In a flat-slab type construction the most vulnerable areas from the point of view of safety of the structure are the junctions between the slabs and the columns. As architects and engineers strive to achieve increasingly slender forms of construction the vulnerability of the slabs to punching increases. The existing methods of detailing for punching shear, which range from stirrups, proprietary prefabricated systems of shear ladders and shear hoops to stud rails, do not provide absolute guarantees of safety. In this paper a new concept for the design of slab–column junctions in flat slabs is put forward. The new system, which utilises solid steel sections and plate and is described as the NUUL system, aims to eliminate the possibility of punching altogether. The preliminary study shows that the new composite system is robust and has the potential for developing into a practical method of detailing against punching forces in flat slabs.