Cost analysis of steel concrete composite structures in Bangladesh

Steel-concrete composite construction has gained wide acceptance world wide as an alternative to pure steel and pure concrete construction. However, this system is a relatively new concept for the construction industry in Bangladesh. Reinforced concrete members are used in the framing system for most of the buildings since this is the most convenient economic system for low-rise buildings. However, for medium to high-rise buildings this type of structure is no longer economic because of increased dead load, less stiffness, span restriction and hazardous formwork. Steel-concrete composite frame system can provide an effective and economic solution to most of these problems in medium to high-rise buildings. An attempt has been made in this study to explore the cost effectiveness of composite construction for medium to high-rise buildings in Bangladesh. A cost versus number of story curve shows that for low-rise buildings RCC frame system is cheaper than composite system. However, for buildings with number of stories greater than 15, composite construction becomes economic than RCC construction.