SFS Vs. Blockwork: Putting SFS infill walling to the test
Ryan Simmonds, Sales Director of Metsec Framing, highlights the results of a
report which reveals the benefits of using SFS instead of traditional blockwork
Metsec SFS is our market-leading light gauge, galvanised steel structural
framing solution for general external wall and high-rise construction projects.
As one of the leading products on the market, we recently commissioned a
report to put our SFS infill walling solution to the test compared to traditional
blockwork.
As part of the testing, we compared several different real life scenarios to see
how the SFS wall would work in situ, which included brick, timber cladding,
insulated render and rainscreen cladding. When looking at each scenario, a
number of different areas were taken into consideration, such as: project
benefits (in construction), cost efficiency and sustainability performance.
When the results came through, it was clear that compared to traditional
blockwork, SFS proved to be quicker to build, showed increased sustainability
performance and significantly improved cost efficiency.
In fact, cost efficiency was a factor that came out as a benefit from every
scenario we tested. The table below shows both the like-for-like material
comparison, as well as an overall build comparison:
Scenario
Brick face
Saving on
Saving on
through wall
comparable
cost
elements
8%
7%
27%
54%
8%
21%
external wall
Timber cladding
external wall
Insulated render
insulated wall
Rainscreen
4%
19%
13%
33%
cladding
external wall
Average saving
Saving on Total
Build Cost
4%
As you can see from the table, it’s clear that savings can be made across the
board when using SFS infill walling.
The report found that SFS requires 25 times less lorry deliveries to site, which
ultimately reduces the impact on the environment. In addition, SFS embodies
less carbon and creates less waste compared to traditional blockwork, making
it a far greener choice.
The speed in which SFS can be built also reinforces that it is a more efficient
product to use, rather than blockwork. This is because it can offer a much
quicker water tight date, removing façade finishes from the critical path and
enabling follow on trades, such as first-fix and M&E contractors to start work
on the project sooner than usual. Also, in regards to speed, the report found
that, for the example project, SFS could reduce the installation time by at least
3 weeks, with further time savings possible on larger projects.
It is well known that the project benefits for SFS are precision, practicality and
performance. As our SFS steel is delivered using flat bed trucks, it is ready for
a crane to off-load the bundles directly to the loading bays at each floor level,
this assists in reducing the overall time that is spent on-site. It can then be
installed from the inside of the building, which means there is no requirement
for external scaffolding and an edge protection system can be utilised. When
the SFS products arrive to site, they are easy to identify because we have
colour coded the studs. The colours represent the thickness of the product,
which is determined in the initial design drawings. By labelling the products in
different colours, it makes it visually easier to regulate where everything goes
once on-site. Once installed, SFS offers acoustic, thermal and fire
performance to relevant Building Regulations and/or client requirements,
reinforcing it as the ideal choice for the construction of high-rise buildings.
With our expert team of designers, it means that we’re able to provide
recommendations on the SFS products that are going to be best used based
on the needs of the project. Not only this, but the standard of steel we use is
of a high quality and all of our products are CE marked. We’ve created a
microsite to summarise the results of the report, which you can find at:
www.metsec.com/sfs-vs-blockwork/
Notes to editors
For more information on voestalpine Metsec, please contact Helen Bailey,
Laura Cavanagh or Adam Worrall on 0113 2429 174 or email
[email protected]
voestalpine Metsec plc is the UK’s largest specialist cold roll-forming
company, providing products for the construction and manufacturing
industries. The company focuses on adding value through expert design,
precision manufacturing and on time in full product delivery. Metsec combines
an excellent service and quality products to provide cost effective solutions for
all its customers worldwide.
Established for over 80 years, voestalpine Metsec plc is owned by the
voestalpine group, one of Europe’s leading specialist engineering companies.
Metsec are part of voestalpine’s Metal Forming division, the world’s leading
provider of high-quality metal processing solutions with production facilities all
around the globe.