In Stockholm, Sweden, the Slagsta Strand Kv – 7 project involves the construction of three apartment buildings. Kritter, one of our customers in Poland, is designing it using our FEM-Design software. The construction is managed by Consto AB, with Botvid Holding AB/Nrep as the final client.
Project overview
The project started in May 2022 and will be finished in February 2025. It is a turnkey contract, where the client will receive a complex of three rental apartment buildings, with an underground garage comprising 91 parking spaces and 8 motorcycle spaces. Additionally, the complex will have a bicycle room and other technical rooms.
Kritter’s involvement in the project spanned slightly over a year, from spring 2022 to August 2023.
Overview of the completed model in FEM-Design. Image credit: Kritter
Project scope and objectives
The project’s scope was to design all the structural concrete elements for the buildings and calculate the line loads for the foundations. Initially, the team had to send the line loads, including those from walls and upper structures, to the main structural designer to design all the piles and foundations. The process began with the foundation plate, followed by the design of columns and beams placed on top of the garage. Next, the team handled the design and verification of all the concrete elements, like retaining walls, internal walls, outer walls, filigree slabs, precast balconies, among others.
“We were hired by the company who won the contracts for the precast elements. It’s a common system in Sweden, where you have a pre-design process before the main design starts. The first stage was the building’s structural design, which took us a few months, and then we started with the design of the elements. The main model with the line loads was done in two months due to the clarifications between us and the architect because we needed more supports for the structure,” says Tomasz Mituś, structural designer at Kritter.
The challenges faced:
The first challenge was to promptly deliver the line loads for foundations to kick-start the groundwork. The team needed to check all the buildings to define where to place the vertical loads. With the aid of FEM-Design, they managed to finalise and send the loads for the bigger part of the project (building A to D) in just a few weeks.
Later, the client changed the erection sequence. Initially, they planned to build one floor at a time in the larger building composed of four parts. However, they switched to building all the floors in building A first before starting on buildings B, C, and D. To accommodate this change, the team performed stability analysis to check the forces impacting the side building and the overall functionality of the static system.
Required reinforcement for the floor system. Image credit: Kritter
Due to numerous beams in the basement, Kritter’s engineers had to check the loads before the construction of the first floor of house A, following the revised strategy. It was challenging. However, they used FEM-Design to simulate the structure’s behaviour with only one part of the building constructed. The rapid response required for this plan was achieved through FEM-Design’s reinforced concrete design module.
Summary of a beam in the garage section. Image credit: Kritter
Why they chose FEM-Design for structural concrete design
“I’ve been a FEM-Design user since the beginning of my career around 10 years ago. I used it from time to time in the past, but lately, I’m using it almost every day, so I’m very familiar with it. I really like the user interface and the flow of work,” says Tomasz.
They chose FEM-Design mainly for the speed and user-friendly interface, despite having other FEM programs in their toolbox.
“I think FEM-Design is one of the best software to quickly model a structure. For instance, it’s very easy and fast to make holes in facades or switch from surface to surface to check or modify any elements with the stretch option. This is very good to have in a software,” says Tomasz.
FEM-Design and IMPACT are the best fit for Kritter due to the functionalities dedicated to the precast industry, such as the easy check of the element’s connections.
“You can see how the elements behave compared to the analytical model. For example, when we use hollowcore slabs and we don’t want the slab to be supported on each side, just on the front and at the back. And you can do that in FEM-Design, so this is very convenient for us,” says Tomasz.
Connection forces between the elements. Image credit: Kritter
Moreover, FEM-Design aligned naturally with the project requirements of Slagsta Strand Kv – 7.
“We have designed columns, beams, all the walls, retaining walls, all the slabs and balconies with FEM-Design. We loved using the concealed bar function in FEM-Design. It allowed us to add this imaginary object in the main model to check things instantly without creating a separate model,” says Tomasz.
FEM-Design’s concealed bar functionality was successfully used, simplifying the design of specific elements. Moreover, the edge connections feature was highly valued for examining connections and load effects in the precast industry.
“In FEM-Design, everything is clear for using the edge connections functionality. We have many options to free some edges, modify stiffness, and so on. FEM-Design is always our first choice for the design of elements. For instance, if we need to check a particular element, like a beam or column, I can create the model, check it, and reinforce it in maximum 5 minutes. My impression is that FEM-Design is very fast and easy to use,” says Tomasz.
About the collaboration with StruSoft in general
“I think the support is great, both for IMPACT and FEM-Design, because if we have big problems, we usually get answers and solutions in half an hour. That’s great because we won’t get stuck at a point. When we don’t need a quick answer, we simply submit a ticket with our requests and questions, and we get a reply fast as well,” concludes Tomasz.
Customer portrait
Tomasz Mituś is a structural designer specialising in buildings. He’s the COO of Kritter. He’s been in Kritter for 5 years already. Moreover, he has 10 years of experience in the precast industry. His general role is to supervise all the projects for Sweden and Poland. They focus on drawings & the design process, ensuring the quality and efficiency needed for a sound construction.
Kritter mostly operates in Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, and Poland as well. They mainly design precast concrete structures.
Are you ready to experience FEM-Design’s structural concrete design prowess?
FEM-Design is a sophisticated yet user-friendly structural analysis & design software. It caters to every facet of your structural engineering needs, encompassing 3D modelling, design, and finite element analysis (FEA) for structures made of concrete, steel, timber, composite, masonry, and foundations. The software’s computations adhere to Eurocode standards, with inclusion of certain National annexes, such as the Polish Annex used for the Slagsta Strand Kv – 7 project.
You can comfortably start your journey with FEM-Design by applying for a free trial. Take this opportunity to see if it fits your needs.
If you are unfamiliar with our software, watch the video tutorials on our YouTube channel. They represent a good starting point as well.
