Speedy and cost-effective construction through PEBs
Real Estate

Speedy and cost-effective construction through PEBs

Pre-engineered buildings became popular as a speedy, cost-effective way to construct warehouses. Now, the technology is being used to construct warehouses as well as a diverse set of buildings, as follows. Factories In 2021, Samsung India Electronics appointed Shintec En...

Pre-engineered buildings became popular as a speedy, cost-effective way to construct warehouses. Now, the technology is being used to construct warehouses as well as a diverse set of buildings, as follows. Factories In 2021, Samsung India Electronics appointed Shintec Engineering India to construct a factory in Sriperumbudur. The factory, to produce compressors, was to be a steel structure, “in keeping with the mindset of Korean companies that see a steel building as an investment that gains value over time, as opposed to a concrete building that loses its value over time,” explains C D Singh, Managing Director, Shintec, Korea. “Also, a steel building is faster to create.” Shintec Engineering India outsourced the fabrication and erection of the steel structure to Nikitha Build-Tech, and kickstarted the process by helping to procure 5,300 million tonne (mt) of steel for the project from SAIL and Jindal Steel. Nikitha Build-Tech used HR plates of grade E 350 (IS 2062) and rolled sections from Jindal Steel for the structure spanning 250,000 sq ft on the ground and 250,000 sq ft on the first floor. The stiff 180-day timelinestarting November 2021, the erection of 450,000 bolts and arranging the required strength of skilled manpower in the aftermath of COVID-19 posed challenges. Nevertheless, the structure was completed within the deadline and, thus, Nikitha Build-Tech created a benchmark in the industry. The roofing was done by Samsung Engineering India and made use of sandwich panels erected by another contractor. Corporate towers Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited’s new corporate tower in Film City,Noida, is approximately 98 m tall over 19 floors (plus two basementlevels). The building spans300,000 sq ft with another 250,000 sq ftin the basement. The entire structure was pre-engineered and built insteel. BHEL outsourced the construction to Shalimar Corp, which entrusted thedesign of the building to VGS Solar & Building Systems’ TEKLA team/E-TAB software team. VGS Solar & Building Systems thereafterfabricated and manufactured the pre-engineered structural steelsections (approximately 6,000 mt of high-tensile structural steel ofGrade E450/E350) at its state-of-the-art facility in Ghaziabad. Allthe fabricated sections were erected by VGS Solar & Building Systems’team using nut bolt (high-tensile grade) torquing and layering uptechniques. Environment-friendly fly ash bricks make up the walls while steelcomposite decking technology was used for the floors and high-gradesteel beams and purlins (secondary members), covered with appropriatefalse ceiling, made up the roof. “All the material choices were aimed atensuring speedy construction, minimal deadweight and longevity of thefloors,” shares S B Misra, Director, Shalimar Corporation. The design and approvals of the drawings took four months (in 2019)while fabrication and erection took another 20 months (of which eight months were wasted owing to COVID). In fact, remobilising labour andresources after the pandemic imposed halts was the biggestchallenge. Also, the building has both lateral and longitudinal curvatures, eachof which needed a specific prototype. Hospitals Dr Shroff’s Charity Hospital in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is housed in a ground-plus-one structure built in steel. “We opted for pre-engineered construction technology to meet strict deadlines for this project,” says Harish Sharma, Project Head, Dr Shroff’s Charity Hospital. “We wanted to start eyecare services almost immediately after assessing the local need. Based on the project timelines, we can safely say that pre-engineered construction technology saved about 60 per cent of the time that conventional civil construction would have taken.” The walls and roof of the steel structure are made of PUF-insulated sandwich panels for their excellent insulation properties. PUF panels help maintain the interior temperature at optimal levels, thereby reducing the need for artificial cooling during the scorching summers. Galvanised decking sheets were deployed for the floors. The biggest challenge in implementing this project was the fact that the construction of the ramp had been outsourced to a different vendor to EPACK Prefab, the pre-engineered construction specialist. The steel structure could be erected only after the ramp was fully constructed. That civil construction took 45 days after which EPACK Prefab applied its vast experience and inhouse technical expertise to complete the steel construction within the 45-day timeline. Some site space constraints were also initially faced but soon resolved. Hospitals Commercial buildings The Phoenix Group, Hyderabad, opted for pre-engineered construction technology for a building of 141,409 sq m with two basement levels and 18 floors to house offices for IT companies. “We, as a group, are an early mover in adopting cutting-edge technologies and therefore believe in composite steel structures as an optimum construction technology to meet demanding timelines with precision and ensure high-quality outcomes,” says Kalyan Chakrawarthy Kethana, General Manager, TISS (Technology Innovation Sustainability and Strategy), The Phoenix Group. “Composite steel structures are innovative and sustainable, and amenable to standardisation and modularisation through factory-produced elements.Steel framing increases the ‘net usable area’ and strength-to-weight ratio, makes a structure highly seismic compliant and by offering a recycling rate of 98 per cent, the highest of any building framing material, and consuming less water onsite, lowers the carbon footprint.” The resulting structure made by Kirby Building Systems & Structures India uses 1mm thick deck sheet (TR 60 Profile) for the slabs for unsupported spans, E 450 grade steel for the columns and E 350 grade steel for the beams. The structure has 11 RCC shear walls and an RCC cast-in-situ staircase. Construction started in April 2019 and ended in January 2021. Logistic constraints owing to this site being the last parcel of land within a campus to be developed presented the biggest challenge in implementing the project. With residential buildings already existing on two sides of the development, the site had limited space to load and unload material, which imposed a restriction on the number of elements that could be lifted and placed in position per day per crane. It was also essential to complete the structural steel core before progressing vertically upwards as per the planned vertical slab cycle. Nevertheless, Kirby India successfully completed the project within the scheduled timeline. Malls City Mall opted for pre-engineered building technology for a new mall-cum-multiplex in Yamuna Nagar, Haryana. “Our project spanned 70,000 sq ft and consisted of multi-brand retail space and a three-screen multiplex,” shares Vikas Kawatra, Director, City Mall. “We opted for pre-engineered building technology because it is amenable to fast construction.We wanted the building to be ready soon. Kaizen PEB completed the structure in four months and at a lower cost than conventional construction. We saved about 20 per cent of the usual cost of construction.” The three-storey structure is made completely in steel. The stories have 10-m clear height with 25-m clear span beams. The use of brick is limited to the walls, where brick was chosen over panelling for safety reasons given the high footfalls and engagement levels within. Workshops Victory Lane, a multi-brand workshop for premium cars in Ahmedabad, wasconceptualised as a ground-plus-one steel structure. JenishInfraworkswas brought in to translate a 3D design into reality. “We sought JenishInfra’s turnkey services, starting from the basefooting to the complete erection of the structure,” says Parth Brahmbhatt, Director, Victory Lane. “We wanted a high-quality steelstructure in keeping with international trends in workshop design.Only the base footing and the flooring of the 35 m × 13 m structureinvolved civil work.The rest of the structure is in steel with aglass and ACP panel frontage, PUF panel roofing on the office sectionand colour-coated sheet roofing on the floor area. The thickness of the steel plates varies from 5mm to 25 mm.” The elevation was the most challenging part of the structure becauseit involved the seamless integration of glass and steel. Specialaccessories were designed and manufactured to eliminate chances ofleakage. “I had anticipated completing the project in three months but the timeline got extended owing tothe second wave of COVID-19,”adds Brahmbhatt. Warehouses Arora Spares Plaza, Nagpur, went in for a pre-engineered ground-plus-two floor steel structure (4,500 sq ft per floor) when it needed a new warehouse in Nagpur. Arora Spares Plaza is a super stockist of automotive parts serving the Vidarbha region. “We decided to go in for a pre-engineered structure over a conventional structure after considering the cost of the structure, ease of further expansion, possibility of multiple iterations and speed of construction,”shares Kawal Arora, Director, Arora Spares Plaza. “Also, we faced aproblem in that the structure we wanted was asymmetrical, a shape that was not a feasible proposition for a conventional RCC structure. We were also under pressure from our OEM principals to expedite the project. To meet the strict timelines, we opted for a pre-engineered steel structure.” Bajaj Steel Industries (Infrastructure Division) constructed this warehouse. The structure is made of built-up members of welded metal plates and cold-formed structures. Construction began in July 2020 and was completed in December 2020. This erection coincided with the second phase of the COVID-induced lockdown. It has pipe bracings for structural stability in the top floor, a cut-out for lift for the movement of material and two staircases for the approach and exit. “The resulting facility accommodates our plans for multiple mezzanine levels and further expansion as well as adequate light, storage and ventilation,” adds Arora.

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