NPS® BASIC Beam
The self-bearing composite steel truss and concrete NPS® BASIC beam is recommended for structures with large spans, residential and industrial buildings, and for infrastructure.
The metal structure, made of structural steel pursuant to Standard UNI EN 10025-2 and with EN 1090-1 CE marking is composed of:
- lower chord formed by a plate and possible additional rebar soldered to it;
- upper chord formed by at least one pair of profiles;
- connection web, simple or double, soldered to the upper and lower chords;
- appropriately sized support terminals, which serve as anchoring devices, resist sliding actions.
Benefits
- Long spans
- Native fire resistance
- Can be combined with all types of slabs and all types of supports
- Reduced load on foundations
- Compact sections
- Limited height
- For slim-floor solutions
- Adaptable to installations requirements
- Adaptable to layout geometries
- Suitable for seismic resistance without bracing
- Installed in 5 minutes
- Construction site safety
Areas of use
- Civil construction
- Industrial building
- Tertiary
- Renovations
- Elevations
- High buildings
- Road infrastructure
- Bridges
Video
Application-Technique Recommendations
BASIC beams are the most versatile NPS® element in terms of span and cross-section. They lend themselves to the insertion of forometries and bolted joints, and to the realization of arched or knee beams.
Ing. Alessandra Favarato, NPS® designer
Fast construction site and fast payback on investment
- With NPS® you get a self-supporting floor, without having to wait 28 days for the concrete to cure.
- This allows an overlapping of the construction phases: immediately after the NPS® beams have been laid on level 1, the installers can start working on the level below and so on up to the top floor.
- Average time saved compared to traditional systems is 40%.
- With NPS® weather conditions are not as crucial as with the traditional onsite construction system. That's why we can schedule our delivery precisely.
- Certain costs, with correspondence between bid cost and actual cost due to the limited uncertain factors to manage.
- Limited loss of building value (Building Loss) and low maintenance costs thanks to the high durability of NPS® structures.
Efficient and safe solution
- Normally, three workers and a crane operator install an NPS® beam in 5 minutes. A multi-storey column in 8 minutes. In a single operation, pillars for two or more floors are installed.
- An average of 80% less manpower is used on site compared to traditional systems. Strategic activities are carried out offsite and CE marked.
- Increased safety due to the substantial reduction of manpower on site and the safety systems integrated in the NPS® elements.
- There is no need for a storage area because the elements are designed to be assembled, lifted directly from the means of transport.
- Provisional material is drastically reduced, with benefits in terms of sustainability. In addition, NPS® products arrive at the construction site without packaging, solving the management of this type of waste at source.
Seismic and native fire resistance
- NPS® beams can be supplied with native fire resistance without the need for additional treatments on site; for even faster and more efficient construction.
- The NPS® solution can be designed with a seismic-resistant frame without the need for bracing.
- Tecnostrutture's experience in seismic engineering goes back more than a decade and counts academic partners of the highest level such as Eucentre and the University of Washington.
- For these reasons, the NPS® solution has been chosen in numerous projects in highly seismic areas, both in Italy and abroad.
Low environmental impact solution
- Level of sustainability certified by EPD - Enviromnental Product Declaration.
- Contributes to LEED and DGNB credits.
- Made with recycled steel for more than 80% of its own weight.
- Lower use of raw materials compared to traditional systems, with the same performance.
- 90% less temporary material on site, with positive effects on costs and waste.
- Lower energy consumption and lower CO2 emissions than steel and reinforced concrete solutions.
- Proven environmental impact per kg of product demonstrated through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and certified by EPD.
Space maximization
- The standard NPS® frame includes beams with spans up to 15 metres. Longer spans are also possible, subject to further design analysis.
- Large spans offer maximum freedom in the configuration of interior spaces, depending on the need or intended use. This allows easy conversion of the building in the future.
- Slim-floors allow the maximum exploitation of the storey height.
- Beams with a reduced height allow for multiple levels for a given overall building height. There is also the option to build a lower building, saving on heating and cooling costs.
- NPS® beams combined with NPS® compact columns allow you to maximize interior space, thus providing a larger area to sell or rent. For example, for a garage, this translates into more parking spaces than a traditional solution.
Architectural freedom
- NPS® beams are customizable, allowing for challenging architectural concepts: sloped, cantilevered or curved beams are just some of the possible NPS® versions.
- NPS® beams can be used not only as a structural element, but also for their architectural and design contribution, exposed without the need for additional finishes.
- Very popular when combined with hollow-core slabs, they offer an interior space that evokes industrial environments.
- Another option that is becoming increasingly popular is the combination of steel and wood, i.e. NPS® BASIC beams and a visible wooden ceiling.
Design in BIM with NPS® Beams for Tekla and Revit
NPS® parametric beam objects for Revit and Tekla are a tool to speed design and make the engineer's job easier.
The advantages for the designer
"The designer can manage the whole project in BIM and verify the integration of NPS® with the rest of the structures and the MEP part. Working more efficiently is now possible."
Stefano China, Technical Director of Tecnostrutture
DOWNLOAD OBJECTS FOR REVIT AND TEKLADOWNLOAD THE TEKLA PLUG-IN FOR NPS® BEAMS
Do you use BIM programs other than Tekla or Revit?
Generate the NPS® section directly in . ifc so you can insert the NPS® beam into any BIM software.
EASY NPS® is the software to pre-dimension NPS® beams on multiple spans. In this way you get the equivalent elastic modulus to insert the beam in the FEM project and the section in . ifc format to import in every BIM software.
DOWNLOAD EASY NPS® FOR FREEOnline predimensioning
The online pre-dimensioning service allows the compatibility of the NPS® beam to be verified at a very early stage.
It is a free service that offers an immediate result: You will know immediately if the proposed section is compatible, suboptimal or compatible.
CHECK THE SECTION OF THE BEAMCertified environmental impact content
For each specific project, the environmental impact of the NPS® solution can be calculated in terms of CO2 equivalent and numerous other indicators, based on the official Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). This allows the designer and investor to compare the environmental impact of alternative structural solutions and make an objective choice.
The NPS® beam-column solution reduces CO2 emissions and energy used by more than 20% compared to steel or concrete solutions. These data are proven by the comparative LCA carried out by the University of Genoa on two actual buildings. The environmental impacts per kg of beam are confirmed by the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).
DOWNLOAD THE NPS® BEAM EPDThe importance of Embodied Carbon
Until now, the focus has been on reducing the emissions produced during the use of the building.
However, it is estimated that more than half of the total carbon emissions from all the new global constructions between 2020 and 2050 will be due to embodied carbon and therefore emissions related to materials and building construction/renovation (source BuildingLife Roadmap).
It is therefore necessary to focues not only on the operational emissions of buildings and to start considering both operational and embodied carbon in an integrated way.
NPS® beams represent an economical, fast and at the same time sustainable structural solution.
Contributes to obtaining LEED and DGNB credits
The use of NPS® beams can contribute to credits for building sustainability certification.
An external body supported Tecnostrutture in conducting a mapping on the contribution of NPS® products for obtaining credits for building sustainability certifications.
These specific mappings are available for LEED and DGNB certification.
DOWNLOAD LEED MAPPINGDOWNLOAD DGNB MAPPING
Less raw materials
NPS® beams exploit the structural efficiency of the combination of steel and concrete. This results in compact sections with less use of raw materials and optimisation of living space.
Compared to reinforced concrete solutions, for example, with the same performance, the section of the NPS® beam is more compact, with a saving in raw materials and consequent lower environmental impact.
Made with recycled steel
NPS BASIC beams are made from recycled steel, a percentage that exceeds 80% of the total weight, as confirmed by the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) issued by a third party.
The statement is based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) per kg of beam.
Logistics with low environmental impact
Tecnostrutture adopts a logistics strategy that respects the environment. We prefer green fuel road transport or the intermodal solution with longer stretches by rail.
As shown by the analysis of the product life cycle (LCA), transport to the construction site affects 2-3% of the total life cycle. Therefore, in addition to offering solutions that have little impact on logistics, Tecnostrutture’s commitment is focused above all in the raw material supply and end-of-life management phases, those that weigh most heavily on the environmental impact of the entire product life cycle.
Reduced emissions throughout the life cycle
- NPS® beams are modelled in BIM, with the lowest possible use of raw materials from the outset.
- They are produced in the factory using both self-generated energy and - as of January 1, 2022 - energy derived entirely from renewable sources.
- Logistics is also low emission. Tecnostrutture gives priority to green-fuel and intermodal transport.
- Site organization is simplified thanks to the fact that fewer workers are needed for installation: a team consists of just three fitters and a crane operator, compared to the large work teams of traditional systems.
- Reducing on-site activities increases construction speed by an average of 40%, with positive social effects on the local community.
- There are also advantages in relation to the drastic reduction of formwork, wood and props that are no longer necessary since the structures are self-supporting. This saves trips to bring in and return the temporary materials as well as their production. The result is a substantial contribution to the reduction of construction site waste and scrap, with NPS® products arriving ready for assembly.
- At the end of the building's life, NPS® beams are removed through selective demolition, which allows for the complete reuse of the steel and concrete used.
Storage
NPS® beams are designed to be assembled by taking them directly from the means of transport.
If storage is the option, the beams can be stacked horizontally on several levels, resting on wooden boards. For long-term storage, the steel parts must be protected from the weather.
Each NPS® beam is identified by an identification tag showing the lifting weight and the code in the assembly drawing.
For technical storage requirements, please refer to the Tecnostrutture’s product assembly and installation booklet.
Handling
The internal route through the site and the material storage area are agreed with the site manager.
NPS® beams can be lifted and handled with normal lifting equipment, such as cranes or crane trucks.
The NPS® beams must be unloaded from the vehicle using ropes or chains attached to the lifting systems provided in the beams.
Installation
Normally, a team of 3 workers and a crane operator will lay an NPS® beam in 5 minutes.
It is possible to mount the safety guardrails in the appropriate provisions of the NPS® beam already on the ground.
The building site crane used must have a suitable capacity in relation to the loads being lifted. It is necessary to check that the load is well balanced by pulling the ropes or chains and lifting the material by a few centimetres before moving the structure. Before handling the structure, the dimensions and positioning of the end supports of the beams must be checked.
The beam is then lifted with the crane. Once the beam has been brought close to the assembly point, the operators will accompany the product until it is completely supported on the brackets.
The beams are laid in simple support, except in specific cases indicated by Tecnostrutture in the laying drawing. If shoring of the lateral beams is foreseen for overturning, the NPS® Beam must be blocked only at the ends, never in the span and/or in the middle. For further details, refer to Tecnostrutture’s product assembly booklet to the prescriptions contained in the elaborate.
Slab laying and casting
The slab is then laid. Only at this point is the completion casting carried out, according to the instructions and prescriptions of the manufacturer and/or supplier of the slab.
If prestressed panel slabs are used for hollow core slabs or similar, the anti-tipping systems installed on the primary beams must be used before the element is unhooked.
The completion of NPS® beams is usually done with standard (non-self-compacting) concrete and is done without the risk of air bubbles. Vibration is also simple, thanks to the lattice structure of the beam itself.
Installation Video
Structural continuity
NPS® beams can also be designed and supplied over several spans.
Structural continuity is guaranteed by steel stumps.
These elements are positioned at the node on site, after the beam has been installed.
Sustainability
Typical sections
Certifications
Technical volumes