Modern Contractor Solutions February 2025 - 16

project profile
MODULAR CONSTRUCTION
Building 7 Stories in 40 Days
advantages of prefabricated cold-formed steel panels
By Ray Bagley
D
elivering projects on time and within
budget is the hallmark of success.
At the same time, contractors are
under growing pressure to accelerate
timelines despite labor and resource
shortages, weather disruptions, supply chain
uncertainty, and other factors that threaten
to derail projects.
In the eyes of owners and developers,
construction delays equate to lost revenue.
The faster a project reaches completion, the
sooner it can generate income. However,
contractors are often caught in the middle,
tasked with maintaining costs while working
under inflexible deadlines. The " need for
speed " leads to intense pressure to meet or
exceed tight schedules.
As project demands increase, many
contractors are rethinking traditional
methods and materials. For Douglass Colony,
a Colorado-based specialty contractor,
the combination of offsite manufacturing
and cold-formed steel (CFS) accelerates
projects, allowing for high-quality work
delivered ahead of schedule.
On the path to offering turnkey services
that accelerate project delivery, Douglass
Colony discovered Framecad, a provider
of advanced end-to-end steel frame design
and manufacturing equipment and solutions.
Using Framecad roll-forming machines,
Douglass Colony mass-produces panelized
metal stud wall panels with precision and
accuracy. Today, the specialty contractor
fabricates, ships, and installs cold-formed
steel trusses, CFS panels, and metal framing
from its workshop in Denver.
SPEEDING COMPLETION
Mariposa IV, a seven-story multi-family
building, illustrates how Douglass Colony
uses cold-formed steel framing to deliver
projects in the shortest time possible without
sacrificing quality.
The result of a two-decade urban
revitalization effort, Mariposa VII, consists
of 45 affordable apartments and four
townhomes. The project consisted of over 400
load-bearing panels erected on two levels of
podium. With a short construction schedule
and tight budget, panelized CFS framing
helped Douglass Colony deliver the project
faster than traditional methods.
Douglass Colony fabricated the prepanelized
metal stud wall framing at its
headquarters and shipped them directly
to the job site. The contractor erected 422
load-bearing panels in a total of 40 working
days. Each level was completed in just seven
working days, with two days assembling
and erecting the wall panels and five days
finalizing the floor system, completing the
detailing on the floor deck, and pouring and
curing the concrete.
Prefabricating the CFS panels saved time
on-site and allowed activities to be carried
out on the project simultaneously, reducing
the construction duration. The panels also
simplified assembly, enabling Douglass
Colony to complete the work in one-quarter
of the time it would have taken with timber
framing and traditional methods. With the
accelerated schedule and labor savings,
Douglass Colony delivered Mariposa VII well
within budget.
A COMPETITIVE EDGE
The combination of CFS and prefabrication
offers contractors a wide range of benefits,
from faster construction timelines and
reduced labor costs to improved safety.
Precision-CFS frames are engineered to
exact specifications, which means minimal
adjustments are needed on-site. Since
these components are prefabricated in a
controlled environment, on-site assembly is
16
FEBRUARY 2025
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Modern Contractor Solutions February 2025

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