Structural beam advice please

Hi all,
New to the forum and would really appreciate some advice.
I have a 3 storey property which is approximately 4.2mts wide * 21mt deep. Ground floor is concrete with other floors being timber. Outer wall construction is brick.
Plan is to significantly modify the property and relocate stairs along one of the deep walls. Property is currently pretty much 4 walls, existing floors (which will require substantial modification to accommodate the new stairs) and roof.
I am meeting with a few structural engineers this week to discuss best way to tackle structural integrity, floors and stair structure (want each floor staircase to be supported by one steel beam which the steps will bolt onto).
Currently there is a structure in the centre of the building that carries a lot of the weight and existing stairs which needs to be removed altogether.
My question is what material should I be looking to use for the beams ... Steel (galvanized or not?), timber, lvl, etc? My drivers are that I want it to last forever and I'm paranoid about termites :)
What are the cost differences between the various options and how many beams am I likely to need? Am I likely to be able to support theses beams with existing brickwork or will additional columns be required also?
Would appreciate any advice you can give as I would like to go into the meeting with the engineer as well prepared as possible and have a fair idea of want I want and why I want it prior to the meeting.
Thanks in advance.


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