BAS Frames
SFS infill or blockwork? A head-to-head on five axes — cost per m², programme weeks per floor, Part L 2025 thermal performance, fire compliance, and load on the primary frame. Honest about who wins where.
UK Build-to-Rent has passed 130,000 homes and SFS has quietly become its default construction method. Here’s why steel framing aligns with BTR’s three pressures — speed to stabilisation, standardisation and cladding-risk.
Most published SFS guidance is written for clients and contractors, not specifiers. This 7-point checklist tells architects exactly what to ask of an SFS subcontractor at RIBA Stage 3 — and the red flags.
The single SFS detail that causes more on-site problems than any other — what a deflection head does, the three system types in UK use, fire-rated detailing, and the five mistakes that destroy compliance.
Fire-rated SFS specification in the post-Grenfell era — what EI 60, EI 90 and EI 120 ratings actually mean, typical tested through-wall build-ups, and the five common mistakes that invalidate Gateway 2 compliance.
A 2026 UK cost breakdown for homeowners weighing up a steel frame extension — single-storey, two-storey and rooftop pricing, what’s actually included per m², and where steel beats brick on total project cost.
Specifying thermally-compliant SFS facades for Part L 2025 and Future Homes Standard — achievable U-values, why thermal bridging at steel studs ruins headline calculations, and what continuous outboard insulation fixes.
A 2026 UK pricing guide for developers and QSs procuring SFS — supply, install and through-wall £/m² ranges, what drives the spread, and how to read tender returns so the comparison is genuinely like-for-like.
A specification and procurement guide for architects, designers, and main contractors — covering metal stud partition system types, stud gauges, height limits, acoustic and fire performance, and the decisions that determine whether a partition delivers on its specification.