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If you look at an average Chinese urban center, you will see dozens, perhaps 100s, of cranes erecting tall buildings. The essential component in the development of such edifices is steel. Steel structures are the backbone of each urban center.

Before a building can be constructed, it has to be drafted. This is where steel structure detailing has its introduction. Structural drafting is vital to the safety of everybody involved - those labouring on the construction site, and those eventually living in the building. A huge amount of planning is necessary in order to satisfy safety regulations while satisfying all the specifications the architect and client have ordered.

A steel structure designer must know everything about pressure and force - allowing the structure to yield to external pressures, and when to remain firm agains such pressures, to maximize the unity of the structure. A building must also stand firm against huge weights, so this is another matter the detailer must consider. From snow weight to the speed of wind, a steel detailer has to consider all kinds of external pressures.

Nowadays, there’s a greater demand for creative design, which means the detailer can oftentimes be pushed to take on tough designs and try to translate them into a safe working space for hundreds of individuals.

Nonetheless, it’s not all tough for the detailer - software packages like AutoCad, Asteel and Tekla Steel have helped hurry up the process of detailing and drafting structures.