I n
Design and Specification of Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel
BY TERRI MEYER BOAKE
A
rchitecturallyexposed structural steel
(AESS )issteelthatmust be designed
to be both structurally sufficient to
suppOrt the primary needs of the
structure of the building, canopies, ancillary
structures or p edestrian scale bridges, while at
thesame timebeexposed to view,and therefore
isasignificantpartofthearchitecturallanguage
ofthebuildingorStructure.Thedesign,detailing
and finish requirements ofAESS will typically
exceed that ofstandard structural steel that is
normallyconcealedbyotherfinishes.AESSmust
be durableand maintainable. It must beable to
resistcorrosionifplacedinahostileenvironment
andthedesignandfinishesalsoresistanttourban
pollutionandgen eralwear.
The Canadian Institute ofSteel Con struc-
tion (C IS e) developed a new suite ofdocu-
ments to assist the design and co nstruction
industry in the effective implementation of
AESS .Prio r to thed evelopmentofthesedocu -
mentstherewas noto nlytheabsenceofaclear
standardfor AESS,butalso norecognition of
the need to differentiate thequalities ofproj-
ects as a function oftheir use, finish and the
ability ofpeople to see or interact with the
building or structure. At the core ofthe ap-
proachwas therecog n itionthat"notall AESS
need be created equal". Early high profile ex-
posed steel that was being used in airports,
atriumsormuseumshadfabricationandfinish
requirements thatwould beexcessivelyexpen-
sive ifapplied tomidtolowerendcommercial
orindustrialprojects. Projectscouldbe priced
out ofexistence. Th ere needed to be a clear
and definiti ve communicati o n betwe en the
enginee r, fabricatOr and architect that would
putthemallonthesamepage.
32 CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS July/August 2012
Therearedifferentwaystoapproachproblems
anddetailingin exposedsteel.The Museumof
Flightpedestrianbridgein Seattle(R)andthe
PeaceBridgeinCalgary (L) usesimilarstructur-
al approaches.butcompletelydifferentmaterial
selectionandfabricati o nmethods.TheFlight
BridgecouldbeclassedAESS3andthePeace
BridgeAESS 4. Theexpectationsfromthe
fabricatorareentirelydifferent.
AESS3referstostructuresthatwillbeviewed
at a distance less than 6m. The categor ywould
be suitable for "feature"elements where the
deSigner is comfortable allowing the viewer to
see the art ofmetalworking. The weldsshould
be generallysmooth butvisible and somegrind
markswould be acceptable. Tolerances must be
tighterthan normalstandards. Asthisstructure
isnormallyviewedcloserthansixmetersitmight
alsofrequentlybesubjecttotouchbythepublic,
therefore warrantingasmootherand more uni-
form finish and appearance.This type ofstruc-
CISCcreatedaSpecificationfortheEngineer, turecouldbefo undinairports.shoppingcentres,
an Appendix to th e Code ofStandard Practice hospitalsorlobbiesandcouldbeexpectedtoin-
for the FabricatOr and an Illustrated Guide forcur a moderate cost premium that could range
the Architect. A "Matrix" ties all ofthe docu- from 60 150percentoverstandardstructural
mentstOgethertocreateaverycompleteandco - steelas afunction ofthecomplexityand levelof
herentmeansfortheteamtocommunicate. final finishdesired.
There are four categories that recognize the AESS 4 isused for showcase elementswhere
use,distanceofviewandfinal finish onaproject. th e designer intends that the form is the pri-
Thesearefurtherdifferentiatedbycharacteristics mar yfocus ofthe design . All welds are ground
and filled edges are groundsquareand true. All
offabrication thatare additive as the categories
ascend.Althoughfini shesmightbeapplied last, surfacesaresandedandfilled.Tolerancesof these
they must be acknowledged at th e outset ofa fabricated form s are more stringent, generally
tohalfofstandard tolerancefor standardstruc-
project as the use ofa heavier fir e retardant or
galvanizedcorrosio nprotectionwouldsuggesta tural steel. All ofthe surfaces would be "glove"
lessrefinedapproach tofabricationanddetailing smooth. The cost premium of th ese elements
that could afford some COSt savings.The choice would behigh andcould range from 100 250
touseboltedorweldedconnectionswillalsoim- per cent over standard structural steel com-
pactthechoiceof AESS type. pletelyas afuncti on ofthenatureofthedetails,
complexityofcon structionandselectedfinishes.
AESS 1is the first step above standard struc-
turalsteel.Thistypeof applicationwouldbesuit- ItiscommontomixtwOcategoriesonaproj-
ablefor"basic"elements,whichrequireenhanced ect in recognition ofvaried viewing distances,
workmanship. This type of exposed structure withceilingelementsoft en usingalowercatego -
could be found in rooftrusses for arenas, ware-ry. Forhighlyunusualprojectsthematrixcan be
houses, big box stOres and canopies and should used tocreateacUStOm setofrequirements.
onlyrequirealowcost premium in the rangeof Although only recently released, man y proj-
20 60percentdue to itsrelativelylargeviewingects in Canada are making effective use of the
new AESS documents, resulting in smoother
distance as well as thelowerprofile natureofthe
architecturalspacesin whichit is used. communicationandamoresatisfyin gproject.CD
AESS 2 referstostructuresthatare intended
to be viewed at adistance more than 6 m. The Terri Meyer Boake, BES B.Arch M.Arch
ptocess requiresbasicallygood fabrication prac- LEED AP, is the associate director of rhe
ticeswithenhanced treatmentofwelds, connec- SchoolofArchitectureattheUniversityofWa-
tion and fabrication details, tolerances for gaps, tedoo. She is the author ofthe "CISC AESS
and copes. This type ofAESS might be found Guidefor SpecifyingArchitectural1yExposed
in retail and architectural applications where a Structural Steel" and "Understanding Steel
lowtomoderatecostpremiumintherangeof40 Design: AnArchitecturalDesignManual" by
100percentovertheCOSt of standardstructural Birkhauser. To download: http:// www.dsc-
steelwouldbeexpected. icca.ca/content/aess/defoult.aspx