Steel Structures for Sky-High Developments

Mexico has a long-held tradition of building developments with concrete due to the material’s low cost and resilience. Cast-in-place reinforced concrete can withstand over 200mph winds and has extremely high resistance to explosion or impact. But as commercial and residential developers look to reduce their environmental footprint while still building ever taller and more complex structures, steel is becoming the new darling of the industry.

With the construction boom in Mexico City, Jorge Barba y Sánchez, Director General of Grupo Baysa, expects an increase in the prevalence of steel structures for 2017- 2018. “Approximately 25 percent of the Mexican market uses steel structures today but that percentage is growing rapidly as the industry continues to evolve,” he says.

There are many reasons for the switch. Using steel means buildings are much lighter in comparison to concrete buildings, which equates to smaller foundations. In addition, fewer workers are required to carry out construction, although they must be specialized. “Using steel instead of concrete makes the project much simpler and developers can create more slender structures,” says Barba y Sánchez. “When it comes to the price, steel structures are slightly more expensive than other building options at the outset. But because they can be assembled much faster and provide developers with more square meters to sell, it can easily become a cheaper option in the medium term.

Grupo Baysa, a 100 percent Mexican company and a leader in the steel industry, is working with Abilia and Grupo Sordo Madaleno to construct one of Mexico City’s most luxurious housing developments: Ruben Dario 225. Located on one of Mexico’s most expensive streets in Polanco, this housing development will consist of three towers containing more than 122 apartments ranging from 250m2 to 500m2. Barba y Sánchez explains that two of these towers will be connected at the 17th floor, increasing the complexity of the steel structure. One tower is taller than the other to create penthouses and lofts that will have some of the best views of the city’s landmark Chapultepec Park.

Whether working with steel or concrete, all constructors face challenges, not least of which is accommodating local residents. “We have many restrictions in terms of working hours due to the neighbors,” he says. “This means that we have to have everything prepared so that the workers can begin working at 9am and we must also limit the days we can work.”

To work as fast and efficiently as possible given the time constraints, the company, founded 30 years ago, has integrated the Tekla Building Information Modeling (BIM) software to help plan projects before construction actually starts. This ensures greater accuracy and more coherent oversight of the project, which is especially important considering the scale of these projects. Ruben Dario 225, for example, will require approximately 8,000 tons of steel.

The development also will go a long way to helping Grupo Baysa reach its 2017 goal of installing 30,000 tons of steel. “Previously, we have installed 20,000 tons a year and this increase demonstrates the growing popularity of steel as a construction material,” says Barba y Sánchez. “To keep up with this demand, our factory located in Lerma, State of Mexico, supplies us with the necessary materials.” The Lerma plant has an installed capacity of 2,300 tons per month.

Grupo Baysa is also hoping to participate in the construction of NAICM. The Terminal 1 building will require such a large quantity of steel that the company cannot supply it alone, says Barba y Sánchez. There would have to be a consortium of steel companies working to supply the sheer volume of materials necessary and Baysa is eager to offer its expertise to the tender winners. “We want to continue participating in iconic projects in the years to come,” says Barba y Sánchez. “If we continue developing projects such as Ruben Dario 225 and we have the opportunity to participate in the construction of Terminal 1, we will certainly surpass our yearly goal.”