Structural analysis model of a steel portal-frame building coloured by member utilisation

Solution · Design & engineering

Design & engineering – safe, code-compliant and optimised steel

In-house structural engineers and detailers turn your architecture and brief into an optimised steel structure: design basis, analysis and member design to the code of your market, connection design, design report and column reactions – then the 3D model, shop and erection drawings that carry the design to the factory and the site.

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In-house
Engineers & detailers: 4 code families
US · AU/NZ · EU · VN: Optimised
Steel weight: 6 steps
Design workflow

Engineering is where the value is decided

The steel price of a building is decided long before the steel is bought – by the frame type, the spans, the loads assumed, the member sizes and the connections. Our design team takes those decisions with you: safe and compliant with the code of your market, and economical in steel, fabrication and erection.

Because our engineers, detailers and factory work together, the design is made for fabrication from the start – sections we can build efficiently, connections that bolt up at site, and a single 3D model that carries the design from the calculation to the shop floor and the erection drawings.

Design services

What our engineers do

From the first load assumption to the last connection detail.

codes · climate

Design basis & loads

Codes, dead, live, wind, seismic, crane, collateral and thermal loads agreed and written down before design.

frames · members

Analysis & optimisation

Frame analysis, member checks, deflections and stability – with sizes optimised for weight and fabrication.

bolts · plates · welds

Connection design

End-plate, splice, base-plate, bracing and crane connections designed and detailed.

special loads

Seismic & wind design

Seismic systems, typhoon and cyclone wind and uplift through the full load path – see seismic steel.

column reactions

Foundation interface

Anchor bolt plans and unfactored column reactions by load case for your foundation designer.

calculations

Design report

Design basis, analysis, member and connection checks, deflections – ready for review and approval.

Applications

Why design with World Steel

Optimised, not oversized

Tapered and built-up members sized to the forces, frame spacing and purlin systems chosen for least weight and cost.

Code of your market

Design to AISC/ASCE, AS/NZS, Eurocodes or TCVN, with local loads, wind, seismic and climate data.

Designed for fabrication

Members and connections our factory builds efficiently and your erector assembles quickly.

Transparent design

Approval drawings, design report and column reactions submitted for your engineer's review.

One model, no gaps

Analysis, 3D model, shop and erection drawings from one team – nothing lost between consultants.

Certification support

Coordination with a licensed engineer where the authority requires sealed drawings.

Codes & compliance

Design codes by market

We design to the code of the project location – with its loads, materials and documentation.

United States

AISC 360 · AISC 341Structural steel buildings; seismic provisions
ASCE 7 · IBCMinimum design loads; building code
AISI S100Cold-formed steel members – purlins and girts

All United States standards →

Australia & New Zealand

AS 4100 · NZS 3404Steel structures design
AS/NZS 1170Structural design actions – dead, live, wind, snow, earthquake
AS/NZS 4600Cold-formed steel structures

All Australia & New Zealand standards →

Europe

EN 1993-1-1 · -1-3 · -1-8Eurocode 3 – members, cold-formed, joints
EN 1991 · EN 1998Actions; seismic design

All Europe standards →

Vietnam

TCVN 5575Steel structures – design standard
TCVN 2737:2023Loads and actions
QCVN 02:2022/BXDNatural, physical and climatic data for construction

Summary for orientation only – the project specification, the adopted code edition and the authority having jurisdiction govern.

Deliverables

What our design team delivers

Each deliverable has its own page in our design workflow.

Proposal drawings (PPD)

With the quotation

Layout, sections and quantities – see PPD.

Approval drawings

After contract

General arrangement for review – see approval.

Design report

Calculations

Design basis, analysis and checks for your engineer.

Column reactions

Foundations

Unfactored reactions by load case with the anchor bolt plan.

3D Tekla model

BIM

Every member and connection – see 3D model.

Shop drawings & CNC

Factory

See shop drawings.

Erection drawings

Site

See erection drawings.

As-built drawings

Handover

See as-built drawings.

Scope agreed per contract.

Optimisation

Less steel, same safety

Optimisation starts with the concept – frame type, spans and bay spacing – and continues member by member. Tapered built-up rafters and columns follow the bending moment, purlin and girt systems are chosen for the spans and loads, and bracing is placed where it works hardest. Every member is checked against the code; none is heavier than it needs to be.

The World Steel design workflow

Hold point after step 2: nothing is fabricated before the approval drawings are approved.

Design workflow · step 2 of 6

Design you can check before it is built

Design runs through our six-step workflow: proposal drawings with the quotation, approval drawings, design report and column reactions after the contract, then the 3D Tekla model, shop drawings, erection drawings and as-built drawings. Nothing is fabricated before you or your engineer approve the design.

Coordination

Steel coordinated with everything else

Architecture, MEP services, cranes, equipment and foundations all meet the steel. We exchange IFC models with your design team, check clashes and agree penetrations, hangers and openings before the drawings are released – so problems are solved on screen, not on site.

Reference

Design phases and outputs

How design runs through the project.

Design phases
Phase	Main outputs	Reviewed by
Concept & proposal	Frame concept, PPD, preliminary quantities	Owner, architect
Technical design	Design basis, analysis, design report, approval drawings, column reactions	Owner's engineer, authority
Fabrication design	3D model, connections, shop drawings, CNC data	World Steel checker, QA/QC
Erection design	Erection drawings, sequence, bolt lists, method support	Erector, site supervisor
Handover	As-built drawings and model	Owner

Process

The six-step design workflow

1
1 · Proposal drawings
Layout, sections and quantities with the quotation.
2
2 · Approval
Drawings, design report and column reactions approved.
3
3 · 3D Tekla model
Every member, plate and bolt modelled.
4
4 · Shop drawings
Assembly and part drawings, CNC data.
5
5 · Erection drawings
Plans, sections, sequence and bolt lists.
6
6 · As-built
Final record with the quality dossier.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can you design from our architectural drawings?

Yes. Send us the architectural drawings or a sketch with the loads and site – we propose the structure, design it to your code and submit it for approval.

Which design codes do you use?

AISC/ASCE for the United States, AS/NZS for Australia and New Zealand, Eurocodes for Europe and TCVN for Vietnam – or the code your specification requires.

Will your engineer's design be reviewed?

Yes – the approval drawings, design report and column reactions are submitted for review by you, your engineer or the authority before fabrication.

Can you provide sealed drawings for a permit?

Where the authority requires sealed drawings or design certification, we coordinate with a licensed engineer for the project, as agreed in the contract.

Can you only design, without fabrication?

Our design service is part of the steel supply; design-only scopes are considered case by case.