A 100-apartment housing project in Odense, Denmark, relied on cold-formed steel (CFS) framing and off-site panelization for its exterior walls.
The approach delivered measurable results.
According to the Howick Ltd. article “Prodatek – Thor’s Garden Urban Housing Project,” steel framing specialist Prodatek completed up to 10 ready-to-install wall panels a day, measuring 9.18 feet by 16.4 feet, including all insulation and openings for doors and windows fitted before delivery. Crews fully walled the 100 apartments in 4 months.
The process also generated less than 0.1% steel waste, according to Howick Ltd.’s case study of the Thors Have project.
Featured image above: Workers assemble cold-formed steel (CFS) framing for prefabricated wall panels used at the 100-apartment Thors Have housing development in Odense, Denmark. Photo courtesy of Howick
Prodatek used a digital design and roll-forming process to produce cold-formed steel framing for the Thors Have wall panels. Photo courtesy of Howick
From Digital Design to Steel Framing
Danish steel framing company Prodatek produced the panels using a digital design and manufacturing process.
Prodatek manufactured prefabricated exterior wall panels using Vertex software and a Howick FRAMA 5600 roll-forming system. Howick is a member of the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA).
Prodatek’s construction architects quality checked each wall segment before sending production documents to the roll former.
The digital workflow allowed the company to customize individual wall segments rather than limit production to identical panels.
“Because [the] Vertex software can manage a high level of complexity, we can offer our clients variety in our products by customizing their project down to the very last detail,” said Mikkel Hugo Hansen, Prodatek’s head of sales and design.
Once the designs reached production, the roll-forming equipment produced the individual steel framing members for the walls.
3,608 Feet of Steel Studs a Day
The daily production figures show the scale of the operation.
Prodatek roll formed approximately 3,608 feet of CFS framing members per day. The company used that steel to produce the ready-to-install wall panels.
Crews completed as many as 10 walls a day. Before delivery, the production team fitted the panels with insulation and openings for doors and windows.
The installers also reported benefits from using panels, according to Howick. The contractor cited compact deliveries of the steel building elements and ease of installation for construction crews.
Thors Have in Odense, Denmark, includes 100 homes designed to achieve DGNB Gold certification. Image courtesy of Howick Ltd. Credit: Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects
Less Than 0.1% Steel Waste
The manufacturing process also kept steel waste to a minimum. Less than 0.1% of the steel processed each day became waste, according to Howick. The project team sent the small amount of waste that remained for recycling.
The project’s sustainability goals extended beyond reducing steel waste. All 100 homes were designed to achieve DGNB Gold certification, according to Howick.
The workflow accommodated customized wall segments while producing as many as 10 completed walls a day.
For Thors Have, the production numbers speak to the advantages of CFS panelization: up to 10 completed wall panels a day with less than 0.1% steel waste.
Within four months, 100 apartments were fully walled.
The project shows how digital design, roll-formed light-gauge steel framing and off-site panelization can work together. The process produced customized, ready-to-install wall assemblies at scale.
About Howick
Howick Ltd. manufactures precision roll-forming machines and technology for cold-formed steel (CFS) framing. The company has developed roll-forming systems for nearly 50 years. Today, construction companies in more than 80 countries use Howick's technology to manufacture CFS framing components. Howick designs and manufactures its roll-forming systems at its facility in Auckland, New Zealand. The company also sources components from local suppliers and manufactures many parts in-house. For more information about Howick, visit www.howickltd.com. Howick is a member of the Steel Framing Industry Association.
Additional Resources
- Howick Case Study: Panelized CFS Framing Accelerates Hotel Construction by 4 Months
- SFIA Member Howick’s Steel-Framing Tech Cuts Labor Hours by 50% to 70%, CEO Says
- New Whiteboard Video Series Unlocks 5 Advantages of Cold-Formed Steel Framing