Structural · 6 min read
Steel structures in Brisbane: portal frames, beams and corrosion protection
Steel is what you use when timber runs out of span and concrete costs too much. It also rusts, and in bayside Brisbane it rusts faster than people expect. Here is how we design steel and how we make it last.
Where steel earns its place
Steel is the efficient answer whenever load has to travel a long way or land somewhere awkward.
- Portal frames for sheds, warehouses and workshops
- Transfer beams over open plan living, garages and basements
- Long span roof beams and exposed architectural steel
- Columns replacing load bearing walls in renovations
- Steel framed floors for cantilevers, pods and decks
- Screw piles and steel post footings
Connections decide the design
Steel members are easy to size; connections are where designs succeed or fail. Bolt groups, welds, cleats, base plates, holding down bolts and stiffeners all have to be designed and drawn so the fabricator builds what was analysed.
We detail connections on the drawings rather than leaving them to be decided on site.
Corrosion protection in Queensland
Exposure matters. Inland and enclosed steel can be painted; anything within a few kilometres of the bay or in a splash zone needs hot dip galvanising or a heavy duty coating system, and the detailing has to avoid water traps and dissimilar metal contact.
Specifying protection to the actual exposure classification is far cheaper than replacing a rusted portal frame in fifteen years.
Fabrication and shop drawings
For fabricated steel we can produce or certify shop drawings so the workshop, the engineer and the certifier are all working from the same information. Shop drawings and RPEQ certification are quoted free.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you design steel portal frames in Queensland?
- Yes — sheds, workshops and warehouses designed to AS 4100 and AS 1170.2 wind actions, including footings and slab. These are quoted free.
- Should exposed steel be galvanised in Brisbane?
- Near the bay or in exposed or splash conditions, yes. Sheltered inland steel can usually be protected with a specified paint system.
- Can steel replace a load bearing wall?
- Yes, with a designed beam, posts and footings, plus a propping sequence for the demolition. Structural modification design starts at $1,100.
Send your plans for steel design and detailing.
Request a quote