Menu

Steel Framing Cuts Construction Timeframe of 90-Unit Apartment Building Significantly

FRAMECAD’s steel framing system cut the framing schedule of a 90-unit Jackson Hole, Wyoming, apartment building by as much as 75%.

Topics

Photo Credit: FRAMECAD

Sagebrush Apartments is a 90-unit, 76,394 square foot apartment building located in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The construction of the 4-story, C-shaped building required a framing system that could meet the project’s design demands and short timeline requirements. 

SFIA member FRAMECAD’s end-to-end steel frame design and manufacturing system allowed for the mass production of cold-formed steel (CFS) framing which, in turn, resulted in “cutting the framing system schedule by as much as 75%” compared to using conventional framing materials, the FRAMECAD article says.

 
Douglass Colony Group, a Colorado specialty contractor, was a natural fit to assist with the metal framing of the Sagebrush Apartments. With over 70 years of experience and the only provider in the Rocky Mountain Region equipped with the FRAMECAD system, Douglass Colony was prepared for the job. 

However, Jackson Hole is located over 500 miles away from Douglass Colony’s FRAMECAD workshop in Commerce City, Colorado. Therefore, the contractor had to develop a production and construction process tailored to meet the project’s tight deadline.

The Build Process at Sagebrush Apartments 

The warehouse crew started the process by using the automated FRAMECAD system to fabricate and assemble the massive metal panels for Sagebrush. The crew sheathed and applied moisture barriers to all exterior wall panels. Then, they shipped the panels to the build site, where they were installed on site by Douglass Colony partner, Standard Drywall, Inc.

Douglass Colony also built and shipped standard trusses and drag trusses using the same process as the wall panels. The trusses were used to support the roof and were attached to the top level of the wall panels and sheathed to receive the final building finish.

During this step, Douglass Colony again used the FRAMECAD system. They chose to have the trusses built on site, thus eliminating the need for in-field adjustments. Building on site saved valuable time needed to reach the deadline.

Framing Construction Completed in 4 Months

The use of FRAMECAD technology to build a large-scale project within a tight timeframe was a testament to the advantages of CFS framing design and fabrication, which can lead to buildings being framed much faster than with conventional framing systems.

“We were glad to provide an advanced solution that could increase construction speed on site, and ensure that the building was installed and completed ahead of heavy winter conditions,” says Joe Doxey, Douglass Colony Group estimator. 

The Sagebrush building project was completed on schedule in only four months. 

Read the complete FRAMECAD case study here.

 

Innovations Using Steel Framing

Cold-formed steel (CFS) framing enables building professionals to complete projects more efficiently, in less time and with lower costs than convention framing. For example:

  • The use of portable steel roll-forming machines to fabricate mobile structures is an emerging technology gaining traction within the U.S. Navy
  • Using CFS framing components and an automated fabrication system, Straight Cold Rollin in Wyoming used four untrained laborers to build a 60-by-140-ft. pole barn in two months
  • A white paper from FrameMax lists five steps to invest in CFS roll-forming equipment to save money

 

Additional Resources