CREJ - Multifamily Properties Quarterly - July 2015
I t has long been argued that one structural framing material has advantages over another. Steel is dimensionally stable, noncombustible and more predictable than concrete or wood. But, wood is less expensive than concrete or steel. Wood is wasteful due to cut-offs, which can reach 20 percent for site-built framing. However, wood is more economical and easier to work with. Concrete is expensive and not as sustainable as highly recycled content steel. But, concrete can be used on taller buildings, and so on. The truth is that all of these materials have their place. Wood has been king of the single-family home and multiunit buildings from one to five stories. Light-gauge steel fits the five and six story niche, but doesn’t offer significant cost advantages over concrete and is limited to seven stories. Concrete (with light-gauge framing as infill) rules above six stories, but because of cost its real advantage is in taller buildings. This has pretty much been the story since the late 1800s. However, now there is a technology and manufacturing company that is changing this paradigm. Our Denver-based company is gaining significant traction nationwide with our integration platform for the architecture, engineering and construction industry. The technology features a proprietary Revit-based design integration software application, coupled with a computer-aided design to computer-aided manufactured light-gauge framing system, which is capable of being built as high as 12 stories, and offers several distinct advantages over the typical design and construction practices. Advances in engineering technology, design and planning software, automated fabrication and lean installation offer more efficient design and planning, construction schedule compression and significant cost savings over other structural framing approaches. It starts with a three-dimensional software-based design. Typically, 3-D models of a building’s structure are not developed and used on multi-unit or multifamily projects because they are expensive and often not accurate as it relates to what is eventually built. The key to driving down the cost of modelling is through automation, which is achieved through the standardization of components. When a standardized, structural system can be mapped and engineered, it automatically creates a precise 3-D structural model of a building. A tool that can create an exact replica of what will be built is powerful, especially when demonstrating a construction project in model-centric design and virtual construction to stakeholders. The match between model and building is possible because of the dimensional precision of the light-gauge and cold-rolled steel framing system, and the manufacturing process, which produces components at tolerances of one-thirty-second of an inch through computerized numerical control machines and robotic welding. Model-centric design is the direction the industry is moving. Building information modeling allows architects, engineers, contractors, vendors and suppliers to collaborate and design and build the building virtually, providing an opportunity for all participants to be better integrated. Complications that invariably come up in the field and add significant risk and cost to a project can be eliminated before reaching the uncontrolled environment of a jobsite. Bring a lean manufacturing approach to the chaotic environment of the jobsite. Supplying and installing the entire structure above transfer slab eliminates phasing of subs during framing and the potential for scope creep and missed scope. Having all components labeled and set for a specific location in the building makes installation quick and predictable. This saves time in layout, measuring, cutting and sizing materials, which is typical in wood or concrete framing. This framing system is dimensionally stable – it will not shrink or twist and needs no time for compression or curing, which is another significant advantage over lumber or concrete. Mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors can start rough-in work immediately because the process moves quickly from floor to floor. This leads to significant schedule compression and shorter overall construction schedule durations. General conditions and contingencies are reduced and all stakeholders can measure risk more effectively, leading to buy-out savings, which helps projects cash flow sooner (a pro forma booster). The process of architecture, engineering and construction are fragmented and difficult to integrate. The lack of integration leads to risk and inefficiency. But through software, manufacturing and system-build installation, there is a platform that can change the old design and build ways.