ABSTRACT
If a complex visual product is the end goal, then we can begin to entertain a variety of means to achieve this. The majority of complex steel structures are now aesthetically driven. Success may now be measured in terms of time required to fabricate and erect layered over by a range of premium fabrication and erection costs.
This paper identifies a range of economically driven strategies for designing, detailing, fabricating and erecting complex steel structural systems, with a focus on AESS (Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel) systems as derived from a professionally generated AESS specification system that has been adopted in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The system was created through a series of roundtable discussions involving engineers, architects and steel fabricators whose intention was to clarify communication methods to the successful implementation of AESS projects.
