Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS) must be designed to be both structurally sufficient to support the primary needs of the structure of the building, canopies, ancillary structures or pedestrian scale bridges, while at the same time be exposed to view, and it is therefore a significant part of the architectural language of the building or structure. This Guide was developed to facilitate better communication between Architect, Engineer and Fabricator in this area. Its primary aim is to help Architects to more fully understand the specification of AESS material. The buildings and connections included in this document are meant to be representative and to provide helpful visual references that support the key facts that are being explained by the Guide. The range of projects illustrated also highlight the wide range of possibilities available when designing with Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel.
The Guide serves as a companion to two other AESS documents which can be downloaded as PDFs:
AESS E Sample Specification (for Engineers)
AESS F ASI Code of Practice (for Fabricators)