Page 35 - Modern Steel Construction (April 2019)

Bending

Basics

Curved steel: How it happens,

what to know when it comes to designing it

and why you should consider it for

your next project.

Miró Rivera Architects
LET’S FACE IT: Curved structures command attention. The observation tower at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas racetrack
The most successful structures often feature a memorable uses curved steel—painted bright red, no less—on a grand scale,
design feature that allows you to reference the building, even if creating an icon that can be seen from great distances.
you don’t remember the address.
“I got a latte this morning at a new coffee shop a few blocks from

the of ce on State Street, kitty- that can range from merely adding an attention-grabbing element
corner to that building, the one to elevating an edi ce to the level of award-winning masterpiece.

with the round windows.” Or Given the in nite number of geometric possibilities possible,
the one with the gray brick and curved elements can adapt to or enhance their surrounding
the terracotta window frames. structures and elements, from a simple arc to a complex form that
Or the one with the curved prompts viewers to wonder, “How did they do that?”
steel arch over the entrance. In addition to the dramatic aesthetic effect of curved elements,
Curved steel gets noticed. their structural ef ciency also makes them an attractive choice, and

It is an elegant yet strong many commercial and industrial structures rely on horizontally
method for bringing air curved members where straight members would be impractical.

to a building, that extra Despite the widespread use of curved structural steel members,
“oomph” that not only draws detailed design guidance in the U.S. was, up until recently,
Design Guide 33
Curved the eye but also stimulates relatively scarce. This is why AISC released Design Guide 33:
Member the imagination. It allows Curved Member Design last year. The purpose of this publication,
Design for exibility in construction which you can access at www.aisc.org/dg, is to provide design

and the ability to create guidance and practical information on the fabrication and
signature, owing shapes detailing of curved members.

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