Loadbearing Cold-Formed Steel for Mid-Rise Residential Buildings in Australia

Australia has a growing population, especially in dense city regions, which has led to an increase in the demand for mid-rise apartment buildings. At the time of writing, Australian mid-rise apartment buildings are typically constructed using reinforced concrete (RC) which often necessitates extensive time on-site. More efficient methods of construction, such as cold-formed steel (CFS), could improve productivity and enable the sector to meet the increased demand. CFS is used internationally as a loadbearing structure in mid-rise apartment buildings; however, its use for this purpose in Australia has been extremely limited. The thesis approaches this issue through three studies. Firstly, a desktop study and a survey of international CFS industry experts are implemented to establish the state-of-the-art of mid-rise loadbearing CFS construction. Through triangulation of the various data collected, the advantages and disadvantages and recommendations for best practice are presented, providing a holistic view of loadbearing CFS construction. One of the key benefits identified was the light weight of the loadbearing CFS system.