Steel Frame with Metal Deck Floor

[Mike hacker]

What is everybodies preferred way of working with regard to levels ?

Do you have a Top of Steel Level only and offset your slab upwards ?
Do you have a Top of Concrete Level only and offset you steel downwards ?
Or do you have both ?

Is there any benefit from working either way ?

[Paul Andersen]

Hi Mike, There was a similar discussion and poll a while back which can be found HERE for some additional information / approaches.

The first model we did used both and we found it to be redundant and unnecessary.

Since then, for steel framing our preference is Top of Steel for the level and offset the slab. We feel that this makes placement of the steel members more efficient and less error prone since there is a lot less offsetting to manage.

For concrete structures we typically use Top of Structural Slab.

With regards to levels in general we try to keep them to an absolute minimum (typically 1 per physical floor of the model). If a large area of a given floor is depressed or stepped we have, on occasion, added another level which is generally constrained to the primary level.

[Mike hacker]

Thanks Paul. Seems like I was heading in the same direction as most with just the Top of Steel Level and offset slab.