When you’re planning a construction project, there are many aspects that you need to consider. Your mind might immediately jump to the team in charge of putting the structure together or the designers who add the finishing touches at the end of the project. However, steel detailing is one of the most important services on any worksite, so you need to consider this carefully too. Read on to find out more about architectural and structural steel detailing services, and the difference a quality steel detailing service can make.

What is structural steel detailing?

Structural steel detailing is the designing and drawing of plans for structural steel fabrication. Put simply, a steel detailer will design the structure of your building. They will have a good idea of the steel that is needed, ensuring that every single part of the jigsaw puzzle is in place and ready for when construction begins.

It’s important that you make use of a reputable steel detailer with experience because dealing with a subpar detailing team comes with a lot of risks. This can lead to you either not having enough steel to complete your structure, or worse, your structure being fundamentally unsound and at risk of collapse. The nature of a structural steel detailer’s role means that it is vital to get the job done right, or the rest of your project can’t move forward.

What is architectural steel detailing?

Architectural steel detailing is centred around the more decorative or design-oriented aspects of a structure. This includes features such as balustrades, balconies and even something as simple as a handrail. All of these aspects will require steel fabrication, so by working closely with fabricators, an architectural steel detailer can create accurate drawings. However, a fundamental difference between architectural and structural steel detailing is the function of the detailing.

Structural steel detailing work is concentrated on ensuring that the structure is able to withstand heavy loads and forces, whereas architectural steel detailing services are much more focused on the design aspects of your building. Another way to describe the difference between the two is that architectural steel detailing focuses on the parts of the structure that give it character as opposed to the structural viability of the building as a whole.

Working in tandem

Although the two may seem different to one another, your structural drawings need to work in tandem with any balustrade and balcony drawings that you use. It’s important that your structural drawings take into account the additional weight that balconies and balustrades will provide once installed, as otherwise, your structure could be at risk of collapse. Similarly, without accurate structural drawings, you might end up designing balconies and balustrades that simply don’t fit on installation day, costing you more time and money. Therefore, structural and architectural steel detailers need to work together to ensure all aspects of the construction design are accurate.

Contact Restoric Design for more information

If you’re interested in finding out more about steel detailing, or would like to book our services for your project, contact the Restoric Design team today. With over a decade of experience, we are able to offer quality structural and architectural steel detailing work to a wide range of clients. If you’re looking for fabrication drawings and balustrade designs, give us a call and a member of our team will be happy to talk to you about your requirements.