After supplying steel sections for Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products is now supplying steel for Europe's tallest building, the Lakhta Centre, located in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Measuring 462 metres, the Lakhta tower and its adjacent building were built with HISTAR® 460 Russia, a grade developed specifically for this project.

Inspired by Gothic art

This very prestigious and elegant building claims several records: Europe's tallest high-rise building at 462 m and the northernmost skyscraper in the world to name but a few. The tower's 87 floors total a gross floor area of 163 000 m2. Designed by RMJM and completed by Gorproject, the tower's unique look was inspired by a cathedral tower and culminates with a tapered and twisted spire in a fine point. Gorproject and Inforceproject were the structural engineers of the project, while Renaissance Construction Company was the general contractor.

A strong involvement since 2008

ArcelorMittal began following this project in 2008. Over the years, at each phase of the project's development, the teams convinced the structural engineers and the general contractor to select a solution with heavy sections. The ArcelorMittal research centre in Esch, Luxembourg was on board from the very start to support the mill in fine-tuning the quality of the steel and achieving its registration as HISTAR® 460 Russia with the relevant official institute and authority in Russia.

A high-performance steel grade, made in Luxembourg

The structural frame of the tower's star shaped cross-sectional footprint, slightly different on every floor, features at its centre a circular core in concrete mainly housing the lifts. The tower's 73 000 m2 facade is formed from 16 500 pieces of glass. At its perimeter, the structure rests on steel-composite-columns made of structural sections in HISTAR® 460 Russia quality steel. This high-performance steel grade allowed for relevant cost savings by optimising both the weight and time of processing and installation.

The heavy H-sections were processed by cutting into T-sections for making cruciform-shaped column profiles, which were subsequently encased in concrete. For the construction of the tower and the two multifunctional buildings, ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products' mill in Differdange, Luxembourg delivered 21 254 tonnes of steel sections, including processing. This is one of only a few rolling heavy sections, also known as jumbos, and the only one capable of manufacturing HISTAR® 460 combining extremely demanding mechanical requirements together with excellent ease of processing when welding. The Differdange mill is known for its excellent track record of delivering tall buildings of this nature and is a proud supplier helping to shape the skylines of cities across the world.

A new economic centre for Saint Petersburg

Located in the Primorsky district of Saint Petersburg, the Lakhta Centre will create a sustainable economic zone by combining the office space of the tower with transportation infrastructure, green space, and several public resources including a planetarium, sports complex, medical centre, performance hall, and a bank. Outside of the building, the planned landscaped spaces consist of a 2000-seat amphitheatre and a green promenade. The Lakhta Centre is seen as the 'pilot project' for this area on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg with the view to create a new area for business and residences in this area. At the base of the tower, two multifunctional buildings will host a convention and conference centre with a panoramic restaurant, observation deck, amphitheatre, atrium, retail areas, 'World of Science', transformable hall, health centre, sport complex, and offices. The tower will serve as a major landmark for the area through its sheer height and its unique twisted and tapered spire form. The tower will be the headquarters of Gazprom, the world's largest gas company.

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications, Constructalia

Images: © JSC Gazpromneft Eastern European Projects

Ho Chi Minh City is the fastest economic growing urban area in Vietnam. Landmark 81 will be a particularly impressive addition to the city’s skyline once complete in early 2019 overtaking Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower as the country’s tallest. This 81-storey residential structure will offer luxurious living combining extraordinary views with maximum floor space thanks to 3600 tonnes of HISTAR® 460 sections produced by ArcelorMittal Europe. The tower will be a notable achievement for ArcelorMittal too. For the first time, we will be the sole steel supplier of all the sections in a high-rise.

A new addition to the city’s skyline

Measuring 462 metres, Landmark 81 will be one of the tallest residential buildings on earth. Commissioned by property developer Vingroup, designed by architectural firm Atkins, structural design consulted by Arup, and built by construction companies Mace and Coteccons, it will make a statement in one of Ho Chi Minh City’s most prime locations facing the Saigon River. This 81-storey skyscraper will comprise a hotel, serviced apartments, and a high-end shopping centre.

Perfect for heavy loads and free fire protection

The 3600 tonnes of sections were produced by ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products’ Differdange mill. The composite design of concrete and HISTAR® steels is ideal to carry heavy loads. The concrete walls contain multiple jumbo sections acting as vertical columns to carry the weight of the building. The concrete surrounding the steel columns also acts as free fire protection.

More floor area thanks to HISTAR®

A key advantage of HISTAR® steels will be an increase in saleable floor area. Vietnam is one of the few countries in the world where developers have to sell the net area of apartments or offices instead of the gross area. Inserting HISTAR® sections into the walls will enable builders to reduce their width freeing up additional saleable area at prime cost. By selecting HISTAR® 460 columns in composite walls, the structural engineer, Arup, succeeded in maximising the so-called “carpet area” for the benefit of the investor, Vingroup, as well as the future tenants.

In total, three lots of HISTAR® sections will be delivered to the steel fabricator QH Plus.  The first lot arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in early September 2016. Completion for Landmark 81 is expected in early 2019.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe

Photos:
© Vingroup
© hieunghi/Shutterstock.com

The aspect of sustainability is playing an increasingly important role in building. However, this concept is not just restricted to ecological issues but also comprises economic and socio-cultural aspects. Only structures which fulfill all this criteria are permanently successful and therefore sustainable.

In this instance, constructional steelwork certainly has an advantage over other constructive forms thanks to structural steel which spares resources when manufactured and is infinitely reusable. Moreover, the increasing usage of high strength steels enables the possibility to further optimise sustainability of the steel or composite construction.

Modern steels such as Histar® 460, for example, demonstrate an outstanding weldability thanks to thermomechanical rolling and subsequent QST treatment in addition to high strength owing to carbon equivalent.

Principally, the use of high strength steels is worthwhile if tension problems are decisive when measuring structural components. This is often the case with composite girders, comprehensive roof supporting frameworks, trusses or heavily burdened supports. The somewhat higher price per tonne is by far and away exceeded through savings on material, processing, transport and assembly.

Histar® for Car Park Ceiling Girders

In the meantime, one sector in which high-strength steels have been enforced is car park ceiling girders. A span of approx.16m is usually required. An example can be seen in Table 1. With the use of Histar 460 the assessment usually results in an IPE 500 profile as opposed to an IPE 600 when using an S235JR+M. In this way, the component weight can be reduced by 24%. This leads to a cost saving of 17% for the pre-finished structural component.

Apart from the considerable economic advantage through use of the high-strength steels, a contribution to environmental sustainability is made at the same time.

Quintessentially, this is calculated for a car park with a capacity for 1000 vehicles. 250 ceiling girders are used in such a building. If trusses are used according to variant 2, a total of 127 tonnes of steel will be saved. Consequently, in addition to the lower emissions in the manufacturing process, seven journeys to the construction site by lorry can be spared for the ceiling girders alone.

Along with this, there are still savings through shorter supports, shorter lift shafts and stairwells, more favourable arrangements for ramps and a reduced façade area. Moreover, the reduced headroom leads to a lower overall height of the building – for example, a six-storey car park can be built 60 cm smaller.

Reducing Surfaces & Costs

High strength steels also have great advantages when used in industrial construction and multi-storey buildings. Reduced dimensions of roofs or roof girders, for example, lead to decreased building heights.

For this reason, the exterior surface area of the building can be reduced. Apart from saving on construction costs for wall and façade areas, one can also save on regular costs for heating and air-conditioning respectively.

Finally it can be determined that the use of high strength steels in the building industry is generally recommended for constructions in which use of tension is relevant to building specifications. With the use of Histar® 460 as opposed to the S235JR+M, approximately 25% of component weights and approximately 15 – 20% of component costs are saved in everyday applications.

In an extreme case – e.g. with comprehensive timber work construction – saving may even amount to 50%. Apart from economic advantages, a contribution to environmental sustainability is also made. In order to fully benefit from the advantages described, it is important that high strength steels are already included early on in the planning phases for the components in question.