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Superior Wall Systems’ Prefabricated Steel Framing Saves $4 Million on Senior Living Center

Superior Wall Systems, a metal stud supplier and SFIA member, is taking prefabricated construction to the next level, saving $4 million and 4 months construction time for a senior living center located in California.

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Photo Credits: Superior Wall Systems

Jobsites can get crowded. It is often difficult for contractors to get materials into the worksite. Delays can raise costs and extend construction timelines. Superior Wall Systems, a metal stud supplier and SFIA member, found a solution to address these problems and complete projects on-time and within budget – construction with prefabricated cold-formed steel (CFS) framing.

SWS Steel Framing Prefabricated Modular

Superior Wall Systems manufactured and installed more than 5,000 prefabricated light gauge structural frame panels for the project.

Project Spotlight: MonteCedro Senior Living Community

5,000 Prefabricated Structural Panels Installed

Superior Wall Systems’ recently worked on a high-profile project in Altadena, California. The MonteCedro Senior Living Community is the largest prefabricated senior living project in the country. The work helped establish Superior Wall Systems’ Prefabrication/Panelization division as a leader in the off-site construction market in California.

“The project has about 400,000 square feet of living space,” said Ron Hudson, president and CEO of Superior Wall Systems. “Overall, we manufactured and installed more than 5,000 prefabricated light gauge structural frame panels. The work was highly detailed and complex.”

“We started fabricating the panels five to six months before delivering them for installation,” said Hudson. “By making them in-house and not in the field, we had greater control and could ensure accuracy.”

Steel Saves $4 Million, 4 Months Construction Time

The initial plan wasn’t for the prefabricated design, according to the DPR Construction website. Originally conceived as a wood-frame structure, a change to building code requirements necessitated some quick thinking to come up with alternative building materials that were non-combustible. 

Prefabricate cold-formed steel (CFS) framed panels saved an estimated $4 million for the project.

Traditional choices like cast-in-place concrete were excluded due to their higher cost per square foot. DPR, the general contractor for the project, suggested using a CFS framing system for the four-structure, 331,350 square foot project. CFS was slightly more costly than wood, the 274,000 square foot CFS system offered an option to prefabricate much of the project, saving an estimated $4 million.

“Watching panels flying into place with such speed compared to stick framing was amazing,” said Steve Helland, national prefabrication leader of DPR. “We erected an average of 44 panels each day while other construction activities were ongoing.”

The placement of the 3,228 wall panels, 1,304 floor panels and 2,088 roof trusses was completed within a 7.5-month prefabrication schedule and 5.5-month erection schedule. 

According to the team, the prefabrication approach shaved four months off the schedule.

superior wall systems

The MonteCedro Senior Living Community was completed four month early due to the use of prefabricated steel framed panels.

 

Why Cold-Formed Steel for Prefabrication?

  1. Site Impact – Fewer onsite materials reduce congestion and injury potential while improving traffic flow.
  2. Safety – Construction staff stand at floor level instead of working above their heads on ladders. 
  3. Improved Design – Virtual Design and Construction models all aspects of the building components. This enables innovation, improves quality, reduces errors and neutralizes escalation costs.
  4. Speed to Market – Prefabricated building components advances supply chain deliverables and accelerates early revenue.
  5. Cost Control – Prefabricated building process identifies cost commitments early on in the process thanks to proven predictability of outcomes. This increases the likelihood each project to meet budget.
  6. Offset Worker Shortage – Prefabrication enables greater production offsite, reducing the need to increase labor. 
  7. Collaboration – Designers, Contractors, Trade Partners, Engineers and Others all work together toward one unified goal and plan. No separate agendas or processes. True Design-Build delivery achieved.

Source: Superior Wall Systems Website

 

Prefabrication: ‘Unlimited Potential’

Prefabrication is not new. Its use is documented as far back as 1624 with a panelized house shipped from England to Massachusetts. The concept has slowly evolved, but in the 2000’s prefabrication hit mainstream construction with advancements in building design and materials. One of those materials is CFS framing. 

Superior Wall Systems, a leader in metal stud framing and prefabricated building components for over 40 years, creates customized prefabricated solutions for the commercial building environment with CFS load-bearing wall panels, floor systems and trusses.

“I think all the prefabrication dialogue and the prefabrication market have stimulated people to really push the boundaries of what you can prefabricate in construction,” said Greg Smith, executive vice president of Superior Wall Systems. “We’re probably in the Wright Brothers phase of prefabrication, right now; we’re just learning how to fly. I think there’s an unlimited amount of potential out there.”

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