Building Construction
Steel-Framed Warehouse — Structural Design & Detailing, Mukono Industrial Park
Overview:
Cadron Consult was appointed to provide the structural engineering design for a clear-span steel-framed warehouse with an attached two-storey office block in Mukono Industrial Park. The client needed a column-free internal space for flexible storage and materials handling, delivered to a tight construction programme and a controlled steel budget.
Approach:
The team developed a portal-frame solution, sizing rafters, columns, and bracing against Ugandan wind and imposed-load conditions. Structural analysis was used to optimise member sizes and connection details, trimming steel tonnage without compromising stiffness or stability. Foundations were designed from the geotechnical report using pad and strip footings suited to the local bearing capacity, and the office block was integrated with a reinforced concrete frame. Full fabrication and connection drawings were issued so the steelwork could be procured and detailed for the workshop without further design input.
Technical specifications:
Structure: hot-rolled steel portal frame, 30 m clear span
Envelope: insulated roof and wall cladding on secondary steelwork
Foundations: reinforced concrete pad and strip footings
Office block: two-storey reinforced concrete frame
Deliverables: analysis, GA drawings, and fabrication-ready connection details
Results:
The optimised portal frame met all strength and serviceability checks while cutting steel tonnage by around 18% against the initial concept, a direct saving on the client's largest cost item. The column-free interior gave the operator full flexibility for racking and forklift movement. Fabrication-ready drawings allowed the steelwork contractor to move straight into procurement, helping the project hold its construction programme.
4,800 m²
of covered warehouse and office floor area
30 m
clear span achieved with no internal columns
18%
steel tonnage saved through optimised framing
