CREJ

Page 26 — Multifamily Properties Quarterly — August 2019 www.crej.com Construction W ith no end to the construc- tion labor shortage in sight, and with our state’s econo- my remaining strong, Colo- rado’s AEC community con- tinues to explore innovative construc- tion techniques that save time, money and labor, often with the added benefit of delivering a superior product com- pared to traditional site-built construc- tion methods.Two of the better-known approaches regularly used are modular and prefabricated construction. Modular is often seen today in the repurposed shipping container, which has been turned into residential hous- ing or some sort of commercial space – I’m thinking of that trendy new res- taurant concept or retail store in one of Denver’s hot neighborhoods – or a blaz- ingly fast completed boutique apart- ment or hotel. In its classic form, modular construc- tion has been an established construc- tion method for decades. Factory-built housing, where the building is broken into large components that are shipped separately to the site and then quickly assembled, achieves its best efficiencies through smart design, significantly less wasted materials and time savings on the overall schedule. It has the added benefit of the majority of construction, or in this case assembly, occurring in a controlled environment that doesn’t have variables such as site conditions or weather impacting overall quality or schedule. While this construction method regularly delivers successful projects of all shapes and sizes, the reality is alternative construction methods are not always a simple one-size-fits-all solution. As an example, an affordable housing project in a mountain com- munity that had switched from site- built to a modular systemwas shelved earlier this after the new estimates came in nearly 30% higher than anticipated. While modular construction cer- tainly has its appli- cations, prefab con- struction as a labor and time-saving tool is seeing much more implementation in ways big and small. Prefab con- struction can range from shop-built, wood-framed wall panels, all the way up in sophistication to pre-engineered assemblies of intensive mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, which plug and play into the overall building. This approach was recently used with great success during the construction of St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. In housing-oriented commercial construction, which typically includes student, senior, multifamily and the hotel segments, we often see prefab construction techniques as the solution for taller construction than what wood framing can achieve. One of the more popular prefab solutions today is the use of light-gauge steel framing, which has the ability to go up to 16 stories in height also while providing significant time and cost savings over convention- al concrete or heavy-steel construction. There are numerous proprietary systems in use today, and like most construction techniques, each has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for best use.The light-gauge steel framing systems available range in complexity from simple alternative framing mate- rials up to patented component sys- tems that require careful coordination between the architect, structural and mechanical engineers, and contrac- tor to ensure that solving one problem doesn’t create a cascade of others. In our own experience, taking on the challenge of building with a new struc- tural system – in our case the Prescient metal framing system – meant doing our homework first. After touring sever- al of the local Prescient projects in Den- ver, as well as talking to the developers, architects and contractors who built them, we knew that engaging early in the design process was the best way to overcome the challenges that other projects had faced. Fortunately, we found a willing part- ner in Prescient, who took our concerns not as criticism, but as an opportunity for both improvement and continued innovation of its product. We started our collaboration six months before Prescient mobilized on our project, working through areas of concern we had identified to make sure our lessons learned were applied. Once we finished that work, we quickly transformed the team into an innovation committee, expanding the scope of the team beyond construc- tability items into identifying oppor- tunities for additional innovation and collaboration. As an example of its con- tinued efforts in finding new opportu- nities for prefabrication and efficiency, Prescient recently announced a part- nership with Kone elevators, and it also developed a stair system that is prefab- ricated and installs right along with the erection of the Prescient framing. On our second Prescient building we found a way to leverage one of its main benefits, which is how quickly it erects a building. On previous projects, Pre- scient’s erection speed was not taken advantage of because other trades could not start until after the building was dried in. This typically did not start until after Prescient had complet- ed the roof.This requirement to wait on other subtrades starting their work meant that the time savings advantage was lost. To overcome this issue, we created a workshop on site where Prescient’s exterior wall panels were sheathed and the windows installed prior to erection.We also worked with the building department to identify an approved waterproofing membrane that we installed at a midlevel floor of the building.This meant that while Prescient was still erecting the upper floors of the building, we had lower levels that were completely dried-in and approved for work to start by other trades.This coordination shaved months off the schedule, and allowed Prescient to capture added benefits of using its system that had not yet been realized. Modular and prefab techniques are an incredible advancement in con- struction, and their implementation can be an effective tool to achieve time and costs savings. Before diving into a project using one of these approaches, it is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the pro- posed system, as well as its impact on cost and the overall complexity of the project. ▲ Innovative techniques to save time, money, labor Sean Smith Business development manager, CFC Construction