A suitable structural floor for every project and environment

Uninsulated and hybrid steel sheet-concrete floors

Considerable weight savings, minimal concrete use, better construction connections and perfectly coordinated logistics and assembly. But also: shorter lead times and lower overall project costs. It is not for nothing that Tullingh & Partners' steel deck concrete floors are eagerly used in new construction, renovation, transformation and expansion projects. "Because we supply both uninsulated and hybrid steel plate-concrete floors, we offer a suitable structural floor solution for every project, environment and customer requirement."

"Our uninsulated steel sheet-concrete floors are perfectly suited as intermediate floors in interior situations where no additional thermal insulation requirements apply," explains Charles van Oldenbarneveld. "The floors are regularly used in the toppling of existing buildings. But the uninsulated steel plate concrete floors are also popular in apartment buildings, office buildings and production halls, which also applies to parking garages. Over the past year, we have completed several projects in which fast, lean and highly efficient construction was the starting point."

If (utility) roofs are to be made, Tullingh & Partners recommends applying hybrid steel sheet-concrete floors. Here, high-quality insulation materials are installed under the floors, resulting in a unique interplay between structural and insulating properties. "In addition to roofs, the insulation of a storey floor may also be desired," Van Oldenbarneveld said. "For example, when this floor is in contact with outside air." For example, Tullingh & Partners recently helped build an "office building on legs" in Alblasserwaard, where, thanks to the hybrid floors, an RC value of 4.5, a fire resistance of 30 minutes and a maximum allowable load of 2.5 kN/m2 were achieved.

In addition, the hybrid steel sheet-concrete floors are also finding eager use in the food sector, where, for example, cold rooms, freezer rooms and processing areas must be strictly thermally separated to ensure product shelf life and to minimize energy losses. "Because we install the insulation materials under the floors, we can guarantee an extremely flat and tight finish," said Van Oldenbarneveld. "This prevents dust from accumulating and/or fungi and bacteria from adhering and multiplying. So with our hybrid steel sheet-concrete floors, we also fully comply with HACCP requirements."

Recently, Tullingh & Partners was able to design and supply hybrid steel slab-concrete floors for an existing hall in the Betuwe region, where the cold rooms are strictly thermally separated from the processing areas above. "In this project, a maximum dead weight of 230 kg/m2 was prescribed. In addition, the floors had to be able to support 1,000 kg/m2," said Van Oldenbarneveld. "The floor load was 10 kN, with a point load of 25 kN. Based on these data and in close consultation with the client, structural engineer, building contractor and architect, we first designed the structural floor. Then we worked out the building physics package. This resulted in a hybrid floor construction with an Rc value of 6.3 and a fire resistance of 60 minutes." 

Based on the structural (basic) design or specifications, the desired execution and the logistical (im)possibilities, Tullingh & Partners invariably calculates and selects the most suitable floor structure for each project. Including corresponding plate types, profiling, profile heights, steel plate thicknesses and concrete quantities. "What loads, fire requirements, thermal and acoustic values apply in a project? How can we achieve the desired spans? And how can we make beautiful connections? But also: how are the products transported to and on the construction site? Can a crane be used on the construction site? Or should all parts be brought in by hand and through a normal door? Among other things, these issues result in a customized (execution) design, on the basis of which the main supporting structure can also be optimized."

A characteristic of Tullingh & Partners' steel plate concrete floors is that the profiled steel plate forms the lost formwork and (mostly) flexural reinforcement. "The steel plate is filled with (reinforced) concrete," said Van Oldenbarneveld. "By applying additional reinforcement, a cantilevered floor with high fire resistance can easily be realized." Compared to hollow-core slabs, for example, steel-plate concrete floors are much lighter, he says. "For example, in the case of indoor modifications or building additions, this is an absolute advantage, because in many cases the additional permissible load on the foundation can be used. Moreover, significantly less equipment is required for assembly, which in turn offers advantages in inner-city and other hard-to-reach project locations. For each project and each floor field, we like to search for the most optimal design. In doing so, it may even be the case that several types of steel deck concrete floors are used in one project."