Steel, the future

Steel is perhaps being looked upon as the futuristic material for affordable, faster and long life application in construction.

In today’s global context there has been rapid exchange of technology all over the world. A decade back the modern technology, methodology and advanced execution processes were not known in this part of the world. “With our know-how and global intervention in designing and execution, we were able to have a steel structure with largest cantilever of 24-metre in Chennai Airport – one of the rarest in the world,” said Prof. Charanjit S Shah, Founding Principal, Creative Group.

He further claims, “We could envisioned and brought global technology of bending of 508-mm diameter pipe 16-mm thick hot bended first time in India as one of the greatest achievement and making its execution indigenous. The sharing of global innovative techniques in terms of thinnest, pre-stressed concrete box section girders in steam cured is also one of the innovative engineering techniques that have been realised first time by us, thus creating landmarks in Indian construction industry particularly in large span structures and infrastructure projects.”

Breakthrough technology
According to Gurpreet Shah, Principal Architect, Creative Group, “The latest innovation and breakthrough technology which has greatest impact in Indian building industry is the manifold application of steel in buildings as well as infrastructural projects.”

Prof. Charanjit adds, “Steel is perhaps being looked upon as the futuristic material for affordable, faster and long life application in construction of high-rise buildings, large span structures, airports, metros, railways, over-bridges etc.”

The new trends of sophisticated construction techniques and methodologies guided by computer modelling and use of automation, pre-cast, pre-fabricated and pre-engineered structures would be the futuristic approach of construction techniques and understanding. “The impact of technological advancements would help in maintaining high quality management, financial management, and time management. It will also help realising value for money and value engineering in the mega projects for optimisation in cost and time,” Ar. Gurpreet observes.

Value additions beyond imagination
There are perhaps value additions beyond imagination due to technological transformation. According to Prof. Charanjit, “The professionals in the building industry needs immediate updating, revisiting and redefining the norms of physical planning to modular and automation mode so that the repetition process would help in faster and economical delivery of the final product.”

Ar. Gurpreet adds, “It has to be realised that due to fast urbanisation large magnitude of build form are required for various facilities which are only possible if we are on competent and comfortable in adopting new techniques at the earliest.”

Projects executed
Creative Group is a part of many mega projects like Chennai Airport, Raipur Airport, Goa Airport, Vadodara Airport, Chennai Metro, Railway connectivity between Raipur and Naya Raipur, and Kongu Convention Center facilities. Large span structures have been designed and executed in these projects adopting advanced techniques in terms of design, fabrication and execution on/off the site. Multilayered double curved roofing in hollow steel section trusses and purlins with double skin kalzip roofing is a true example of high profile advance technology adopted on the project, claims Ar. Gurpreet.

Kongu Conventional Center
Kongu Conventional Center at Coimbatore is one of the rarest and biggest conventional facilities accommodating more than 5,000 persons. Constructed with the latest technology having a steel box section truss beam with a span of 45-metre and also having a large span box section steel truss as reinforcing system, thus creating innovative build forms as iconic structures.

Finished Interior of Convention Hall
Vadodara Airport is an example of a very simplistic but dynamic structure in steel. The technological advancement helped the firm in achieving large span light weight steel structure which is a true example of effective value engineered mega project using high skilled technology.

Club at Raipur
This aerodynamic shape and profile truly reflects that today’s global innovative technology can create impossible structures which are perhaps beyond common man’s imagination and understanding.

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