1. Space Frame
Space frame
the No 1 alternative to masonry
construction.
Russell Haworth – 082 338 6182 – Russell@bmcprojects.com
2. Introduction
Space frame was developed in California during the 1960’s and introduced to
the South African market in 1982. Specifically developed for unstable soil
conditions, the panels form a monolithic structure offering superior wall
strength in which no cracking will occur.
The Space frame system was introduced to South Africa to provide an
alternative to traditional construction. There is a need to counter rising costs
coupled with material and skilled labour shortages, without detriment to
quality and durability.
Space frame was originally manufactured in Mandini, KZN, South Africa, from
1982 to 2003, the factory is presently located in Boksburg, Gauteng.
Space frame carries a full Agreement Certificate 89/194 awarded by The
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the certificate has been in
effect since 1989. Our system is approved by the NHBRC, all financial
institutions and is within the SABS 0400-1990 National Building Regulations.
Space frame, the No 1
alternative to masonry
construction.
3. Product
Space frame is a building system consisting of 3-dimensional welded wire panels with
polyurethane insulation. Panels are made up of a 50mm wide lightweight frame of 2mm
mild steel wire and can be supplied with or without the 15mm polyurethane insulation.
Advantages
Rapid Construction - lightweight and easy to handle 3.35sqm panels erected in
minutes.
Readily available - locally manufactured short lead time
Lightweight and easily transported - Only 5kg per sqm unloaded (no
plaster) and 130kg per square metre (plastered) Transport can be used to the maximum
capacity
Strong durable and flexible - Due to wire core it is stronger than brickwork
Any shape can be made e.g. vaults and arches Lifespan is equivalent to brickwork
Competitively priced - Boundary walls up to 30% saving
Load bearing structures up to 20% saving Equally suited to urban and rural areas
Full Agrement Certificate - Approved by local authorities and all financial
institutions Adheres to safety regulations
Superior to conventional building methods - Reinforced product
Steel core is load bearing without plaster
Weatherproof - Waterproof due to polyurethane foam core. Excellent insulator
against heat and cold
Minimal wastage - All off cuts can be used on structure ,savings on rubble
removed from site
Increases living area by 7% to 10% - Due to walls being 80mm thick
additional usable area
Unskilled labour - Transfers building skills and ensures sustainable employment
opportunities, thus Empowering local communities. Concept is not new in Africa and is
easily perceived and understood due to the similarity to Wattle and Daub system
traditionally used in Africa
No cracking - Originally designed for unstable soil conditions, Allows for movement
on all type soils
Doors & windows - No special door frame or windows are required and are fitted
the same way as in conventional construction
Electrical & plumbing - No chasing for electrical and plumbing conduits
Lintols & wallplate - No wall plates or lintols required
Space frame is a monolithic construction due to the nature of the system no beam fill is
required.
4. Technical Specs
Space frame 2000 Building System
“Space frame superstructure walls that are constructed on and anchored to,
conventional foundations or surface beds. These walls are erected using lightweight,
three dimensional welded wire frames, with or without a central insulating core of
polyurethane foam insulation. Once the wire frames are in place, door and window
frames, together with roof anchors and any built in services are fixed in place and both
faces of the wire frames are plastered to form continues wall surfaces. All other aspects
of the construction are conventional.”
Boundary walls
Foundations - standard soil conditions only
Foundation are only laid under the columns and are 700mmx700mmx 230mm deep.
Three re-bars 600mm long, and 10mm in diameter are positioned in the centre of
foundation pad.
For non standard soil conditions- a structural engineer’s design is required. Space frame
panels are fitted between the 300mmx300mm columns, spaced at 5.8 centres, panels
are dropped below the natural ground level by a minimum of 150mm to a maximum of
200mm.
No foundation is required below wall panels.
Panel sizes for boundary walls may vary from 4.2m to a maximum of 5.5m in length and
a combination of 1.22m wide panels stacked on each other to form walls of various
height, to suit project requirements.
Agrement Certificate – 89/194
Municipal Approved (SABS 0400 – National Building
Regulations
NHBRC Approved
Financial Institutions Approved
Compliant with New Energy Efficient Law – SANS 10400 – XA
5. Structural Test
As there is no method to test these space frame panels, Soillab decided to do a load
bearing test similar to the test the deflection of a concrete structure. Spage
Construction made I-beam panels to simulate a wall and delivered it to Soillab for
testing. Two panels were delivered (single wall and double wall) of dimensions
H=1150mm, L=1050mm, wall thickness 80mm and the beam panels 450mm wide by
80mm thick.
The double wall thickness was 140mm, with the same panel dimensions. Photos of
the beam can be seen under the equipment and testing section. Testing was
performed by applying an even load over the width of the panel to determine the
failure strength.
A single wall panel consisted of a single spaceframe that was plastered into the Ibeam
and the double wall panel consisted of two spaceframe panels that was fixed back to
back and then plastered into the I-beam shape
Test Results
Please not that as this is not an accredited test, the results obtained from the test are
only an indication to the loadbearing capability of the spaceframe walls. Another
point to be taken into consideration is that the wall was not square during testing,
but all appropriate measures were taken to ensure that the sample panels were as
square as possible. The failures on the single wall panel was firstly a bending failure
due to the panel being out of square, and after the second load testing the wall failed
on two faces, one on the back face (photo 5) and on the front right hand corner
(photo 6).
The load at which this failure occurred was 136.28 kN, and back calculated it gives a
load of 13892 kg (13.892 tonnes). That gives a total load distribution of 12.08 tonnes
per running metre.
The double wall panel was also tested, and as mentioned earlier in the report, no
failure was detected up to 175.36 kN. At this point the test was stopped due to safety
reasons (the bending of the I-beam on the A-frame). From this we can assume that
the maximum failure load exceeds 175.36 kN (17.876 Tonnes). The load bearing
capacity of the double wall calculates to exceed 15.544 tonnes per running metre.
15. Thank you
for your interest in Space Frame .
We look forward to being of service to you
Contact :
Russell Haworth 082 338 6182
Russell@bmcprojects .com
Space frame
the No 1 alternative to masonry
construction.
