Construction World September 2021

A PEB Building in progress, the tapered primary framing members showcased in this project is what makes PEB special.

Together with many digital technologies, building methods have significantly developed over the years into more convenient, clever systems with great benefits to project owners and managers. By JTC Building Sytems WILL PRE-ENGINEERED BUILDINGS WITH INSULATED WALL PANELS BE YOUR NEXT BUILDING ENVELOPE OF CHOICE?

I nnovative developments, like Pre-Engineered Buildings (PEB) with insulated wall panels, are now enabling you to build fast, precision-engineered buildings that rank right at the top in terms of thermal efficiency and construction time. What is a PEB? The Pre-Engineered Building (PEB) system is a building that includes a structural system and quite often roof and wall cladding and other accessories. Structures are normally designed by the PEB fabricator. The building system consists of rigid frames that are fabricated from plated steel. Secondary members from cold formed C- and Z sections are used as purlins and girts. PEB are up to 30% lighter than conventionally designed steel structures due to efficient use of steel. Primary framing members are tapered (varying depth) built-up sections, with larger depths in the areas of highest stresses and internal forces. These sections are engineered to maximise optimal section usage. Secondary members are light gage (light weight) roll- formed (low labour cost) ‘Z’ or ‘C’ shaped members. In the conventional design of steel structures, primary steel members are selected from standard hot rolled ‘I’ sections, which are, in many segments of the portal frame, heavier than what is required, when looking at internal forces. Members have constant cross-sections regardless of the varying magnitude of the local (internal) stresses along the member length. What are insulated panels? It is a high-performance building system used to create walls, roofs, or facades for residential, industrial, and light commercial construction. The panels consist of an insulating foam core sandwiched between two structural facings. The structural characteristics of insulated panels are like that of a steel I-beam. The strand board facers act as the flange of the I-beam, while the rigid foam core provides the web. This design is extremely strong and eliminates the need for additional framing. It can be fabricated to fit nearly any building design. Although it has been around since the 1930s, continuous

development to this sandwiched-panel technology is what makes it an attractive building material today. Feedback from others about their Insulated Panels experience Louise De Villiers, Master Planning Lead at the renowned infrastructure consulting firm, AECOM, recently worked with JTC Building Systems on a flagship data centre project in Cape Town, South Africa. “The use of insulated panels contributed to a great overall project finish and enabled us to effortlessly meet the temperature regulation requirements of the project,” De Villiers says. If you are not sure who to contact in your area for a quotation, feel free to contact JTC Building Sytems . Also, if you need recommendations or input as to whether insulated panels will work for your specific project, send them your questions, or gladly give them a call and they will provide you with expert advice, at no additional cost. Do the benefits of PEB and insulated panels outweigh the risk of trying out a building material I am less familiar with? In short, the answer is yes. There are true benefits to choosing PEB structures with insulated panels over other similar building envelope systems. Both PEB and Insulated panels building kits are manufactured in factories where quality can be monitored much more precisely than on-site. Unlike some other building methods where the building is constructed on-site from scratch, a large number of PEB and IPs are pre-manufactured, come rain or delayed building foundations. Its single-step installation capabilities make it efficient and cost-effective. What types of building projects can use PEB and insulated? It can be used for any type of building you can think of including your home, warehouse, airport hangar, industrial facility, office building or multi-storey space. Do I need a certain size building project before I can consider trying out IPs? Not at all. It can be used for any size project, small to flagship. 

39 CONSTRUCTION WORLD SEPTEMBER 2021