Metrics for the assessment of structural design efficiency applied to steel‐framed industrial buildings

Abstract Structural efficiency is an important criterion for any sound design. It is, however, an ambiguous and subtle quality, currently lacking a rigorous definition. In this paper, an objective index is introduced, able to measure structural efficiency and quality of design. The index is based on utilization factors calculated in accordance with the Eurocode design expressions. To show the competence of the proposed metrics, a set of realistic cases of steel portal frames is studied in this paper, being a typology that can be fully described with a limited number of parameters, and whose design is highly influenced by instability phenomena, which is specific to steel structures. Finally, a real case study of steel industrial shed that illustrates the application of the Design Efficiency Index is presented and its structural efficiency evaluated.