We speak a lot about the possibilities of timber building and modeling with ArchiFrame, but did you know that ArchiFrame can also be used for steel structures too?

In fact, when it comes to building with ArchiFrame, our approach is not just about the building materials themselves, but about the methodology of data-informed building. This logical approach is what underpins Archicad and ArchiFrame software, and while ArchiFrame has been widely adopted by the timber construction industry, other materials are also supported.

In fact, we would love to find more steel builders and engineers to collaborate with on adapting and making ArchiFrame even more steel framing friendly. What ArchiFrame features would you want as a steel construction engineer?

Material agnostic? Steel framing with ArchiFrame 

Timber is great for prefabrication and timber engineers benefit from ArchiFrame’s CNC export features, but we are strong believers in hybrid construction methods that embrace timber, brick, steel, and other building materials. 

This video below from one our users in USA shows how the ArchiFrame principles and methods can be used in steel frame building too:

We also have these two tutorial videos on steel framing that go through defining and placing wall elements with steel framing.

Defining a wall element with steel framing:

Placing a wall element with steel framing:

What other videos would you like to see about our steel framing features?

Benefits of building in steel

Building with steel is very popular in certain construction markets as steel is efficient, durable, and cost-effective. Light-gauge steel framing is a tried-and-tested building method.

Steel and concrete are a popular construction combination in certain markets, e.g. the US, Mexico, and Latin America.

Steel building with ArchiFrame: the future

On our product development timeline are metal connectors and CNC output for steel. Currently ArchiFrame is good for manual steel assembly, but we hope to enhance our steel framing features to make it suitable for bigger operations too.

Test out ArchiFrame for free and see what you think: https://users.archiframe.fi/en/free-trial . Email info@archiframe.fi if you are a steel engineer or builder and want to connect with us over ArchiFrame.