Which types of structural framing systems and materials are most commonly used in the US for residences? For office buildings?
For most homes in the US, timber frame homes or steel frame homes are the most common framing systems. In some cases, a hybrid framing system is also applicable. While timber frame homes are more cost-effective to build, steel frame homes are definitely stronger and are more often-used in areas more susceptible to natural disasters. For office buildings, steel, concrete, and wood are the top 3 materials and framing systems. In taller office buildings, steel frames are preferred, while concrete is more suitable for mid-rise office buildings. Concrete frames have good durability, wood frames are very cost-effective, and steel frames allow for more flexible design options.
How do you think design coordination was done before we started using digital models?
Before digital models, architects and structural engineers would have to reconcile over hard copy of plans. When developing the architectural concept design, structural engineers would look over the concept design to address any concerns about design feasibility before the design would progress. Once the designs progressed further, the two teams would meet in person to address any issues or inconsistencies between the two designs. This would take a lot of time and back-and-forth between the two teams, so the introduction of digital models ensured that this time was cut down to allow for quick address and reconciliation of any design issues.
At what point in the project development process should design coordination start?
A good point to start design coordination between architectural and structural design teams would be once the conceptual designs are complete for each team. Since the conceptual design is the most basic design throughout the process, it would be best to start coordinating at this point so that any conflicts in the design can be addressed and resolved quickly. If the coordination occurs afterwards, there might be some major changes or reconciliation that has to occur between the two designs to accommodate a specific design aspect. However, if coordination begins too early, there might be a lot of back-and-forth between the teams that are just starting to flesh out their idea for the design. This could cause delays in reconciling before the concept is even finalized. So, it would be best to begin coordinating once the concept design are finished and begin reconciling from there.