Steel detailing and design assist that prevents field problems

Shop and erection drawings

We produce shop drawings that show every piece with the dimensions, hole locations, weld symbols, bevel preparation and finish requirements the shop needs, and erection drawings that show the field where each marked piece goes and in what order. These are checked against the structural drawings, the architectural drawings and the specifications before they are issued for review.

The checking step is where value is created. A detailer who simply transcribes the engineer's drawings produces a package that passes review and fails in the field. We look for the conditions that do not resolve, the connections that were never specified, the dimensions that conflict between disciplines and the members that will not physically go into place in the sequence shown.

Model based coordination

On projects using building information modeling we coordinate the steel model with architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection models so that conflicts appear on the screen rather than during erection. A duct main routed through a brace bay is a coordination note in the model and a serious problem in the field.

Model based detailing also improves fabrication accuracy, because the shop is working from geometry that has been verified rather than interpreted.

Design assist and early budgeting

The steel package is largely determined before the construction documents are finished. Bay spacing, frame system, connection philosophy, member depth limits, coating strategy and erection access all get set during design, and they carry cost consequences that are difficult to reverse later.

We participate at that stage. Give us schematic or design development drawings and we will return budget tonnage, a price range and specific, buildable recommendations. Contractors and owners who use us this way frequently buy the same building for meaningfully less money without changing the architecture.