Spatial design with steel-concrete beams

For thirty years in Finland, they have known how to design slender and freeform floor structures with the DELTABEAM^® steel-concrete beam. Peikko's concept arrived in the Benelux more than ten years ago, where it is regularly used for "spatial" and sustainable projects. DELTABEAM SELECT has recently become available, a free software program for structural engineers that makes designing the steel-concrete beam even easier.

The DELTABEAM^® steel-concrete beam allows structural engineers to design an attractive, slender and free-formed floor structure, begins Wim Zwaan, director of Peikko Benelux. "In combination with hollow-core slabs, large floor spans are also possible. Spans of seven to eight meters are common, depending on the type of girder, but it is perfectly possible to engineer spans of up to ten meters without the girder protruding below the floor. These larger spans not only add architectural value, but the building height is also significantly reduced by the slim construction. Installations can also be dimensioned tightly under the floor, so less space is lost to false ceilings."

Special product
Basically, the DELTABEAM^® a steel girder on which a channel or wide slab floor is laid in the execution. "Once filled and cured, the DELTABEAM enjoys^® of the advantages of a steel-concrete beam," Zwaan states. "The DELTABEAM^® has greater rigidity than a conventional steel beam, can handle larger spans and higher loads. The number of columns is minimized, resulting in a spatially distinctive design with many advantages for the layout of the building." DELTABEAM also manifests itself in terms of fire safety.^® itself as a special product and benefits from the advantages of the combination of steel and concrete. "In the production phase, additional fire reinforcement is already applied to the beam. During a fire, the concrete then takes care of cooling and makes sure that the construction can still absorb sufficient tensile stresses partly due to the fire reinforcement. The fire resistance of the DELTABEAM^® is guaranteed for up to three hours in the event of a spreading fire, without having to apply an additional fire-resistant coating."

DELTA HAM SELECT
Constructors who want to explore the possibilities of DELTABEAM^® want to view, can recently use DELTABEAM SELECT on the Peikko Benelux website. "This module is part of the Peikko Designer software program in which a structural engineer can create his own fingerprinted design with the DELTABEAM^®", explains Zwaan. "Based on a number of parameters such as the desired span, floor type and floor loads, the program makes three proposals for the most efficient possible support structure with DELTABEAM^®. The structure is fully rendered in 3D and the software is extremely user-friendly. It is then possible to export reports and drawings and integrate them into the design. On this basis, the contractor can request a quote from Peikko. After assignment, we calculate the construction in detail again and provide the detailed calculation notes, which are submitted to the structural engineer for review."

One of the high-profile projects where the DELTABEAM^® a distinguished position, is the new construction of furniture and accessories giant Loods 5 in Amersfoort and Maastricht. "Thanks to Peikko's steel-concrete beams and a minimum number of columns, the interior space can be arranged flexibly. The parking area on the first floor below the building is also spacious. Because the beams there are exposed to the outdoor environment, they have been preserved with a metallization layer of zinc and aluminum. A proven concept in bridge construction and offshore that for DELTABEAM^® preferable to hot-dip galvanizing." Loods 5 is so satisfied with the spatial qualities of the steel-concrete beam that the new building in Duiven near Arnhem is also being constructed this way. And so there are many satisfied 'users'.   

Text | Roel van Gils   Image | Peikko