Construction Informer

Many people think of homes as the place where panelized construction is most common. If that is true then the idea is being challenged by companies in the commercial sector.

A case in point is the recent announcement by Codding Steel Frame Solutions that it had manufactured and delivered 1000 linear feet of exterior wall panels for the construction of a Whole Foods store.

The company claims that steel framing members provide more dimensional stability than lumber and they will not rot or support mold growth. The green aspects claimed include a high recycled content and material that is 100 percent recyclable at the end of its life. Codding does the manufacturing of the panels in a solar powered factory.

Codding claims that two people can build 250 linear feet of wall in 12 hours and erection time at the site is cut by at least 50 percent using half as many framers.

There is an aspect to the changing climate that gets very little press. As storms continue to become more violent, show up in places they haven’t usually shown up before and occur more frequently the concept of shelter begins to take on new dimensions. As covered earlier in this blog the green building movement is beginning to highlight survivability when it comes to designing and constructing buildings.

There are many efforts also underway to come up with either rapidly deployable buildings or quickly and easily built buildings to house people after natural disasters. One example is the Instant Built House . Made from shipping containers they are strong, stackable and there are many ways available to deploy them.

Another example comes from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In this example shelters are designed to be built totally from ¾” plywood. They use ¾” studs and tabbed construction and the only tools needed are rubber mallets and crowbars. The house is shipped packed flat and also has many options for customization. Even more striking is that all of the components necessary to set up a small factory where local labor mass produces homes using this system can also be shipped as a package to where needed. The process is also customizable to particular geographic areas so the home designs take on qualities that counteract and take advantage of local climate conditions.

This converted shipping container offers quick shelter where needed.