OREANDA-NEWS. On December 3, 2007, Severstal's home city of Cherepovets will host a workshop on "Construction of Steel-Framed Low-Rise Housing" under the aegis of Living Steel, a collaborative international programme designed to stimulate innovative and responsible housing design and construction, the press service of Severstal reported.

The seminar will discuss steel use in residential housing projects, the potential of steel use for improvements in housing quality and the implications for the environment. Developments in Russia, Finland, France, Great Britain and Australia will be explored to illustrate the experience and trends in the construction industry.

The programme will include presentations from Arcelor Mittal, Corus, BlueScope Steel, Ruukki, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and Taldom-Profile of Russia. The event will be attended by Vorobyov, Head of the Construction Department of Vologda Oblast, A.Kruchinin, General Director of Cherepovets Steel Plant and O. Kuvshinnikov, Head of Cherepovets City Hall.

About Living Steel Programme

In February 2005, the International Iron and Steel Institute joined forces with major global steel companies to set up the Living Steel Programme. The programme aims to explore, elaborate and introduce the most efficient solutions in residential housing projects.

As world population, in particular city populations, grow, it has become apparent during recent decades that it is essential to protect living standards, the environment and human health. Living Steel members aim to address all these objectives. Living Steel includes suppliers and consumers of construction products, state authorities and social institutions among its members.

The 5-year Living Steel Program relies on active support from global steel giants such as ArcelorMittal, Baosteel, BlueScope Steel, CELSA Group, Corus, Erdemir, IMIDRO, Posco, Ruukki, SeverStal and Tata Steel. The industry believes that steel is the best construction material: it is safe for human health, strong and easy to convert, and it can be used to produce light-weight structures in a great variety of shapes and sizes.