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Steel Framing Helps Speed Up Construction by 50% for Housing Developer

Global real estate developer Greystar broke ground on the construction of a 312-unit affordable housing community, using cold-formed steel (CFS) framed modular units to save time.

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Featured image: Cold-formed steel (CFS) framed modular unit from Greystar’s manufacturing facility in Knox, Pa. Photo courtesy of Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC

Greystar Real Estate Partners LLC, a real estate developer with over $75 billion in global assets, recently broke ground on the construction of a 312-unit affordable housing community in Coraopolis, Pa. The multifamily project, Ltd. Spring Run, will be built with cold-formed steel (CFS) framed modular units in the company’s 256,000-square-foot industrial manufacturing facility in Knox, Pa. 

By using steel-framed modular units, Greystar will finish the project up to 50% faster than traditional stick-built construction.

Steel wall and framing systems are well known to speed up construction timelines besides offering other advantages. CFS or metal studs can be pre-engineered and cut to exact lengths, making them highly suitable for off-site prefabrication and modular construction processes.

Project Speed: Up to 50% Faster

Ltd. Spring Run is Greystar’s first example of the firm’s Modern Living Solutions concept, according to the company’s website. Modular Living Solutions is dedicated to the future of housing in America through off-site prefabrication of modular apartment homes shipped and assembled on-site upon completion. 

The Ltd. Spring Run units will feature open floor plans, steel walls and frames and 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms. The modular components for the six-building development will be constructed in Knox, transported about 90 miles by truck and assembled onsite. The affordable housing project is scheduled to welcome its first tenants in July 2024. 

The Modern Living Solutions system will finish projects in 40% to 50% less time and cut construction costs by 10%, said Andy Mest, managing director of Greystar’s development, construction and modular manufacturing businesses, in a FastCompany article. By building the modules in a factory, the units will also be constructed with less than 2% waste.

 

 

The Steel Framing Advantage

Cold-formed steel (CFS) leads the way as the preferred framing material for prefabricated structures for multiple reasons. CFS is:

  1. A pre-engineered material that can be cut to exact lengths
  2. Dimensionally stable and does not expand or contract with changes in moisture content
  3. Lightweight compared to wood and concrete
  4. Resilient and will not warp, split, crack or creep when exposed to the elements
  5. Sustainable and 100% recyclable
  6. Durable and has a high tensile strength
  7. Non-combustible and is a safeguard against fire accidents

 

Reluctance to Change Holds Back Growth

Achieving a scaled-up modular-construction system, which is much more common in parts of Europe and Japan, has long been a dream of the U.S. construction industry, FastCompany says. But, it notes, American construction, especially in the residential sector, has long had an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” resistance to adopting new technology.

Modular construction comprised $12 billion, or 6%, of total new construction starts in 2022, according to the Modular Building Institute. 

This reluctance to give up traditional systems, and the challenges of building up enough business to support factories and corporate expansion, have made it challenging for startups seeking to develop their own modular systems, according to Fast Company.

Greystar Knox Factory Steel Framing

Greystar opened its flagship manufacturing facility for its modular construction business, Modern Living Solutions, in Knox, Pa. Photo Credit: Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC

 Additional Projects Scheduled 

Greystar’s hopes to increase the growth of modular construction by mimicking models that have succeeded in other countries, including the use of steel framing to speed construction and cut costs. 

According to Mest, three other sites will break ground in 2024 in Maryland, and additional projects will be slotted into the factory’s schedule. To cut down on shipping costs, every site will be within a 500-mile radius of the Knox, PA factory. 

“With the groundbreaking of Ltd. Spring Run, we are eager to witness the realization of our first Modular Living Solutions-built community and actively seeking suitable land to bring more Ltd.-branded communities to life,” said Mest. 

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