The renovation of this commercial building in Blake Street, Ponsonby turned into a much larger project when the addition of an extra storey was suggested. The piles for the building’s superstructure had a span of 7.2m, creating an extra challenge for the construction team. With timber joists not generally meeting those spans and weight issues ruling out concrete, Lyle Petersen, Director of Logik Construction, turned to Speedfloor for a lightweight steel flooring solution.

Speedfloor’s standard Steel Joist Flooring System meets a 6.9m span — just shy of the 7.2m required for this project, so Speedfloor contacted their engineer to see if they could adapt the system to meet a wider span. “They came up with a back to back system of a 290 floor joist that exceeded the length of my span, so we pursued it,” explains Lyle.

Just over 20 tonnes of Speedfloor lightweight steel joists were specified for the additional level of the building — a combination of FJ150, FJ240 and FJ290 joists. Speedfloor completed detailing of midfloor requirements and production of materials off site, helping to reduce build time. The steel joists were pre-cut to size to suit the building’s various spans and delivered in labelled bundles for ease of installation.

Lyle has been impressed by the fast turnaround of Speedfloor’s joists, which has helped to keep the project on track. “I ordered another 180m² of joist flooring cassette area on Friday last week. Speedfloor worked Friday afternoon and Monday and it’s being delivered this morning (Tuesday). That’s less than a week turnaround for 180m² of floor joists, so the efficiency is incredible.”

Logik Construction’s qualified builders were new to steel joist construction, but took to the Speedfloor System quickly. “It has been amazing,” says Lyle. “My chippies had never worked with lightweight steel before. They say it’s much easier than doing big timber joists for the same size.”

The 630m² floor deck is nearing completion and Lyle is pleased with the results. “I’ve taken the owner up there and it’s exceeded his expectations for the flooring,” he explains. Pleased with performance and efficiency of Speedfloor, Lyle has already specified the joists for another project — a seven-house development in Howick. “I’m using Speedfloor for all 14 floors in the terraced houses because it’s so efficient and affordable.”