IDEA StatiCa Announces Megaleious Builders and Associates as the Featured Company of the Month

Megaleious Builders and Associates Inc. delivers streamlined, cost-efficient, and high-quality project execution by bringing together multidisciplinary expertise under one roof. They offer comprehensive design and construction solutions across four core disciplines: Architectural, Civil/Structural, Geotechnical, and MEPF (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection) engineering.

From residential developments to large-scale infrastructure, the company consistently delivers exceptional results.

Notable Projects by Megaleious Builders and Associates

Confidential Hospital Facility in Bulacan, Philippines

The 6-storey steel confidential hospital facility in Bulacan represents a significant investment in regional healthcare infrastructure, designed in accordance with the National Structural Code of the Philippines (NSCP). The project delivers a modern, resilient medical facility designed to support essential healthcare services, with a structural system optimized for seismic performance.

Megaleious Builders and Associates was responsible for the structural connection design, using IDEA StatiCa to perform advanced connection analysis and verification of critical steel connections.

The design methodology focused on verifying connection strength, stiffness, ductility, and force transfer mechanisms under amplified seismic demands in accordance with NSCP-based seismic parameters, including R = 8.0, Ω₀ = 2.8, Rᵧ = 1.1, β = 1.05, and ω = 1.3. Particular attention was given to BRB-related connections to ensure stable inelastic behaviour while maintaining constructability and fabrication efficiency.

Engineering Challenges

The facility presented a series of complex structural engineering challenges driven by its classification as an essential facility and the use of a dual seismic force-resisting system comprising Special Moment-Resisting Frames (SMRF) and Buckling-Restrained Braced Frames (BRBF) in accordance with the National Structural Code of the Philippines (NSCP).

Under NSCP provisions, the SMRF was required to independently resist a portion of the prescribed seismic base shear, while the BRBF system served as the primary mechanism for energy dissipation.

One of the governing challenges involved baseplate connections subjected to combined axial tension, shear, and overturning effects under amplified seismic load combinations. In several locations, uplift forces controlled the design, necessitating explicit consideration of reinforcing bars within the concrete pedestal to effectively transfer tension forces from the steel baseplate into the foundation system. These connections were detailed to satisfy both NSCP seismic requirements and applicable ACI anchorage and concrete capacity provisions.

The project also included highly loaded BRBF connection nodes with multiple intersecting members, resulting in complex force paths and localized stress concentrations. Each critical connection required detailed nonlinear analysis to verify force transfer, ductility, and capacity protection, ensuring that inelastic behaviour was confined to intended ductile components such as BRB cores and SMRF beam plastic hinge regions, while protecting columns, connections, and foundations.

Many connections were governed by combined axial force, shear, and bending, requiring a balanced approach between structural performance and constructability. Excessively conservative assumptions risked unnecessary plate thickness, anchor congestion, and complex stiffener detailing, while insufficient detailing could compromise seismic reliability.

To maintain consistency between global analysis results and detailed connection design, Megaleious Builders and Associates adopted a model-based, digitally integrated workflow, utilizing IDEA StatiCa to translate global force demands into verified, constructible connection solutions.

Key Joints Modelled in IDEA StatiCa

Conclusion

“Given the complexity of the dual SMRF–BRBF system and the critical nature of healthcare facilities, advanced connection analysis was essential to ensure reliable seismic performance and practical detailing. Stress-based finite element analysis reduced connection design and checking time by approximately 60%, minimized redesign and coordination cycles by up to 50%, and enabled optimized plate, weld, and anchor detailing. This delivered 10-20% material savings on critical connections,” said Engr. Marklou Balabbo, Founder and Principal Engineer of Megaleious Builders and Associates. “IDEA StatiCa allowed our team to move beyond conservative assumptions, enabling confident engineering decisions that balanced safety, constructability, and efficiency.”

“XStructures Consultants provided us with timely, expert technical support that strengthened our structural design workflow and gave our team confidence in tackling complex stress distributions, visualize force flow, and verify connection strength, stiffness, and ductility under realistic seismic demands,” added Engr. Marklou Balabbo, Founder and Principal Engineer of Megaleious Builders and Associates.

Jan Valicek, Regional Director APAC, IDEA StatiCa, added, “Megaleious Builders and Associates’ commitment to leveraging modern engineering tools and methodologies to deliver high-quality, code-compliant solutions tailored to the rigorous demands of critical infrastructure projects is truly commendable. We are pleased to recognize them as our Featured Company of the Month.”