Innovation

ArcelorMittal continues to leap forward in steel solutions with the release of Steligence®. Ushering in a new wave of high-performance building and construction techniques, this fresh and innovative concept ensures that each steel component interacts in a complementary way.

"Taking a holistic approach to sustainable construction." (Prof. Olivier Vassart)

Steligence® was developed after a number of years of scientific and industry reviewed research that has resulted in a profound new approach to construction built on a strong foundation of sustainability.

Addressing current issues in the building industry, Steligence® is a philosophy that incorporates all elements of design and encourages more communication among the architectural and engineering experts involved in a building project.

Keeping only the strongest elements of traditional construction methods, Steligence® incorporates the best available technology in steelmaking and a new and fresh approach to sustainability in terms of the overall design process and the future life of a building.

The Steligence® approach includes a broad range of steel products for construction which individually add value, but together represent a compelling portfolio with a range of defined benefits.

A win-win solution

During a speech at the London launch event, Greg Ludkovsky, ArcelorMittal’s global head of research and development, explained that “as climate, energy and resource scarcity intensifies, win-win solutions like Steligence® become imperative for business and society at large. Buildings play a huge part in all our lives, so creating a construction concept that improves their social, economic and environmental impact while dramatically enhancing their functionality and aesthetics has been a huge but important challenge.”

“What I personally love is that this building visibly features steel, which is so often hidden from view.  In fact, we believe that no other building of this size and scale has been designed specifically to feature steel throughout. Wilmotte & Associés have developed a truly innovative design that shows how beautiful steel is.”  Aditya Mittal.

ArcelorMittal and the “Fonds d’Urbanisation et d’Aménagement du Plateau de Kirchberg,” (“the Fonds Kirchberg”) have announced on December 13 that the architectural practice Wilmotte & Associés Architectes (“W&A”) is the winner of the architectural consultation to design ArcelorMittal’s new global headquarters building in Luxembourg.

W&A was selected by a nine-person jury chaired by Aditya Mittal, CFO of ArcelorMittal and CEO of ArcelorMittal Europe, following a highly competitive process with designs proposed by many of the world’s leading architects.

Other landmark buildings designed by W&A include the Ferrari sporting management centre in Maranello, Google’s UK headquarters in London, the LVMH corporate headquarters in Paris and the five-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel also in Paris.

The ambitious winning design - which was just unveiled in Kirchberg, Luxembourg today - is primarily steel and glass, and will showcase the diverse benefits of steel over other building materials* as well as highlighting the use of steel in ‘green’, sustainable construction. As well as being ArcelorMittal’s headquarters, housing around 800 employees, some of the space will be leased for other uses. There will also be a restaurant, sports facility and 200 seat auditorium available to the public.

Innovative design

W&A’s design responds to a detailed brief to design a modern, sustainable building that harnesses all the potential of steel from top to bottom.  The result is a truly unique building that includes numerous design firsts, including innovative new products and features that are the result of a close collaboration between the designer and ArcelorMittal’s research and development teams. Technical innovations include:
- A fluid and flexible ground floor space featuring no columns, something that is only possible with steel thanks to the use of a suspended steel exoskeleton
- An integrated flooring system fully designed in steel which removes the need for false ceilings, resulting in high quality acoustics and improved aesthetics
- A curtain wall completely designed in steel which results in a lighter, more airy building due to steel’s higher strength and superior elasticity
- New section bars adapted from products designed for the automotive sector.

The W&A design also responds to ArcelorMittal’s desire to have a sustainable building that promotes steel’s contribution to the circulate economy.  The building follows the “cradle-to-cradle” concept, meaning that it can be dismantled and nearly all the steel products re-used in a new building without the need for recycling.

It is also a low-carbon, energy-efficient building, and will be “BREEAM outstanding,” “DGNB Gold,” and “BBCA” certified. Environmental credentials including solar power generation – featuring 4000 square metres of ArcelorMittal steel photo voltaic cells on the roof - rain water management and automatic window opening for natural ventilation.  It also features a bioclimatic public atrium, ventilated by the Canadian Well system, which naturally cools the air in summer and heats it in winter.  The atrium is designed to evoke the Luxembourg countryside and will feature trees and plants in a woodland style that also bring environmental benefits, acting as a buffer for the temperature.  Further green space will be created by setting the building back from the limit of the plot, creating new outdoor public spaces.  The building will also be certified by a Gold level “WELL” label.

Testimonies

Speaking in Luxembourg at an event to announce the winner, Aditya Mittal, chairman of the jury, said: “Taking the decision to invest in a new headquarters shows ArcelorMittal’s long-term commitment to Luxembourg.  As the world’s leading steel company, it is also a great opportunity to have a new headquarters that showcases the flexibility, creativity and sustainability of steel as a construction material.  All the architects that participated in the competition submitted interesting designs and on behalf of my colleagues on the jury, I would like to thank them all for their creativity.  Ultimately though we could only select one project and W&A stood out for their complete respect of every aspect of our brief, including practicality, aesthetics, economics and sustainability, as well as their enthusiastic engagement with our R&D team.  They have developed a truly innovative design.  What I personally love is that this building shows the beauty of steel, which is so often hidden from view.  In fact, we believe that no other building of this size and scale has been designed specifically to feature steel throughout.  And, equally important, it will be a great place to work for our employees, a fantastic platform to show our customers what steel can do and an exceptional open space for visitors to this part of the city.”

Jean-Michel Wilmotte, Architect, President of W&A, said: “To be asked to design a new steel-based headquarters for the world’s leading steel company is an important commission.  I love working with steel and am confident that we have developed a design that will showcase the very best of the material.  I am particularly excited about the ambition of the building, which is to show how creativity, coupled with modern techniques, can advance the sustainability, economics, and practicality of modern office building design and so improve the lives of those who work and interact with it.  I hope that the employees of ArcelorMittal will be proud of the building and will enjoy coming to work there for many years and decades to come.”

Michel Wurth, President of ArcelorMittal Luxembourg, added: “As a Luxemburger, I’m proud and excited that such a forward-thinking design will be built here largely with steel made in Luxembourg.   Our steel features in so many iconic buildings around the world, it’s great to have an opportunity to create another one here in our home country.  I believe W&A’s design fully captures the atmosphere of tomorrow which is appropriate for ArcelorMittal as a company on the cutting edge of its industry and will also provide a great place for our employees to work.  It will be a new addition to the Kirchberg plateau and of course we will work closely work with the municipality of Luxembourg during the planning phase to fully integrate this new building into the already iconic urban landscape and skyline."

How did it start?

The consultation was initiated in February 2017 following ArcelorMittal’s decision in April 2016 to build a new head office in Luxembourg. ArcelorMittal is the principal industrial employer of the Grand Duchy with over 4,000 employees. The construction of a new, landmark headquarters building illustrates the Group’s commitment to maintaining its presence in the country, where the company has not only its head offices, but also seven industrial sites producing or processing steel, and developing steel solutions for the construction, automotive, general industry and agriculture sectors of the economy.

In the first phase, eight internationally renowned practices were invited to submit initial designs on April 27 and 28. Bernard Tschumi Architects, Foster + Partners, JSWD Architekten, Massimiliano Fuksas Architecture, Rafael Vinoly Architects, Rem Koolhaas OMA, Von Gerkan, Marg and Partners and Wilmotte & Associés were the architects included. In the second phase, three shortlisted practices – Foster + Partners, Rem Koolhaas OMA, and Wilmotte & Associés - were asked to develop a more advanced architectural design. These were then submitted to the jury which evaluated the proposals and then recommended Wilmotte & Associés to ArcelorMittal and to the Board of Fonds Kirchberg as the selected winner.

Ground breaking is expected during the summer of 2019 with completion in the last quarter of 2021.

How will employees be engaged in the process?

A working group – including HR representatives from ArcelorMittal – has been focusing on the integration of workplace challenges in the conception of the building for several months. Workshops will be organized with ArcelorMittal employees to deal with occupational wellness.

 
*This includes the ability to include additional storeys without compromising ceiling height, due to reduced floor thicknesses; fewer internal columns due to the strength of the most modern steel beams, permitting more flexible internal layouts; and, due to the lighter weight of steel buildings as opposed to those using conventional materials, less deep foundations, bringing timing and cost benefits.  Use of steel also brings efficiency to site operations given that even the most complex forms are pre-fabricated off site and only come to site for assembly.  Compared to traditional construction methods, this saves time and manpower on site, and lessens road congestion caused by deliveries.

Glossary of Terms

• Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) is the method of assessing the environmental behavior of buildings developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), a private UK building research firm.
• The DGNB System provides an objective description and assessment of the sustainability of buildings and urban districts. If a performance requirement is met, the DGNB awards the DGNB certificate in bronze, silver, gold and platinum.
• The BBCA label testifies to the exemplary of a building in terms of carbon footprint. The label includes three levels of performance: Standard, Performance, Excellence.
• The WELL Building Standard™ (WELL) consists of features across the seven concepts (air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind) that comprehensively address not only the design and operations of buildings, but also how they impact and influence human behaviors related to health and well-being.

Text: ArcelorMittal Corporate
Photos: ©ArcelorMittal

In Osendorf (Germany), ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products contributed to the construction of a composite bridge built with our Prefabricated Composite Beams (PreCoBeams), ensuring an external reinforcement for the concrete bridge. It is the first hot-dip galvanised composite dowel construction in Germany.

PreCoBeams: a competitive and sustainable solution

Due to the flood risk in the area, the new bridge required to be built without a pillar, as a single-span frame with a length of 21 metres.

PreCoBeams were an adequate solution to this requirement. It is a relatively new bridge construction method which involves heavy beams that are oxycut longitudinally in two T-sections with a specific geometry.

On the one hand, it creates the special bond with the concrete and thus substitutes the welded shear studs in standard solutions, and on the other hand, it improves the beam's fatigue performance.

This economic bridge solution has many advantages:

•     high degree of prefabrication, reducing installation time
•     reduction of coating surface
•     no need for studs or welding
•     very sustainable lifecycle and lower maintenance costs due to lifetime corrosion protection
•     high safety standard in case of vehicle (trucks) impact

All the steel used for the bridge was produced by ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products’ mill in Differdange (Luxembourg). To create the PreCoBeams, 7 tonnes of 20-metre HD320x300 profiles in the grade S355ML were cut by our Beam Finishing Center Eurostructures. This was a great advantage for ArcelorMittal, as we were able not only to sell the HAV products, but also to take care of the finishing thanks to the experience of Eurostructures. 

One year from start to finish

The new bridge is located in Osendorf and transfers a rural road across the Elster river to a nature reserve. The bridge is 21 metres long, 4.5 metres wide with a road width of 3.50 metres. It is actually a replacement solution for the Elsterbrücke bridge as the three-span structure, built in 1950, couldn’t be reconstructed due to flood damage.

Overall, it only took one year to create and build this new solution from the first meeting in April 2016 to the opening of the bridge in the spring of 2017.

•    April 2016: first meeting with design office “SSF Ingenieure AG” for technical advisory
•    August 2016: order income
•    August - October 2016: rolling and beam finishing
•    October 2016: galvanising at subcontractor’s plant near construction site
•    Spring 2017: opening of the bridge  

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Photos: © florian schreiber / fotografie, ArcelorMittal, ssf Ingenieure

ArcelorMittal Sheet Piling is proud to present a new addition to our GU family, the new GU 11N and derivates (GU 10N & GU 12N), which are produced in ArcelorMittal Dabrowa-Górnicza (Poland).

These brand new hot rolled U profiles are suited for applications such as:

• underground car parks;
• dyke reinforcement & cut off walls;
• flood protection structures & river embankments;
• temporary excavation pits & trenches.

ArcelorMittal Sheet Piling has developed this product to ensure full availability on the GU-N series, which has a section modulus range from 995 cm3/m to 1200 cm3/m. These sections are specifically designed for:

• retaining walls with construction height limitations;
• hard driving conditions;
• re-use.

The section properties highlights are:

• minimum thickness of 8 mm for GU 12N, to enhance durability;
• single pile width of 600 mm;
• ArcelorMittal Larssen interlock;
• steel grades from S 240 GP to S 430 GP

Find out all about U sections sheet piles here!

Visit the ArcelorMittal Sheetpiling website: sheetpiling.arcelormittal.com

Our innovation cycle is dynamic, multi-pronged and very efficient. It ensures we hear the voices of our customers and tailor our products to your diverse needs. ArcelorMittal's dedicated team of 1,300 Global R&D specialists are constantly exploring the boundaries of what steel can do. They are proactively developing solutions which meet both your existing and future needs.

Together with our marketing teams, ArcelorMittal’s Global R&D team also offers proximity to the customer. The skills of our R&D teams and their state-of-the-art technology are available to support customers who want to engineer breakthrough products which are both cost-effective and environmentally responsible.

This article covers just some of the many products ArcelorMittal commercialized or enhanced this year as a result of our research program. Each steel solution offers our customers the chance to add even more value to the applications they create with ArcelorMittal products.

Granite® range heralds organic coated revolution

Today’s architects and urban planners are paying much more attention to issues such as the sustainability and aesthetics of our built environment. Canny investors also realize that beautiful, durable buildings provide better return on investment.

ArcelorMittal has enriched our aesthetic offering of Granite® steels for roofs and facades to suit many of these concerns. We can offer an extensive choice from matt textured surfaces (such as Granite® Deep Mat for roofs and Granite® Silky Mat for facades) to bright finishes such as Granite® Silky Shine (released in April 2015).

Many of ArcelorMittal’s recent developments in organic coated coils have aimed to improve the sustainability and corrosion performance of our steels.

Granite® Storm, our most popular deep matt coated steel in Europe, has been so successful at both that ArcelorMittal has had to add new production lines to cope with demand.

ArcelorMittal’s Solano® is our solution for roofs and cladding in demanding environments. Solano® offers exceptional performance and excellent corrosion resistance. In 2015 was released Solano® Nature.

Like all of the steels in our Nature range (including the Granite® series), Solano® Nature is free of chromates and heavy metals and anticipates European regulations on the use of harmful substances (REACH).

Magnelis® and Optigal™ lead metallic coatings market

Less than a decade after it was first developed, Magnelis® is now recognized as the best performing metallic coating for solar panel structures, safety barriers, building frames and many other applications where corrosion resistance is critical. The inclusion of zinc-aluminium-magnesium coatings in the European norm for continuously hot-dipped coated steel products (EN 10346) has opened new opportunities for Magnelis®.

ArcelorMittal’s Optigal™ is now offered as an optimized substrate for organic coated products. It provides the corrosion protection and flexibility required for most building applications.

Amstrong™ extends lightweighting opportunities to new sectors

ArcelorMittal’s new Amstrong™ range of ultrahigh strength steels (UHSS) allows manufacturers to develop lightweight solutions for agricultural, heavy lifting, mechanical engineering, mining and transportation applications.

The Amstrong™ brand guarantees excellent flatness and cold forming properties for cut-to-length products. The extremely high impact-resistance of the Amstrong™ range makes these steels the right choice in high-performance applications.

ArcelorMittal offers our customers a distinct advantage thanks to the wide range of dimensions available. For example, our Amstrong™ 700MC grade can be ordered in thicknesses from 1.8 up to 15 mm, and widths up to 2000 mm. This flexibility translates into significant productivity gains for processors.

In 2015 we extended our range with the production of UHSS products. They will offer enhanced mechanical performance and in-use properties. For manufacturers of heavy lifting and crane boom applications, these additions to the Amstrong™ range will provide an excellent, cost-effective alternative.

Cost-effective solution for silos and tanks

Grade S390EK was developed by ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products as a high strength steel suitable for the two-sided enamelling process used in silos and tanks.

The steel provides a fish scale-free enamelling substrate which does not require the use of ground enamels or sub-layers containing adhesive metallic oxides such as nickel or cobalt oxides.

A minimum yield strength of 390 Megapascals (MPa) is guaranteed after enamel firing. This allows customers to reduce the thickness of the steel used. Silo manufacturers can expect to reduce their costs by around 20% with S390EK thanks to its simplified enamelling process and higher strength.

Quenchable boron grades, tailored to your needs

Our selection of quenchable boron grades delivers a unique combination of extreme hardness, internal cleanliness and high strength. They also provide resistance to mechanical loads after heat treatment of finished parts.

ArcelorMittal can tailor their properties to your specific needs, enabling you to create welded tubes for automotive and agricultural equipment which offer a longer lifetime and considerable weight reductions.