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Steel structure and warehouse design in Hobart
Portal frames, warehouses, industrial sheds and workshops, designed from the frame down to the footings and slab, with wind loads worked out for your site. Drawings your fabricator and builder can price, and a Form 35 for your building surveyor.
Documented for your surveyor
Drawings, calculations and a Form 35 your building surveyor can rely on.
Fixed quote in 1–2 business hours
Get a fixed quote for your steel building
Send the layout or concept drawings, the site address and the building's size and use.
Fixed quote for your job. No obligation. Or call 03 6146 4747
In short
Steel structure design in Hobart covers portal frames, sheds, warehouses and light industrial buildings: the frame, connections, bracing, footings and slab, with wind loads worked out for the actual site. Tasmania is in non-cyclonic wind Region A, but terrain, shielding and topography change the design wind from one site to the next. You receive calculations, drawings and a Form 35, priced by fixed quote.
- Fee
- Fixed quote per project
- Quote
- Within 1–2 business hours
- You receive
- Calculations, drawings and a Form 35
What we design
What steel structures do we design?
We design steel structures for commercial and light industrial use across Greater Hobart, from a single-bay workshop to a multi-bay warehouse, plus the steelwork inside mixed buildings. Whether you need a warehouse engineer, industrial shed engineering or portal frame design for a fabricator to price, the order is the same: the site first, then the frame, then the footings.
Portal frame warehouses
Rafters, columns, haunches and knee braces, purlins and girts, and the roof and wall bracing that holds it all square.
Industrial sheds and workshops
Sheds for storage, trades and vehicles, with large roller door openings designed for the wind pressure they let in.
Light industrial units
Multi-tenancy units with shared frames, internal walls and mezzanine offices. See mezzanine engineering.
Canopies and awnings
Cantilevered canopies, loading dock awnings and covered walkways, where uplift and connections govern the design.
Steel in mixed buildings
Transfer beams, steel posts and portal frames inside timber or masonry buildings, such as an open-plan ground floor.
Extensions and alterations
New bays, new openings and added loads on existing frames, checked against what the old frame can carry.
Wind loads
How are wind loads worked out for a Hobart steel building?
Wind loads for a steel building are worked out for the specific site under AS/NZS 1170.2, starting from Tasmania's non-cyclonic Region A. For a light steel building, wind usually governs the frame, the bracing and the footings, so the site factors below matter more than the steel grade.
| Factor | What it means | Why it varies across Hobart |
|---|---|---|
| Region | The regional wind speed from AS/NZS 1170.2 | Non-cyclonic Region A applies across Tasmania |
| Terrain category | How rough the ground is upwind | Open water on the Derwent or open paddocks give higher winds than built-up suburbs |
| Shielding | Protection from nearby buildings | Infill sites may be shielded; a building on its own or at an estate edge is not |
| Topography | Speed-up over hills, ridges and escarpments | Hobart's hills and steep slopes raise wind speeds on crests and upper slopes |
| Height and importance | The building's height and its importance level under the NCC | Taller buildings and higher importance levels take larger design loads |
| Openings | Internal pressure through large openings | A roller door left open in a storm can pressurise the whole building from inside |
This is why we never publish one wind class for Hobart: two sites in the same suburb can need different frames.
What about snow loads?
Snow loads are a design case for alpine sites. The NCC treats Tasmanian land more than 900 m above sea level (AHD) with likely significant snowfall as an alpine area. Most Greater Hobart sites sit well below that, so wind, not snow, usually governs the roof design. We check the elevation of every site, including higher ground on the slopes of kunanyi / Mount Wellington and sites in the Central Highlands.
Changing a building changes its wind loads
Adding a large roller door, removing wall cladding or extending the building changes the internal pressure and the bracing loads. Have the frame checked before the change, not after.
The design package
What's in a steel structure design package?
A steel structure design package gives the fabricator, the builder and the building surveyor everything they need to price, build and approve the frame. Your quote lists the items for your project.
- General arrangement drawings with member sizes, grades and the column grid
- Connection details: base plates, haunches, apex, purlin cleats and bracing
- Roof and wall bracing layout, including fly bracing to rafters and columns
- Pad footings and hold-down bolts designed for uplift and sideways loads
- Slab thickness, joints and reinforcement for the floor loads and any vehicle traffic
- Calculations to AS/NZS 1170 for loads and AS 4100 for structural steel
- A Form 35 for the building surveyor's Certificate of Likely Compliance
- Shop drawing review and stage inspections, where your quote includes them
Kit shed or custom design?
| Compare | Kit shed | Custom steel design |
|---|---|---|
| Frame design | Supplier's standard design for a set of wind and size inputs | Designed for your building, site and use |
| Footings and slab | Sometimes standard, sometimes left to you | Designed from the site classification |
| Changes | Extra openings, mezzanines or cladding changes need checking | Included in the design from the start |
| Where we help | Checking the kit for your site and designing the footings | The full design, Form 35 and inspections |
Your building surveyor will tell you whether a kit's engineering is enough for your site or whether site-specific checks are also needed.
Ground and water
What else does a warehouse site need?
A warehouse site needs footings designed for the ground, stormwater designed for a large roof, and sometimes retaining or landslip work. These three often decide the cost as much as the steel does.
Footings on reactive clay
Clays weathered from dolerite are documented as expansive in Hobart. Footings and slabs are designed from a site classification or geotechnical investigation.
Stormwater from a big roof
Stormwater beyond a 290 m² roof catchment is notifiable plumbing work, designed by a licensed designer with a Form 35. Councils such as Hobart and Clarence also set on-site detention rules. See stormwater and drainage.
Water quality over 500 m²
Developments adding 500 m² or more of hard surface fall under the State Stormwater Strategy targets of 80% suspended solids, 45% phosphorus and 45% nitrogen reduction.
Cut, fill and slopes
A level pad on a sloping site often needs retaining walls, and a site in a landslip band can need a landslip hazard report first.
Planning a steel building?
Send the layout for a fixed quote
Concept drawings or a sketch with the size, use and address are enough. You'll have a fixed fee within 1–2 business hours.
More commercial engineering
Often needed alongside a steel building
Fit-outs & mezzanines
Mezzanine floors, shop and office fit-outs, new openings in commercial walls, rooftop plant and solar panel loads, designed and certified for your building surveyor.
Learn more
Site classification & footings
Soil tests and AS 2870 site classification, then slab and footing designs that suit the ground, with a Form 35 for your building surveyor.
Learn more
Stormwater & drainage design
Drainage plans, stormwater reports and on-site detention designs for houses, units and subdivisions, with the Form 35 council needs.
Learn moreFAQ
Steel structure and warehouse FAQs
Still unsure? Call 03 6146 4747 or send photos for a fixed quote.