Coresteel is leading the New Zealand steel industry in both innovation and design with the development of box beam technology that will change the future of steel building.
Currently under patent, the tapered box beam offers a superior alternative to the traditional I Beam for portal framed buildings.
Rather than steel being forged in an offshore plant, the beams are produced in New Zealand from local iron sand, helping to build New Zealand’s economy and giving the end product a much smaller carbon footprint.
The tapered box beams are a joint venture between Donovan Group, owner of Coresteel, and Steltech, a division of New Zealand Steel Ltd. The system is HERA verified and is already in use in a number of buildings across the North Island, with the largest building to date being 15,000m2, made up of three clear span 50m buildings.
Donovan Group Principal Engineer Kerry McCollum believes the tapered box beam is the way of the future.
“Not only is it 100% manufactured in New Zealand, but it is also more cost effective than I Beams as we can taper the steel to be deeper in the areas that need strengthening and shallower in the areas that don’t. “The design is completely vermin and bird proof, as well as stopping dust collection, which is a real bonus for most industries, including food manufacturing.
I Beams, or Universal Beams, have dominated the industry for so long, and we can now offer a cheaper, more effective alternative, manufactured here in New Zealand.”