No.

37 December 2012

STEEL CONSTRUCTION
TODAY & TOMORROW http://www.jisf.or.jp/en/activity/sctt/index.html

【 s u - m u 】
“住む (su-mu)” in Japanese, or “live” in English
After choosing a house and its location, people live there; Living
Steel structures are increasingly being used as houses,
station buildings and other structures common to our daily life.

In this issue.....
Advanced Construction Project

1 Conservation and Restoration of Tokyo Station Building

Special Feature: Prefabricated Steel-frame Housing

2 Development of Prefabricated Steel-frame Housing in Japan
4 Prefabricated Steel-frame Housing in Japan
• Development of Prefabricated Steel-frame House Technologies
• Overseas Operations of Japanese Prefabricated Homebuilders
Published Jointly by 14 Steel-frame House Employing
Light-gauge Steel Shape

The Japan Iron and Steel Federation Steel Application Technology

16 Basic Details about Welding and
Welding Control
Japanese Society of Steel Construction 19 Steel Construction in Thailand
 Advanced Construction Project

Conservation and Restoration of

Tokyo Station Building
by Atsushi Hayashi, Manager, Structural Engineering Center, Construction Dept.,
East Japan Railway Company; and Katsuhiko Osako, Deputy Director, Design Div.,
JR East Design Corporation

Located in Marunouchi at the center of Frodingham Iron & Steel of

Tokyo, the Tokyo Station Building is famil- the U.K.
iarly known as the “Red-brick Station Manufacture and assembly
Building” in Japan. Designed by Kingo Tat- of the steel frames started in
suno, the father of modern architecture in September 1909, and installa-
Japan, the building opened in 1914. While tion of all the steel-frame
damage to its roof and exterior walls caused members was finished in
by air raids during the Second World War September 1911 (Photo 3).
led to the building being lowered from its On-site surveys of the
original three-story construction to two sto- Tokyo Station Building con-
ries, the station has long served as Tokyo’s ducted in 1988 found local-
main railway station and is representative of ized structural deterioration
Japanese buildings erected in the Taisho and and various structural con-
Showa Eras (together spanning most of the cerns, but indicated that the
20th century). (Photos 1 and 2) building had been kept in
With this background, the Tokyo Station good condition as a steel-
Building was designated as an Important frame/masonry structure even
Cultural Property of Japan in 2003. In 2007, Photo 2 Damage by air raids 75 years after construction.
a project was begun to conserve as much of
the existing station building as possible ● Steel-frame Building Structure
while restoring it to its original appearance. The framing structure, shown in Fig. 1, was Fig. 1 Wall Framing1)
The project was successfully completed in adopted for construction of the station build-
October 2012. ing. Ten-inch I-beams were adopted for
most of the columns.
History and Structure of The steel frames used for each structural
Tokyo Station Building section weighed a total of 3,135 tons. The 3rd floor
● Appearance of Original Building adopted building plan called for the use of
Facing the Imperial Palace, the Tokyo Sta- as many domestically produced steel prod-
tion Building is a long structure with a total ucts as possible. The steel products supplied
length of 335 m. As it originally stood, the by overseas producers were used for the col-
building had three stories above ground and umns and joining members that would get
one that was partially underground; it also much usage, and those produced at the gov-
had a one-story annex building at its rear ernment-run Yawata Steel Works in Japan 2nd floor
(station platform side). The total floor area were used for all the other structural mem-
was 10,500 m2. bers. Domestic steel products accounted for
56% of all the steel products used, and the
foreign steel products for 44%. The major
suppliers of foreign steel products were
Carnegie Steel Company of the U.S. and

1st floor

Underground
floor

Photo 1 Appearance of Tokyo Station Building in the days of initial construction (1914)

1 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow December 2012

Restoration of the Historical Station
Building
The primary objective of the restoration work
was to provide sufficient seismic resistance.
The restoration design was made so that, even
in the event of the largest predictable class of
earthquake, cracking in the brick walls would
be allowed but the building itself would be
used without the need of any large-scale repair
work.
Extensive examination of seismic resis- Photo 3 Installation of steel frames2)
tance showed the following results: with adop-
tion of the base-isolation method, almost no
seismic reinforcement would be required. On
the other hand, if conventional seismic rein-
forcing methods were employed, about half of
the interior walls would need reinforcement.
Consequently, it was decided to adopt the
base-isolation method in view of the projected
improvements to structural safety, application
freedom and conservation accuracy. (Photo 4)

Renewed Historical Building

Conservation and restoration of the historical
Tokyo Station Building was successfully fin-
ished by adding a base-isolation structure, an
example of contemporary technology, to the
original steel-frame/masonry structure that Photo 4 Advanced base-isolation systems (base-isolation laminated rubber and
was an example of one of the most advanced oil damper) were adopted for securing sufficient seismic resistance of
the renewed Tokyo Station Building.
architectural technologies available in Japan at
the earliest stage of the Japanese adoption of
European-style modern architecture. The References 2) Tokyo Station Improvement Office, Jap-
Tokyo Station Building (Marunouchi side) 1) H. Kanai: Report on Construction of anese Government Railways: Commem-
saw its grand opening on October 1, 2012, re- Tokyo Railway Station, Journal of Japan oration Photo Album, 1914
producing its 1914 appearance at the initial Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. 1, No. 1, 3) Photos 1, 2 and 4: Owned by East Japan
stage of construction (Photo 5). ■ 1915 Railway Company

Photo 5 Image of appearance upon completion (2012)

December 2012 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 2

 Special Feature: Prefabricated Steel-frame House

Development of Prefabricated
Steel-frame Housing in Japan
by Shuichi Matsumura
Professor, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Studies of the total floor space of new build- directed at the building construction market, giants of the steel industry as ready-to-use
ing construction starts in Japan show that al- which was expected to show rapid growth. structural members for building construc-
though wooden structures have long account- In order to effectively establish a new steel tion.
ed for the largest share, in the recent economic market in building construction, it was nec- While the home structural methods em-
bubble period, steel-frame structures have essary to develop the technology to produce ploying light-gauge shapes differed from
suddenly captured the top spot. I believe that light-gauge shapes such as channels etc. by one prefabricated steel-frame homebuilder
amidst the worldwide construction market, it cold-forming steel sheets with thicknesses to another, the framing method was nearly
is only in Japan that steel-frame structures of 2~6 mm. the same for every builder-channels and
comprise the largest share of total national As soon as the domestic production of square tubes were used as column members
building construction, outstripping both RC light-gauge shapes by means of cold form- while channels and light-gauge H-shapes
and wooden structures. It can be said that ing became available, the Japanese steel in- were used as lateral framing and truss mem-
Japan is uniquely a “great country for steel- dustry quickly started developing applica- bers. Compared to the precast concrete wall
frame structures.” tions for these shapes. The Light-gauge method, this method of steel framing gained
When considering structures that are rep- Steel-frame Association was inaugurated by popularity because of the flexibility in ar-
resentative of steel buildings in Japan, some the Kozai Club (an association for develop- ranging rooms that was permitted by con-
people call to mind high-rise office buildings ing new steel markets, which then merged ventional wood framing methods. As a
such as the Kasumigaseki Building, Japan’s with the Japan Iron and Steel Federation). result, pref a b r i c a t e d steel-frame
first full-scale high-rise building completed in The leading figures of the time and prom- homebuilders directed their marketing ef-
1967. Still others suggest the ubiquitous, me- ising young researchers in the field of ar- forts not only towards expanding sales
dium-rise buildings that are constructed by at- chitecture as well as many scholars in a volume but also towards steadily expanding
taching ALC panels to framing composed of wide range of fields, from structural and
square steel tube columns and H-shape beams. planning engineering to architectural design,
However, these two types of steel structures participated in the Association’s work. Their
alone cannot command the largest share of goal was to design guidelines for houses,
steel building construction. There is another school buildings and other low-rise build-
type of steel-structure building that also ac- ings employing light-gauge shapes and to
counts for a considerable share of the floor develop structuring methods including join-
space in new building construction starts. This ing details. Further, trial designs and con-
type consists of low-rise prefabricated steel- struction formats were accumulated at a
frame buildings such as steel-frame detached rapid pace.
homes and apartment buildings.
Prefabricated Houses Employing Photo 1 A prefabricated steel-frame house in
Light-gauge Steel Shapes for Light-gauge Steel Shapes the initial day and marketed in 1960.
Structural Use From around 1960 when these efforts start- Brilliant aluminum wall, new steel sash,
The history of prefabricated steel-frame ed to yield results, the housing market start- and plastic-made eaves and buttress
housing in Japan dates back to 1955 when ed to show signs of rapid growth, and many were impressive.
light-gauge steel shapes were domestically companies that had been engaged in non-
produced by means of cold forming. Fol- building operations started moving into this
lowing the Meiji Era (1968~1912), develop- promising market. The companies that ad-
ment of the Japanese steel industry was con- vanced from the steel, chemical and home
sidered a national priority and was steadily appliance industries focused on the produc-
realized with support provided mainly tion and supply of highly industrialized
through public demand. However, with the (prefabricated) houses, in contrast to
end of the Second World War and the ne- wood-framed houses that depended on tra-
gotiated cease-fire of the Korean War, there ditional carpentry skills. Consequently,
was strong sentiment for the steel industry these companies, or homebuilders, directed
to cultivate new sources of steel demand, their attention to the application potential
i.e. for private demand to replace military of the light-gauge shapes that had just Photo 2 A prefabricated house in the first part of
demand. come to market. In those days, light-gauge the 1960s, which is remained in a
Given this situation, broad attention was shapes were already being marketed by the homebuilder’s research institute.

3 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow December 2012

floor plan flexibility, which has allowed quests to be incorporated in “custom-made” opment of the prefabricated steel-frame
these homebuilders to gain their current plans. New importance was placed on how housing industry as a whole. ■
leadership position in the Japanese housing to realize the dreams of each homebuyer in
market. the construction of their own homes, rather
At the infancy of prefabricated steel- than on the preparation of future home de-
frame housing around 1960, some houses signs drawn by architects, structural engi-
demonstrated a “novel feature” that was re- neers and other professionals. As a result,
garded somewhat strangely by people ac- prefabricated steel-frame housing was ac-
customed to conventional wooden housing. cepted in the Japanese housing market, and
Whereas it had been common for the joints prefabricated homes were established in so-
between wall panels to be clearly visible ciety as a new type of housing different
from outside the home, the new approach from conventional wooden homes.
of covering the exterior walls with alumi-
num and other materials took people by sur- The Prefabricated House as
prise. (See Photos 1~4) Further, because a Mass-produced Product
mass production was almost unheard of at In 1970, just 10 years after a number of
prefabricated homebuilding plants at this companies entered the prefabricated steel- Photo 5 Example of 3-story house employing
time and the kinds of structural members frame housing market, some emerged that heavyweight rigid steel frame system
produced were few, only a limited variety annually sold more than 10,000 houses. In
of outer wall configurations were available the 1980s, in spite of the severe operating
in the structural plans. For example, the cat- environment caused by the oil shock and
alogs of that time showed only one or two other events, the number of homebuilders
floor plans. that annually produced and sold more than
In the latter part of the 1960s, prefabri- 10,000 homes increased further, and sys-
cated home design adopted methods used tems were developed for building homes
for wooden houses. The selection of with three or more stories employing heavy-
“ready-made plans” from a restricted cata- weight steel frames (Photo 5).
log of designs was replaced by flexible Based on the concept of using enhanced
design systems that allowed homebuyer re- shop-production ratios to achieve a level of
cost performance appropriate for prefabri-
cated housing, a succession of new structur-
al methods were developed: one was a
method to design large panels, and another
was the unit method whereby individual Photo 6 From around 1970, extensive efforts
rooms are shop-assembled (Photo 6). As a were directed toward developing the
result, housing supplied by prefabricated structural method that enhances the
homebuilders has taken on the character of prefabrication ratio (photo: an example
of unit system housing production line).
being mass-produced and mass-marketed.
◆ ◆ ◆ Acknowledgment
Lastly, I wish to comment on a task con- The author wishes to thank the following
fronting all prefabricated steel-frame home- companies for their generous cooperation in
Photo 3 Midget house, one of prefabricated
houses in the initial days, which was builders. In an operating environment of providing the photos and figures used in this
marketed as a study room installed in moribund housing starts, the problem of how article: Sekisui House, Ltd., Daiwa House
the garden. It is exhibited in a to effectively use the “closed” structural sys- Industry Co., Ltd., PanaHome Corp., Asahi
homebuilder’s research institute. tems unique to each homebuilder demands Kasei Homes Corp. and Sekisui Chemical
our attention. Such systems in the current Co., Ltd.
environment are no longer rational or viable;
in fact, there are cases in which they consti-
tute an operating burden for the individual
builder.
However, because these companies have
accumulated considerable specific knowhow
over the last 50 years regarding the details
of their respective closed structural sys-
tems, it is my conclusion that now is the
time for them to consider terminating the use
Photo 4 One of prefabrica t e d s t e e l - f r a m e
homes, developed in 1961 of their closed proprietary systems and to
collaborate in bringing to market an open
system that will promote sustainable devel-

December 2012 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 4

 Prefabricated Steel-frame House

Prefabricated Steel-frame Housing

in Japan
by Japan Prefabricated Construction Suppliers & Manufacturers Association

Development of Prefabricated Steel-frame House Technologies

Progress of Prefabricated Steel-frame tion of small-scale buildings. While light- ing light-gauge steel shapes resembles the
Housing gauge steel shapes were first used mainly for wood framing methods conventionally used
In Japan, the production of light-gauge steel purlins, furring strips and other secondary in Japan, many companies initiated their own
shapes started in the late 1950s. These shapes structural members, the Association’s ex- development of prefabricated steel-frame
drew attention as new steel products for use tensive R&D efforts steadily expanded their houses. As a result, prefabricated steel-frame
in building construction. use to include core structural members such homes account for about 80% of all prefabri-
The Light-gauge Steel-frame Association as beams, columns and trusses. The design cated housing starts in Japan, even today.
was established in 1955 under the auspice of and construction technologies yielded by The exterior and interior members of pre-
the Kozai Club (an association of steelmak- these R&D efforts served as a starting point fabricated steel-frame houses are manufac-
ers and traders in Japan) with a focus on the in the structural design of prefabricated tured at plants offering high-level quality
research and development on applications steel-frame houses. control systems. As a result, high-quality
for light-gauge steel shapes in the construc- Because the framing of structures employ- members are supplied on a stable, constant

Rigid frame system (Asahi Kasei Homes) Framing brace system (Sanyo Homes) Box rigid-frame unit system (Sekisui Chemical)

Panel frame system (Sekisui House) Framing brace system (CEL Corp.) Framing-panel combined system (Daiwa House)

Framing system (Toyota Home) Framing system (PanaHome) Unit system (Misawa Homes)

Photo 1 Representative prefabricated steel-frame homes marketed in Japan

5 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow December 2012

basis by manufacturing lines at these plants Fig. 1 Outline of Panel-frame System
that in addition to roll forming, cutting, drill-
ing and welding also provide highly corro- Roof finish

sion-resistant coatings.
Welding, cutting and drilling operations
are no longer needed at home construction
Waterproofing
sites because shop-manufactured members (modified asphalt roofing)
Truss
with high dimensional accuracy are deliv- Roof backing (sheathing board)
ered for assembly, which allows building of
Roof backing (purline)
high-quality homes.
Among the main structural methods for
prefabricated steel-frame houses are the
panel framing system, framing system, fram- Partition wall backing
Interior backing
ing-panel combined system, the rigid frame
Floor backing
system using heavy-weight steel frames, and Stair
the unit system. Homebuilders offering mul-
tiple structural systems are promoting the de- Beam
Pass core
velopment of houses and housing projects
that meet specified building applications and Floor backing (plywood)
regional needs. (See Photo 1)
These structural systems were originally Floor backing (joist)
developed by various prefabricated home-
builders. Even within the same framing Exterior wall panel
Floor backing (sleeper)
system, the structural system differs by Window sash
homebuilder. Wall framing
Foundation
The main structural systems adopted for
building prefabricated steel-frame houses by rated into the new design. Specifically, the In the newly-developed system, the bear-
respective prefabricated homebuilders in metric module (1,000 mm) was adopted, ing walls contain steel braces (pivotal to se-
Japan are introduced below: and, in order to increase vertical expanse, curing seismic resistance) assembled in an
the ceiling height was increased to 2,400 X-shape and are arranged independently on
Framing System mm, 300 mm higher than the minimum stan- the 1st and 2nd floors in order to secure
● Panel-Frame System dard height prescribed in the Building Stan- compatibility between design freedom and
A typical framing system in this category is dard Law. Sandwich panels composed of structural strength.
the panel-frame system developed in 1960 styrene foam and aluminum were adopted
by Sekisui House, Ltd. The system mainly for the exterior walls to improve thermal in-
employs C-shaped light-gauge steel. At a sulation. While a simple gable roof was ad-
time when houses were most commonly opted, the girders were lengthened to extend
built of wood, the homes built using the the eaves by about 1 m; this was to provide
system employing steel, aluminum and plas- devices to prevent the influx of rainwater
tics as the main structural materials were during the rainy season and to block off sun-
highly innovative. light during the summer.
In 1961, the company improved on its ini- The windows incorporated newly market-
tial homes with the development of new ed aluminum sashes to improve installation
structures with high performance and a new precision. The interiors were finished by re-
structural design (Photo 2). Many epoch- placing the plastic members used widely in Photo 3 Original panel-frame system
making improvements, that were well ahead the initial-stage homes with wooden mem-
of competing homebuilders, were incorpo- bers, which led to more appealing to the
tastes of the Japanese people. (Fig. 1)
In 1962, two-story houses adopting the
new system in an overlapped form were de-
veloped, and in 1964, split-level 2-story
houses with improved design performance
were developed that employs an original
steel framing system (Photo 3). The new
system allowed for effective structural de-
signs that met not only the need of home-
buyers for flexibility in locating the 2nd
story and arranging rooms but also to meet Photo 4 Shop production line of panel-frame
Photo 2 Panel frame system originally marketed legal specifications. (Photo 4) system

December 2012 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 6

 In 2003, a base-isolated house was devel-
oped that has attracted attention for offering
the highest level of seismic resistance. Fur-
ther, research efforts were promoted to de-
velop response-control technology with ex-
cellent cost performance, and in 2007 its
own seismic motion energy-absorbing
system was introduced in housing design.
This system absorbs seismic vibrations by
replacing some of the bearing walls used as
seismic-resistant structures with seismic
motion energy-absorbing frames containing
special dampers (Photos 5 and 6). Develop-
ment of this new seismic energy-absorbing
system allows the panel-frame housing Photo 5 Framing system into which damper is Photo 6 Seismic energy-absorbing system
system to offer a full lineup of quakeproof assembled
performances: seismic resistance, response
control and base isolation.

● Framing-Panel Combined System Fig. 2 Framing-Panel Combined Method

Another typical system in this category is
the framing-panel combined system devel- Tie strap
oped by Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. Roof truss
Prefabricated steel-frame housing that em-
ploys this combined system reduces on-site
execution processes and the construction
term by completing the wall panels (exterior
member, thermal insulation material and in- Purlin
Joist
terior substrate) and attaching them to the Floor Roof brace
Girder beam
steel frame at the shop and then assembling
them at the construction site. This basic con-
cept has shown no change since the system
was developed. (Figs. 2~4) Horizontal
Because of the need to join each of the brace
Outer
panels with a closed structure by use of an wall
exterior member and an interior substrate, entrance
panel Eaves
channel-shaped connectors (columns) are girder
required between the panels. And, when Angle
brace
joining the panels to a reinforced-concrete Floor
foundation and an upper girder, it is neces- strut Joist
Continuous footing
sary to embed nuts in the panels and to pre-
Floor beam
pare the joining material in advance. The Connector
Outer wall panel
housing frame can be structured with typi-
cal, module-allotted panels even in the plans Foundation
Partition panel
with external and internal angles, by con-
forming the width of connectors with the
thickness of panel frames as well as by situ-
ating a datum line at the center of external Fig. 3 Panel Assembly of Framing-panel comes 1,880 mm, and half of 1,880 mm is
wall panels. Combined System 940 mm.)
This approach constitutes the basis of the However, in order to improve the dimen-
panel-framing combined system. The size of sional efficiency of the interior structural
the module was set at 940 mm, which is members of the floor and ceiling panels, not
close to 945 mm, half the size of Japan’s tra- the dimensional efficiency of the exterior
ditional tatami mat. Further, the 940-mm Outer
Outer Outer wall structural members, the 940 mm
wall wall
module size was derived from the view that wall panel panel module size was modified to about 910 mm,
the 1,820 mm size, twice that of the exterior panel
Connector Connector which is the average size of currently avail-
walls then available, be usable without any able structural members. Further, the datum
loss. (When the 60 mm gap between connec- line, which originally was located at the
tors is added to 1,820 mm, the total size be- Foundation center of the structural core, was put on the

7 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow December 2012

Fig. 4 Plan of Framing-panel Combined System Rigid Frame System
● Rigid Frame System Structure
Characteristic of rigid frame systems are the
rigid frame structures of Asahi Kasei Homes
Corporation. In this system, H-shape beams
are touch-joined directly to square steel tube
columns in an end-brace form, and rigid
joining is realized by the use of special
high-strength bolts. It is this housing system
that allowed the prefabrication of rigid-
frame structures capitalizing on mass-pro-
duced parts and simple framing, while the
prefabrication of rigid-frame housing struc-
Semi-partition panel Partition ture continued to be difficult when using
wall panel
N=Datum line conventional methods.
Interior wall finish line P=Module dimension (940 mm) In 1985, the new rigid-frame housing
T=Depth of frame (structure)
Outer wall finish line t =Thickness of interior wall panel
system was completed by means of the orig-
g=Thickness of exterior member inal method using beam-column joints and
column bases. For the latter, the exposed-
type column base method was adopted by
which the column bases are fixed by pouring
Fig. 5 Plan of Framing-panel Combined System (Improved System) grout mortar from a special washer; for col-
umn-to-column joining, weld-free bolt join-
ing (column coupler method) was adopted.
This system features an on-site weld-free
Interior backing housing system. (Fig. 6)
crosspiece Compared to brace structures, the rigid
Interior member frame system offers greater freedom in plan
Internal angle
accessory panel design, and in 1986, a 3-story house employ-
Exterior wall
plate member
ing this system was marketed, which led to a
rapid expansion of the 3-story housing
market (Photo 7). Further, because fire-
Semi-partition panel Partition
wall panel
proofing can easily be secured for 3-story
rigid frame structures compared to brace
Interior wall finish line N=Datum line structures, the rigid-frame 3-story housing
P=Module dimension (910 mm)
Outer wall finish line T=Depth of frame (structure) system gained market acceptance as a
t =Thickness of interior wall panel method of medium-rise apartment house
g=Thickness of exterior member framing, thereby leading to the expansion of
inner side of the structural members to the medium-rise apartment housing market.
reduce the use of unique panels especially The range of applicable member sizes was
for ceiling edges etc. As a result, the plan expanded in order to develop a rigid frame
and the plan detail were changed to those Fig. 6 Rigid Frame System Structure
Column coupler
shown in Fig. 5 (improved type).
Corner clipper
The initial plans for 2-story prefabricated
Torshear-type
housing with many room numbers has been high-strength bolt
improved to allow for large spaces and Column coupler
openings and to provide a partial stiffening
system for the structural members (lateral ALC rigid floor
framing and high-strength bearing panels). Column coupling method
Cast steel
In 3-story housing construction, while joining fitting ロ-150×150
the panel-framing combined system has cer-
tain difficulties in meeting every
Tapping screw
homebuyer’s request, the system does have H-250×125
the advantage of allowing housing construc- End plate
tion on narrow sites in urban areas.

Column-beam connection 1st-floor

column base
AS bolt

December 2012 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 8

 system employing 250-mm square steel tube
columns. Three to five story structures that
employ this system are not used solely for
apartment housing but also for composite
structures zoned for combined shop and
apartment use.
Currently, the rigid-framing system uses
150-mm steel tube columns and supplies di-
verse kinds of houses to the 3~4-story hous-
ing market, thereby meeting today’s exten-
sive need from medium-rise urban housing
(Photos 8~10).

Photo 7 3-story house employing rigid frame system

Unit System
● Steel Unit System
Among unit systems is the steel unit system
developed by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. In
Photo 8 Urban-type 3-story house employing this system, a housing structure is divided
rigid frame system into multiple structural units, which are
shop-manufactured to a nearly finished state.
These units are then transported to the con-
struction site and assembled to complete the
house. At a time when great numbers of
houses were needed, the steel unit system
with its high shop productivity was able to
produce high-performance and high-quality
housing.
The first steel unit system house was mar-
keted in 1971. This system featured a high
degree of shop prefabrication of unit box
rigid frame structures. Assembly of each unit
structure was easy, which made it possible to Photo 12 Installation of unit structure
Photo 9 Exhibition model house employing rigid meet the need for detached houses with com-
frame system plex plans and specifications. (Photos
11~13)

Photo 10 4-story house of composite use type Photo 11 House employing unit system Photo 13 Production line for unit system
employing rigid frame system housing

9 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow December 2012

 The first houses of this type adopted a Fig. 7 Unit System Structure ● Sub-units: These units have half the width
standard dimension of 800 mm (currently of a standard unit. This greatly improves
900 mm) – a simple system in which structur- freedom of design with regard to floor area
al units measuring 2,400 mm in width, 5,600 and building site.
mm in length (external dimension: 5,000 ● Roofing method: This method is used to
mm) and 2,700 mm in height were regularly build triangle-shaped roofs. Diverse roof
arranged in terms of both plan and elevation. shapes can be completed in one day by di-
The difference in loading conditions at the viding the roof structural members into
1st and 2nd stories was met by changing the roof units and panels.
section size and wall thickness of the adopted ● High beam method: This method allows
column and beam members. A notable fea- the central column section, consisting of
ture of these homes were gabled exterior wall four 1st-story units, to be removed by on-
sections that projected from the unit’s gabled site reinforcement of the 2nd-story floor
side, which facilitated the smooth joining of beam section. This approach allows for the
each unit and their use as storage spaces. Fig. 8 Module of Initial-stage Unit System provision of large spaces (equal to a maxi-
(Figs. 7 and 8) mum of 33 tatami mats) that are free of
In order to meet ever more divergent de- walls and columns, a feature that is un-
mands for plan, price and design, the kind of available in conventional housing (Photo

incorporating
units available has multiplied and the assem- 14).

Space for
bly method for these units has evolved. The

cabinet
following three types are cited as particularly
characteristic:

Fig. 9 Production Process for Outer Walls Employing Multi-function ALC Panels

Welded mesh Silica sand

Cement
Air Foaming
Admixture Hardening Photo 14 High beam method
machine
accelerator
agent
Water ● Unit System
Form mesh frame Pump Water Another unit-type housing system is the one
developed by Misawa Homes Co., Ltd. The
Reinforcing material
development of the system started with the
Mixer company’s entry in the “House 55 Proposal
Competition” sponsored by the then Minis-
Mold try of Construction and Ministry of Interna-
Corrosion-
Mold removal tional Trade and Industry in 1976. The
protection Misawa’s housing system is a rigid steel-
Loading
treatment
on bogie frame structure with “multifunctional” new
bearing walls (ALC walls) featuring excel-
lent performance in structural strength, fire
Dimensional resistance, and thermal and sound insulation
checking (Photo 15, Fig. 9).

Strength
drying

Coating

Autoclave
curing

Advance curing Photo 15 House employing steel rigid frame

unit system (combination bearing
wall/rigid steel-frame housing structure)

December 2012 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 10

 In 1989, Misawa Homes enhanced the winds, allowing easier housing planning in less on-site construction work for shorter
unit-type housing system to develop a cap- which bearing elements can be arranged in a construction periods (Photo 16).
sule (box) unit rigid steel-frame system, in balanced way and dispensing bearing walls At the housing construction site, the de-
which each capsule unit is finished as a com- to allow much more freedom to provide velopment of new joining methods and other
plete single-shell box structure. Each cap- large floor-to-ceiling openings. erection systems now allows for the joining
sule unit adopts 125-mm square steel tubes The main objectives in the development of upper and lower capsule units, as well as
for the columns and 175 mm light-gauge of the capsule method were to further en- neighboring capsule units, using only one
steel channels for the beams: these members hance industrialization of housing and to in- high-strength bolt per column. As a result, a
are weld-joined to form a single rigid frame crease the speed of house construction. The process has been established by which ev-
box structure per span and layer; and these new capsule unit system has allowed ad- erything from erection to waterproofing of
box structures are then joined vertically and vance at-factory installation of not only ex- the joined capsule units can be completed in
horizontally, using bolts and anchor bolts to terior walls and exterior members but also one day (Photo 17).
complete the whole housing structure (Fig. interior partition walls and fittings, thereby
10). dramatically enhancing the “industrializa-
Each capsule frame bears vertical load tion” rate. A higher level of industrialization
and horizontal forces from earthquakes and has also allowed for quality stabilization and

Fig. 10 Assembly Outline in Unit System

Photo 16 Structural image of double-layer wall

in unit system

①Completion of foundation placement ②1st-story unit installation

Photo 17 Installation of unit structure

The Future Direction of Prefabricated

③2nd-story unit installation ④Completion of unit installation Steel-frame Housing
Prefabricated steel-frame homebuilders, in
order to realize a low-carbon society, are
promoting technological development that
will further improve energy-saving perfor-
mance and expand the use of energy-cre-
ation and energy-storage systems.
In addition, homebuilders are directing
their efforts toward the development of a
stock-utilization society. Specifically, they
are promoting technological development
for more effective utilization and regenera-
tion of the prefabricated steel-frame houses
already supplied and they are pushing for the
⑤Installation of roof frame and panel ⑥Completion of house positive application of legal systems to en-
large and remodel these houses.

11 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow December 2012

Overseas Operations of Japanese Prefabricated Homebuilders
In recent years, Japanese prefabricated steel-
frame homebuilders have actively promoted
overseas operations. They are extending
house-building and town-building projects in
the world market, fully capitalizing on the high
quality and performance features acquired
through the development of prefabricated
steel-frame houses in Japan. Typical overseas
operations being promoted in China (Sekisui
House), Thailand (Sekisui Chemical), and
China and Taiwan (Misawa Homes) are intro-
duced below:

Construction of a Housing Plant

in China
Sekisui House promotes housing projects in
Australia, Singapore, the United States and
China.
In April 2012, the company completed in
China the construction of a prefabricated
steel-frame housing plant and started its op-
erations (Photos 18, 19). This was the first
entry of a full-scale prefabricated steel-frame
homebuilding plant owned by a Japanese
firm into the Chinese market. The plant was
built to meet the need for next-generation,
energy-efficient, high-performance houses in
China. It produces structural members, exte-
rior walls and interior equipment used for de-
tached prefabricated steel-frame houses built
in China by the company (Photo 20). The
annual production capacity is 72,000 m2.
Capitalizing on knowhow acquired from
the construction of two million houses in Photo 19 Steel-frame home production line in China
Japan and as the top-ranking producer of
eco-friendly homes, the company intends to
rely on the newly completed production
plant as its base of operations in supplying
high-quality houses employing a prefabricat-
ed steel-frame system to the major cities of
China.

Photo 18 Steel-frame home production plant in Photo 20 Detached house constructed in China
China

December 2012 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 12

 Production and Marketing in Thailand
Eyeing a completion date in December 2012,
Sekisui Chemical is constructing a plant in
Thailand for the mass production of detached
houses (Photo 21). The company intends to
start full-scale housing operations there in
2013.
A major feature of the company’s over-
seas operations is the implementation of its
approach to the housing business as estab-
lished in Japan jointly with joint ventures
with local companies: namely, local procure-
ment and production, and carrying out of a
wide range of operations from plant con-
struction to marketing, housing construction
and after-sales service.
In order to promote housing operations in
Thailand, two joint-venture companies
(marketing and production) were established
jointly with Thailand’s largest conglomerate.
The two-year verification of the production
system, marketing method and cost perfor- Photo 21 Example of houses constructed in the plots of land for sale by developer
mance was carried out by these two ventures.
The production plant was constructed in
Saraburi Industrial Park (Photo 22, Fig. 11),
about 80 km north of Bangkok. Plans call for
annual production and sales of 1,000 houses
in 2014.

Fig. 11 Location of Thai Production Plant

Saraburi Industrial Park

Local production plant

About 50 km apart from main sale area

Photo 22 Housing production plant in Thailand

Bangkok prefabricated steel-frame houses, Japanese

homebuilders are expected to further acceler-
ate their overseas operations. ■

Acknowledgment
We wish to thank the following companies
for their generous cooperation in providing
the photos and figures used in this article:
● Asahi Kasei Homes Corporation
● Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd.
● Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.
Photo 23 House for sale in lots exhibited in Taiwan
Successful Operations ● Sekisui House, Ltd.
in China and Taiwan ● Misawa Homes Co., Ltd.
Misawa Homes has promoted overseas hous- home in Taipei (Photo 23). Visitors to the site
ing operations for nearly 30 years. exceeded 300 during the first month after
In 1986, the company built 134 single-fam- opening, an indication of high user interest.
ily homes in Beijing and in the following year ◆◆◆
14 homes in Tianjin. The company has also On the strength of advanced knowhow accu-
built homes in Taiwan, including a model mulated in the design and construction of

13 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow December 2012

Residential Steel Framing

Steel-framed House Employing

Light-gauge Steel Shape
by The Japan Iron and Steel Federation and Steel-Framed House Association

What Is a Steel-framed House? Subsequently, in order to assure a uni-

Steel-framed houses are built with a new form level of quality and to promote the
construction method that utilizes a non- wider use of KC-Type Steel-framed Houses,
welding system to connect cold-formed three major steelmakers−Nippon Steel, JFE
steel shapes made of galvanized steel Steel (corporate merger of NKK and Kawa-
sheets with a thickness of about 1.0 mm saki Steel in April 2003) and Kobe Steel−
(Photo 1)．This new house framing tech- established the Steel-Framed House Associ-
nique is based on the traditional 2×4 stud ation, whose general membership consists of
wall framing method used in the United builders, structural design offices and manu-
States. In steel-framed house construction, factures. The association conducts the fol-
Photo 1 Light-gauge steel shapes
the lumber frames are replaced by steel lowing activities:
frames. ● Training courses for structural designers
Once the wall and floor panels are pre- Development and Diffusion by and construction supervisors (completion
pared, they are assembled in a box-shaped Steel Industry Organizations of training course is an essential require-
structure or a house. Both sides of the In November 1994, steel-framed housing ment for association membership);
light-gauge steel shapes used for the walls, was selected as a research topic by the ● Promotional activities that include the dis-
floors and roof are covered with plywood, Urban Steel Research Group, the Ministry of tribution of sales promotion tools, such as
gypsum board and other materials. The di- International Trade and Industry (currently pamphlets, publication of house magazines
verse performance characteristics–struc- the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Indus- and hosting of website;
tural stability, fire resistance, durability, try). Developmental work on steel-framed ● Delivery of formal documents required for
thermal insulation and sound insulation- houses in Japan began with the participation construction confirmation applications,
required of houses are realized by means of six major steelmakers (Nippon Steel, loan applications to the Housing Loan Cor-
of entire composite-section frame struc- NKK, Kawasaki Steel, Sumitomo Metals, poration and housing performance assess-
tures. From the perspective of "product Kobe Steel and Nisshin Steel) and the Kozai ments; and
making," these houses are high–perfor- Club (currently the Japan Iron and Steel ● Operation of approval systems for plants to
mance units that can be introduced with Federation) who acted as project coordina- manufacture the light-gauge steel shapes,
lower initial investment due to the follow- tor. In January 1996, the six major steelmak- metal fasteners, screws and nails used in
ing reasons. ers established the Committee on Steel- steel-framed house construction
● Thin plate thickness of the light-gauge steel framed Houses within the Kozai Club and Although light-gauge steel shapes, metal
shapes permits screw joining–eliminating commenced joint research on wider topics fasteners and screws are pivotal structural
the need for welding. such as structural performance, fireproofing members for securing the quality of steel-
● The use of galvanized steel sheets removes property and fire resistance, durability, ther- framed houses, they have yet to be specified in
the need to protect cut-end surfaces and mal insulation and sound insulation to pre- JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards). To
connections against corrosion due to the pare for full-scale development of steel- compensate for this, the Japan Iron and Steel
sacrificial corrosion protection provided by framed houses in Japan. Their r e s e a r c h Federation Standards have been established
the zinc–eliminating the need for corrosion s u c c e s s f u l l y r e s u l t e d i n t h e develop- as a substitute for JIS with regard to these
protection painting. ment of “KC (Kozai Club)-Type Steel- structural members. By doing so, both a stan-
● The use of design and production systems framed Houses. (Fig. 1, Photo 2) dardized level of quality for steel-framed
by means of IT allows every steel shape to
be accurately cut per the requirements of
Table 1 Comparison between Conventional Steel-frame Structure and
each house and shipped from the fabrica-
Steel-framed House
tion plant–eliminating the need for on-site
fabrication. Conventional Steel-framed house
steel-frame structure
● The major steelmakers in Japan have ac-
quired the necessary approval for steel- Structural materials Steel Steel; Sheathing board
framed house construction, which they
Thickness of steel Thickness≥ 2.3 mm Thickness≤ 1.6 mm
then provide to the builders–simplifying
Joining Mainly welding Mainly screwing (no need for welding)
design.
(Table 1) Corrosion protection Coating (after welding) Galvanized sheet (no need for coating)
Steel member fabrication Fabricator or user plant Steel shape plant (no need for fabrication)

December 2012 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 14

 Fig. 1 Structures of Steel-framed House
Roof panel
Blocking Top chord member Web member
Roof truss

Roof sheathing
Web member

Bottom chord member

Blocking
Gusset plate
Gusset plate
Hurricane tie

Wall panel
Top track Verge rafter
Top track
Exterior sheathing
Stud Stud Header
Bottom track Gable wall stud
Track joist 2nd-floor floor joist Exterior sheathing
Window sill
Window frame
Top track
Exterior sheathing Bottom track Interior sheathing
Joist
Stud
Header
support
Header Floor panel
Bottom track
Floor sheathing
Continuous footing Sleeper Floor joist
Floor sheathing

Anchor bolt Joist track

Anchor holdown
Corner post (assembled)
Continuous footing
Joist

houses and a system for approving the plants

that will manufacture the parts have been se-
cured.

Growing Construction of
Steel-framed Housing
After enforcement by the Ministry of Con-
struction in November 2001 of Technical
Standard Notification No. 1641 Concerning
Light-gauge Steel Shape Structures, the
above-mentioned steel-framed housing
method was formally prescribed as a gener-
al housing method in the Building Standard
Law of Japan. The number of steel-framed
housing starts has shown steady growth due
to this public notification and to its increas-
ing adoption by major homebuilders as
well. ■

Photo 2 Framing of steel-framed house employing light-gauge steel shapes

15 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow December 2012

Steel Application Technology

Basic Details about Welding

In order to compare the differences in yield strength between scallop
and non-scallop methods, a test was made using the beam-to-column

and Welding Control

joint specimen shown in Fig. 3. The test was conducted by setting
the loading amplitude as the steady increment positive-negative alter-
—Welding of Steel-frame Structures— nating loading. The test results for load-displacement relations are
shown in Figs. 4 and 52),3). As shown in the figures, the yield strength of
by Tadao Nakagomi on-site scallop welding shows extremely low values compared to those
Professor, Department of Architecture of non-scallop welding done in the shop. Accordingly, the non-scallop
Shinshu University method is adopted because sufficient deformation capacity is provided
for shop-welded beam-to-column joints.
For Japan with its frequent great earthquakes, seismic design is very On the other hand, in order to provide sufficient yield strength even
important. In a great earthquake, while it is assumed that collapse will for beam-to-column joints that are welded on-site, it is necessary to use
occur in wooden and concrete structures, it is commonly understood the drilled flange method (Fig. 7) to improve the deformation capacity of
that seismic design has provided steel structures with sufficient seismic beam-to-column joints by using a haunch to expand the beam width
resistance. However, there are cases in which inappropriately applied (Fig. 6). Figs. 8 and 9 show the difference in deformation capacity of
welds can become the starting points of fractures that lead to steel beam-to-column joints when the drilled flange method is applied and
structure collapse. when it is not2).
The following presents the basic details about welding and welding
control in steel-frame building structures and regarding key dynamic
performance characteristics of welds. Fig. 4 Test Results for Fig. 5 Test Results for Relation
Relation between Load between Load and
Non-scallop Method and Displacement in Displacement in Shop
In the welding of steel-frame structures, two methods—scallop and On-site Scallop Method Non-scallop Method
non-scallop—are used. In Japan, the scallop method is more exten-
sively adopted. Fig. 1 shows an example of the non-scallop method,
and Fig. 2 an example of the scallop method. In welding operations
using the scallop method, because grooves can be prepared inward,
welding can be conducted at both the fabrication plant and the con-
struction site. On the other hand, with the non-scallop method, because
grooves are prepared outward, welding can be applied only in a flat
position and, accordingly, cannot be applied at the construction site.

Fig. 1 Non-scallop Method

Web
Fig. 6 Example of Horizontal Fig. 7 Example of Drilled
Haunch Method Flange Method
Diaphragm Flange

Fig. 2 Scallop Method

Fig. 8 Deformation Capacity Fig. 9 Deformation Capacity
of Beam-to-Column of Beam-to-Column
Joint by No Use of Joint by Use of
Web
Haunch and Drilled Drilled Flange
Flange Method Method
Diaphragm Flange

Fig. 3 Configuration of
Test Specimen for
Beam-to-Column
Joint

December 2012 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 16

 Welding Conditions End Tabs and Backing Metal
The mechanical properties of the weld metal, whether good or bad, are ● Kind and Performance of End Tabs
strongly related to the welding conditions. In particular, it is known that Steel end tabs are auxiliary devices attached to both ends of a groove
heat input and interpass temperature have a considerable effect on the and are used to eliminate non-uniform welding from occurring at either
tensile strength, yield point and toughness of the weld metal. The heat the starting point or the finish point in groove welding. It is feared that
input is calculated using Equation 1. stress builds up in the slit section formed between the steel end tabs
and the base metal, thereby forming starting points for fracturing. How-

60×E×I ・・・(Equation 1)
ever, when the welding conditions mentioned earlier are satisfied, suffi-
cient deformation will occur in beam-to-column joints to cause fracture.
H= 1)
Solid end tabs are ceramic and are easily attached to the base
V metal by pressing them against the metal with galvanized wire, rather
than by welding. Because solid end tabs are removed after welding,
Where stress concentration caused by the slits does not occur. However,
depending on the skill of the welding operators, weld defects are still
H : Welding heat input (J/cm) liable to remain at the start and finish points in groove welding.
I : Welding current (A) In order to compare the effect of weld defects on weld joint deforma-
E : Arc voltage (V) tion, a test similar to that used in the “Non-scallop Method” described
V : Welding speed (cm/min) above was conducted using a test specimen employing an
H-400×200×13×21 beam member. Fig. 12 shows the deformation test
As shown in Fig. 10, as the heat input and interpass temperature increase, results for a beam end with a weld defect located 40 mm in the beam-
the yield strength drops regardless of the kind of welding wire adopted. The flange width direction and 10 mm in the thickness direction (Fig. 11);
appropriate heat input and interpass temperature differ depending on the Fig. 13 shows the results when no weld defect is present4)5). As shown
type of steel product used. To illustrate, in order to secure dynamic properties in the figures, the deformation capacity of a weld joint drops remarkably
for welds of steel products equivalent to SM490, the appropriate heat input when a weld defect is present. Accordingly, it is necessary to use ultra-
and interpass temperature are: an interpass temperature maintained at sonic flaw detection tests to confirm that weld defects do not occur.
350°C or lower, a heat input of 40 kJ/cm or less, and a wire extension of
20~30 mm. In cases where the wire extension is excessive, the welding
current and voltage become unstable, thereby causing inadequate shield Fig. 11 Position of Providing Welding Defect
effect and deterioration in toughness.

Fig. 10 Relation between Interpass Temperature and Diaphragm

Yield Point

Flange

Backing metal

Fig. 12 Test Results for Fig. 13 Test Results for

Deformation Capacity Deformation Capacity
of Beam-to-Column of Beam-to-Column
Joint in Provision of Joint in No Provision of
Weld Defect Weld Defect

17 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow December 2012

Fig. 14 Shop Assembly of Backing Metal and End Tab2)

Direct assembly welding on

flange should not be applied.

Assembly welding of end tab

is made on backing metal.

Assembly welding of backing metal is made

centering on the position 1/4 of beam flange
width and in length of 40~60 mm.

Assembly welding of end tab

is made on backing metal.

Assembly welding of backing metal is made

centering on the position 1/4 of beam flange
width and in length of 40~60 mm.

● Tack Welding of the Backing Metal and End Tabs Reference

In beam-to-column welding, backing metal is used to prevent the weld 1) Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ): Steel Construction Technical
metal from falling off. In assembly welding that uses backing metal, weld- Guidelines—Shop Manufacture, Feb. 2007
ing that is 4~6 mm wide and about 40~60 mm long are made on both the 2) T. Nakgomi, T. Yamada, M. Murai, K. Matoba and K. Aida: Experimental
column and beam flange sides and are placed at four locations centered Research on Effects of Beam-end Details on Deformation Capacity of
on positions 1/4 of the beam flange width. When attaching the backing Beam-Column Weld Joint in Non-scallop Method (546), 121-128, Aug.
metal and end tabs, the end tabs are tightly attached to both the beam 30, 2001
flange and the backing metal, but welding is conducted only on the back- 3) K.Hattori, T. Nakagomi and Y. Ichikawa: Experimental Research on
ing metal and should not be applied to sections where the end tabs and Deformation Capacity of On-site Welded Beam-Column Weld Joint
beam flanges are in mutual contact (Fig. 14). In the case of on-site weld- Employing Drilled Flange Method, AIJ Journal of Structural Systems
ing, it is feared that when welding is conducted in the periphery of scallops (585), 155-161, Nov. 30, 2004
or when lower-flange backing metal is welded from its lower side (Fig. 15), 4) T. Nakagomi, K. Hattori, Y. Ichikawa, K. Matoba and M. Iwata: Experi-
brittle fracturing will result, and thus, such welding should not be mental Research on Deformation Capacity of Beam-Column Weld Joint
applied1)6). ■ with Defect, AIJ Journal of Structural Systems (556), 145-150, Jun. 30,
2002
5) C. Ozawa, T. Nakagomi, Y. Ichikawa and T. Mutaguchi: Experimental
Fig. 15 On-site Assembly Welding of Lower Beam Flange Research on Effects of Weld Defect and Beam Member Dynamic Prop-
erties on Deformation Capacity of Beam-Column Weld Joint, Research
Assembly welding Report of AIJ Hokuriku Office (47), 100-103, Jul. 17, 2004
6) Architectural Institute of Japan: Steel Framework Guidelines—On-site
Construction Work, Feb. 2007

Avoidance of welding

December 2012 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 18

Steel Construction in Thailand (kg)

–Current Situation and Future Directions–

by S. Leelataviwat, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, King
Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi; Member of the Committee on Steel
Structures, Engineering Institute of Thailand
Construction is one of the most important steel- Stringent fire resistance requirements:
consumption industries in Thailand, accounting Thailand has a very stringent fire code
for up to 60% of the nation’s total steel consump- requiring unnecessarily high fire rating, in
tion. Despite key advantages of steel structures, most cases. The costs of fireproofing can
the construction in Thailand is mainly dominated amount to a significant portion of the Fig. 1 Crude Steel Consumption Per Capita
by concrete. The use of steel has been primarily entire structural costs in some projects. (World Steel Association 2011)
limited to bridges and to industrial and landmark Lack of knowledgeable and qualified
buildings. Compared to other countries in the professionals: The majority of the architects, steel structures are therefore very important.
same region, per capita consumption of crude engineers, and contractors have been trained Foreign knowledge and technology can not be
steel for Thailand is remarkably low (Fig. 1). and worked primarily with concrete structures. At merely imported. Local construction conditions,
Hence, there still exists a significant growth the moment, there is a shortage of qualified customs, and practices require that research
potential for Thailand in terms of steel usage. professionals involved in the design and con- and development are needed to create solu-
Records of steel structures in Thailand dated struction of steel structures. tions that are distinct and original. The industry
back to the later part of 1800s. The influx of must search and develop solutions that fit with
western technology and expansion of Bangkok Advancing the Use of Steel Structures local environment. Development of design
brought along the first applications of steel struc- in Thailand codes and guidelines that incorporates state-
tures. The early use was limited mainly to small The low steel consumption in Thailand has of-the-art knowledge from research and local
bridges and railway stations. By the 1910s, most generally been attributed to the lack of domes- design practices is important to increase design
of the early steel bridges had been replaced by tic upstream production facilities. However, it efficiency. Research and development
concrete bridges. The main reasons for replac- takes more than just steel production plants to processes are also vital in training the much
ing steel structures with concrete structures were advance the use of steel structures in Thailand. needed knowledgeable and qualified profes-
lack of maintenance and the general belief that At the moment, the deciding factor in selecting sionals. Human resources are always the bed-
concrete structures would be more durable in a structural system is still mostly the construc- rock for any successful industries. Additionally,
humid environment typically experienced in Thai- tion cost. A recent study by the Iron and Steel the supports from the government can also
land. With the first introduction of relatively- Institute of Thailand indicates that, when time- help increase the number of players in the capi-
cheap and locally-produced Portland cement in saving benefits and salvage values are consid- tal intensive steel producing business.
1910s, the use of concrete structures increased ered, there is only a marginal difference Without harmonious efforts from all the
significantly. It was widely believed that labor between costs of concrete and steel structures parties involved, the use of steel structures can
being cheaper in Thailand meant that efficient in Thailand. However, the reality is that most only increase at a slow pace. Nevertheless,
design ideas would be primarily governed by decisions are made based on initial construc- societal demands are now pushing the con-
material savings. This led finally to the wide- tion cost, over which concrete structures seem struction industry to provide sustainable infra-
spread application of concrete structures in Thai- to have an advantage. Innovative steel solu- structure with higher levels of performance and
land. tions are therefore required in breaking this economy (including life cycle costs). This
Presently, other factors that also contribute to barrier. In recent years, there has been a surge ensures that steel structures will eventually
the reluctance in using steel structures include of innovative steel products ranging from play a prominent role in Thailand’s construction
the followings. prefabricated or pre-engineered buildings, industry in the near future. ■
Limited material supplies: Because lack of prefabricated roof trusses, cellular beams,
domestic upstream steel production facilities and open-web steel joists, buckling restrained References
a relatively small market, the type of steel avail- braces, and seismic resistant structures. These 1) Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand (2007):
able in Thailand is mainly limited to a certain products will slowly gain recognition and accep- “Cost Effectiveness of Steel Construction:
grade (Fy = 245 MPa). With limited material tance over time. The challenge lies in shifting Economic Aspects.” Final Report
options, the difference in the construction costs these solutions away from individual custom- 2) Worldsteel Committee on Economic (2011):
between steel and concrete structures remains made projects to mass applications. “Steel Statistical Yearbook 2011.” World Steel
sizable. Research and development into the use of Association

STEEL CONSTRUCTION TODAY & TOMORROW

Edited by
Published jointly by Committee on Overseas Market Promotion, The Japan Iron and Steel Federation
The Japan Iron and Steel Federation Chairman (Editor): Takeshi Oki
3-2-10, Nihonbashi Kayabacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0025, Japan
Phone: 81-3-3669-4815 Fax: 81-3-3667-0245 P u b l i s h e d t h r e e t i m e s p e r y e a r, S T E E L C O N S T R U C T I O N TO D AY &
URL http://www.jisf.or.jp/en/index.html TOMORROW is circulated to interested persons, companies and public
organizations to promote a better understanding of steel products and their
Japanese Society of Steel Construction application in the construction industry. Any part of this publication may be
Yotsuya Mitsubishi Bldg. 9th Fl., 3-2-1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0004, Japan reproduced with our permission. To download content (PDF format), please go
Phone: 81-3-5919-1535 Fax: 81-3-5919-1536 our website at: http://www.jisf.or.jp/en/activitity/sctt/index.html. We welcome your
URL http://www.jssc.or.jp/english/index.html comments about the publication and ask that you contact us at: [email protected].