Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS)

While exposed structural steel was once the select province of a few noteworthy projects, architects today are increasingly using transparency in their design. The current trend may have started with Helmut Jahn's United Airlines Terminal in Chicago, but it has now spread to everything from small retail stores to office lobbies.

Unfortunately, existing codes and standards-even
the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), who provided this paper, own Code of Standard Practice do not fully address the unique level of detail needed to successfully design, detail, fabricate and erect Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS). Further, because AESS costs more to fabricate than standard structural steel, it is critical that these designs are properly budgeted. The repercussion of not properly budgeting AESS is often the need for redesign, project delays, and ultimately even higher project costs. In addition, the members requiring special handling and finish are often poorly identified in the contract documents-and, since the EOR often specifies the steel while the architect specifies the paint and appearance, there is sometimes a built-in conflict or compatibility issue. Finally, the lack of acceptance criteria for AESS members often leads to disputes between the design team and the contractor over what is desired versus what was bid.

In response to these issues, the Steel Liaison Committee of the Structural Engineers Association of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Steel Construction Association, with input from local contractors and architects, developed guidelines to assist in the specification of AESS. According to the Committee: "The goal of these tools is to allow the designer to communicate the desired appearance in a format that Contractors can price/budget/bid more appropriately." The guidelines include three key elements: Sample Board, Cost Matrix, and Specification.

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