OREANDA-NEWS. The Ukrainian Steel Construction Association (UkrSCA) was registered in June. Its founders were Metinvest Group, leading steel distributors, producers of bearing and fencing steel structures and design organizations.

The creation of UkrSCA will contribute to the development of the domestic steel market. The association included 12 companies during the first phase, including producers of roof and facade systems, industrial design and research institutes, and construction and structure assembly companies. The association has the status of all-Ukrainian public organization, with an office in Kyiv.

The mission of the association is to make steel structures the preferred material of choice for construction. Traditionally, the construction sector has been the largest consumer of steel in Ukraine. At the same time, the share of steel frames in non-residential high-rise buildings is around 25% (compared to 55% in the USA, 70% in the UK, and 90% for one-floor buildings). Only 1% of residential buildings in Ukraine are made of steel.

UkrSCA is targeting increasing the share of steel structures in commercial buildings to 50% and in residential buildings to 10%. According to the estimates of the Center, this will allow for the creation of an additional steel sales market for the producers of bearing and fencing steel structures of 1 million tonnes by 2020.

The participants of the organization intend to use international best practices and technologies, and to facilitate the creation of an advanced regulatory framework for steel construction. The association will offer technical support and consulting services to construction market players to help find the most effective structural solutions with steel. This will allow for accelerating construction projects with steel compared to those using other technologies and consequently faster payback periods for developers.