At the site of a new $8.5-million, three-story dormitory at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., the Versa-Floor HR floor system is getting its first real-world application. The prefabricated steel deck is joined and fitted with channels on the ground. Then, the 30 x 30-ft steel panels are lifted into place by a crane. Once connections are made to the structural columns, it’s almost ready for the concrete slab to be poured. “That’s the genius of the system,” says Aaron Ford, project manager on the dormitory project and associate principal with structural engineering firm L.A. Feuss Partners, Dallas. “We build all the pieces on the ground and raise it up.”
Developed in collaboration between steel-deck manufacturer Consolidated Systems Inc., Columbia, S.C., and steel fabricator W&W AFCO Steel, Oklahoma City, Okla., Versa-Floor HR allows for long spans of up to 35 ft between columns. The system uses CSI’s Deep-Dek Composite steel deck, which does not require the deep spandrel beams and intermediate structural members that interfere with floor-to-ceiling windows. The rippled design of the deck creates spaces for MEP runs, and there are no post-tensioned strands. Versa-Floor HR is intended for mid- and high-rise residential construction, with 40-lb-per-sq-ft live loads.