Development of aluminum load-carrying space frame for building structures

The study presents the development of a residential building with a load-carrying space frame consisting of steel bracings and horizontal floor girders but columns made of an aluminum alloy. This is to the authors’ knowledge the first building of its kind developed in Greece and Europe. The development is based on analysis using a space frame model, subjected to EC3 and EC8 specified loads, followed by a design based on the EC7 requirements. The study also discusses difficulties in developing the system and presents solutions to cope with code specified wind and seismic loads. In order to account for seismic loads that in most cases govern the design of the columns, 3-D and 2-D finite element analyses have been performed accounting for nonlinear material behavior of critical column-bay locations. Several alternative column profiles are proposed depending on the intensity of the seismic loads.