lane in Las Vegas, Nevada, 89128, USA. It has 26,912 sq. ft. (2,500 sq. meters) of usable floor space. The primary load-bearing and lateral structural system shall be cold-formed steel framing, designed to IBC 2012 and governing AISI specifications with load combinations taken from ASCE 7-10. 
The competition is open to students around the world who are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate college programs. Teams can register as individuals or as groups. Each group may request an engineer mentor from CFSEI to support their work. 
Entries will be judged by a jury of engineers, architects, contractors, and cold-formed steel manufacturers in three main categories: 
  • Design – Resourcefulness, constructibility, creativity;
  • Structure – Structural system performance and efficiency reflected in the calculations, details and use of cold-formed steel framing in combination with other construction materials; and 
  • Impact – Impact on the surrounding community and the environment. 
Cash prizes for competition winners will be awarded at the 2017 CFSEI Expo to be held in Spring 2017. 

For more information on the design competition, visit the CFSEI website at https://cfsei.memberclicks.net/student-competition 

AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 19 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and approximately 125 associate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. For more news about steel and its applications, visit www.steel.org.
The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute comprises hundreds of structural engineers and other design professionals who are finding a better way to produce safe and efficient designs for commercial and residential structures with cold-formed steel. CFSEI members work together to develop and evolve industry standards and design methods, produce and issue technical bulletins, and provide seminars and online training to improve the knowledge and skills base of engineers and design professionals. For more information, visit www.cfsei.org
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Thursday, 21 July 2016

SFIA gives Webinar on the Risks of Wood Framing/Code Changes



The Steel Framing Industry Association is a USA-based sister organization to the CSSBI. As we have seen similar code changes for combustible materials in Canada, this webinar touched on many of the same concerns the steel and concrete industries have expressed in Canada.

This last Thursday the SFIA Professional Development series featured an online presentation by Chief Steve Lohr, currently the Fire Chief of Hagerstown, MD and who recently retired as Chief of the Montgomery County, MD Fire and Rescue Services.  Steve has recent, first-hand experience fighting a mid-rise wood-frame fire and he’s agreed to testify before a committee of the Maryland State Legislature about the dangers these structures represent.

Watch the video to see a clip reporting on the 2014 fire that destroyed the Upper Gables apartments in Rockville, MD.


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Tuesday, 19 July 2016

Cas d'étude: Programme d’amélioration des installations sportives – l’acier, un choix évident

Projet: George Brown College
Toronto, ON

Le gymnase du collège George Brown de Toronto avait désespérément besoin d’être modernisé. Construit initialement dans les années 1970, le gymnase devait être rénové. « Tout l’équipement se trouvait dans un petit espace dépourvu de lumière naturelle. Seuls les rats de gymnase s’en servaient », selon M. YewThong Leong, architecte principal de SSG Architecture. « On nous a demandé d’ajouter une annexe au gymnase. Les besoins du collège en matière d’activités récréatives ont changé. Ils voulaient notamment un studio pour le yoga. »

Une charpente en acier léger a été choisie en raison de ses propriétés de construction non combustibles, de son poids léger et de sa capacité d’intégration à la nouvelle structure. L’acier permet de personnaliser facilement l’ensemble de la charpente et des éléments afin de s’harmoniser avec les écarts d’espacement de la structure historique.

L’ajout d’une annexe moderne à un bâtiment historique a constitué l’un des défis de ce projet. « L’annexe d’un immeuble historique se doit d’être construite de telle sorte qu’il soit possible de la retirer, et l’acier est parfait pour ce faire », indique M. Leong. « Le nouvel immeuble est entièrement construit en acier. » 

Les impératifs du calendrier de construction ont imposé l’érection de la superstructure pendant l’automne et la saison hivernale. Du fait de l’emploi d’une méthode de construction à sec, l’installation hivernale représentait une solution sûre. La préfabrication des composants a permis de poursuivre en toute sécurité les travaux de construction, tandis que le bâtiment actuel était utilisé par le personnel et les étudiants.

Il ajoute également que l’acier a été choisi pour sa solidité et son poids relativement léger. « Tout l’acier est découvert. Nous voulions que le design présente un certain degré d’honnêteté. L’acier a été peinturé de couleur blanche. Cela donne un effet de halo avec la lumière externe, le bâtiment semble tout simplement rayonner. » 


La construction de l’annexe a pris fin l’an dernier. Il s’agissait de la troisième et dernière phase du plan d’amélioration des installations sportives. « L’acier n’a pas un aspect lourd comme le béton. Le recours à l’acier donne un effet de légèreté à l’ensemble », selon M. Leong. « L’annexe est superbe. Elle offre une vue incroyable et profite de beaucoup de lumière naturelle. Ce bâtiment a été très bien reçu. » 

L’ajout offre tout l’espace nécessaire pour élargir les programmes existants de musculation et d’activités cardiovasculaires qui ont actuellement cours au même étage dans un endroit dépourvu de fenêtre du gymnase des années 1970. Une fois les installations existantes déplacées, l’espace a été rénové pour en faire une nouvelle salle de vélo et des studios pour les classes d’exercice.

Le nouvel espace est beaucoup plus convivial et cela incite beaucoup d’étudiants à s’entraîner au collège. « La faculté a fait quelques changements. Finalement, l’annexe sert de salle de musculation et compte de nombreux appareils cardiovasculaires. Le studio de yoga figurait mieux dans le bâtiment initial » explique M. Leong. « L’annexe attire une autre clientèle. C’est une réussite et nous en sommes bien heureux. »


ÉQUIPE DE CONCEPTION ET DE CONSTRUCTION 
CLIENT : George Brown College 
ARCHITECTE : SSG Architecture Inc. 
INGÉNIEURS DE STRUCTURES : Milman and Associates 
ENTREPRENEUR GÉNÉRAL : The Michael Thomas Group Inc. 
FOURNISSEUR DES CHARPENTES MÉTALLIQUES LÉGÈRES : Bailey Metal Products 
INSTALLATEUR DE CHARPENTE MÉTALLIQUE LÉGÈRE : Orient Construction Limited 
FOURNISSEUR DU PLATELAGE EN ACIER : Canam Group 
ENTREPRENEUR DE CHARPENTES MÉTALLIQUES : Pengelly Iron Works 
FOURNISSEUR DE REVÊTEMENTS EN ACIER : Vicwest



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Thursday, 14 July 2016

Project Profile: Athletics Facility Enhancement Program – Steel was the obvious choice

Project: George Brown College
Location: Toronto, ON

The gymnasium at George Brown College in Toronto was in desperate need of an upgrade. Originally built in the 1970s, the gym was due for an overhaul. “All the exercise equipment was stuck in the same small space with no natural light. The only people who used it were gym rats,” says Yew-Thong Leong, Principal Architect with SSG Architecture. “We were asked to put an addition adjacent to the gym. The college’s recreational needs had changed. They wanted a yoga studio, among other things.”

Light steel framing was selected for its noncombustible construction properties, lightweight and its ability to integrating with the new structure. Steel allowed for easily customizing all the members and elements to align with the in congruencies of the historic structure’s differential grid spacing.

One of the challenges the project posed was the need to add a modern addition to a historical building. “When you’re building an addition to a historical building, you have to do it in such a way that it can be removed, and steel allows for that,” Leong says. “The new building is entirely made of steel.”

The construction schedule dictated that the super structure would be erected during the fall and through the winter months. A dry construction method made winter installation a safe possibility. Prefabrication of components allowed for construction to continue safely while the existing building is occupied with staff and students.

He adds that steel was also chosen for its strength and relatively light weight. “We left all the steel exposed. We wanted there to be a level of honesty about the design. We painted the steel pure white. It has a halo effect from the amount of light coming in – it simply glows.”


Construction of the addition was completed a year ago. This latest addition was the third and final phase of the Athletics Facility Enhancement Plan. “Steel doesn’t look as heavy as concrete. The use of steel added a lighter feel to the space,” says Leong. “The addition is amazing. It has incredible views and lots of natural light. It’s been very well received.”

The addition provides space for the purpose of expanding the programs for the existing weight lifting and cardio facility which is currently housed in a window-less space within a 1970s gymnasium addition on the same floor. Once the existing facilities were vacated, they were renovated into a new cycle room and studios for movement classes.

The new space is a lot friendlier, and it’s encouraged more students to work out at the college, he says. “The faculty bumped a few things around. In the end, the addition became the weight-training room, with a lot of cardio machines. The yoga studio was better suited to the original building,” Leong explains. “The addition has brought out a different population. It’s quite well done, and we’re very happy about it.”


DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION TEAM 
CLIENT: George Brown College
ARCHITECT: SSG Architecture Inc.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS: Milman and Associates
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: The Michael Thomas Group Inc.
LIGHT STEEL FRAMING SUPPLIER: Bailey Metal Products
LIGHT STEEL FRAMING INSTALLER: Orient Construction Limited
STEEL DECK SUPPLIER: CanamGroup
STRUCTURAL STEEL CONTRACTOR: Pengelly Iron Works
STEEL CLADDING SUPPLIER: Vicwest

Click to download Case Study #90-15: Athletics Facility Enhancement Program – Steel was the obvious choice

http://www.cssbi.ca

Thursday, 7 July 2016

CSSBI-CSPI Annual Charity Golf Tournament donates to Prostate Cancer Canada

The Canadian Sheet Steel Building Institute and the Corrugated Steel Pipe Institute made a donation to Prostate Cancer Canada.



The Annual Charity Golf Tournament was held on June 12, 2016 during our Annual Meeting held in Saint-Andrews-by-the-Sea, NB.  Prostate Cancer Canada was chosen as this year's charity in honour of Bryan Hernandez, the recipient of the 2016 CSSBI Award of RecognitionIn total, $1220 was donated.

http://www.cssbi.ca

Friday, 1 July 2016

Happy Birthday Canada - Bonne fête Canada


Please note the CSSBI office will be closed on Friday July 1, 2016 to celebrate Canada Day. We will reopen Monday July 4, 2016.

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