Law Sue Davison Consulting Engineers were quick to recognise the benefits of using Dramix® steel fibre reinforced concrete in suspended steel deck construction by specifying it to be used with Dimonds Flatdeck in a large residential home in Dannemora, Auckland.

Dramix® steel fibre reinforced concrete has been used in industrial floors and external pavements on ground for over 30 years, and is well documented. After extensive research and development by The Steel Construction Institute in the UK it is now available for composite deck applications as an alternative to traditional mesh and bar.

Although the idea of replacing traditional steel mesh and bar with Dramix® on composite decks is quite common overseas it is relatively unknown, but not new, to New Zealand. The Johnstone Street apartments in Wellington was the first project in NZ to take advantage of using Dramix® SFRC in multi storey construction, this was back in 2001.

However, with cost pressures always on the increase and with a greater focus on site safety more and more engineers and builders are looking with interest at this alternative way to reinforce composite decking systems.

The concrete arrives on site pre-reinforced suitable for pumping straight onto the metal deck simplifying construction with significant time savings resulting in earlier project completion. There are many health and safety advantages such as reducing site handling, minimising crane lifts, reducing site congestion and reducing potential tripping hazards.