By Phil Wheeler, Rafn Company Senior Superintendent
“Prefab” is not new to wood framed construction - an everyday example are the prefabricated trusses delivered to construction sites. Rafn has been using pre-built components in our wood frame buildings since 1994. The construction of prebuilt sections of walls and hoisting them into place, commonly referred to as panelization, saves time, is precise and efficient, reduces delays, and allows flexibility in scheduling. What was unique on the 525 Northgate project was the location of our “factory”. Usually panels are made in a warehouse and trucked to a jobsite, but at Northgate our team negotiated rental of an adjacent parking lot and built our own “factory”.
Time Savings
Panelized walls can be built concurrently with the foundation or concrete podium of a building and then are ready immediately for framing. Walls can be placed and secured much faster this way than by conventional site built framing. Our on-site panel production operation allowed us to complete wall erection and begin the roof framing over a month ahead of schedule.
Precise and Efficient
Working away from a busy construction site allows carpenters to focus on their task at hand, and allows them to repeat it precisely every time. Cutting wood, laying out the design, and fastening it all together in an "assembly line" setup adds efficiency to the process. The walls can be built on tables at a more ergonomic height, reducing worker fatigue and increases productivity and accuracy.
Reduced Delays
Without the concern of other work going on at a jobsite, carpenters can make sure they are meeting their production schedule. Panelization can continue even if other trades on a project lag or if the project experiences weather related delays. This is true for both offsite panelization and our setup adjacent to our building. However, our project only required a forklift to deliver the panels to the tower crane for hoisting, as opposed to costly trucking from an offsite facility.
Flexibility in Scheduling
One of the most unpredictable aspects of construction, especially in the Northwest, is the weather. Panelized wall sections can be constructed in an offsite climate-controlled facility or even adjacent to the building in a sheltered area. Both situations allow work to continue during heavy rains or snow. With time savings already realized in production, Superintendents then are able to “dry the building in” earlier and the interior finishes can start earlier also.
Panelization is one of the many ways Rafn works to deliver quality buildings, on time, and on budget.
By Tim Lewis, Rafn Company Superintendent
One of the biggest byproducts of turning an architect's dream into reality is construction waste. In addition to the environmental impact of construction waste is the often unseen cost to the project. One of our jobs is to ensure our clients are paying the lowest possible cost for materials used in the construction of their projects and one of the best ways we can do that is by reducing construction waste.
Working with a client and architect during design, we are proactive and look at every piece of work with an eye for constructability (how the design will be put together). We look to maintain the aesthetic of the design along with its intended function, but making sure how it is constructed is the most efficient and cost effective it can be. A large aspect of this process is to think ahead about the materials that will be used, their standard sizes, and how the design can compliment that. Below are a few solutions we have implemented throughout the years with this in mind.
My recent work at Piper Village in Greenwood called for site pavers on the sidewalks of the new private road, Morrow Lane, which we were building. During design, we worked with the architect to adjust the layout of the concrete bands which contain the pavers to dimensions that eliminated cutting. This not only sped up installation time, but also eliminated smaller (cut) paver sizes which can be problematic in the long-term. With a little planning and emphasis on dimensioning, we gained significant efficiencies in installation.
On many Rafn projects we have ordered drywall in sizes other than the standard four by eight. This can reduce waste by requiring fewer cuts to fit a given application. In some cases, we have used 9’ long drywall panels, turning the sheets vertically on our furred-out walls.
A similar strategy was taken at a recent apartment project of ours where the site built components (planters in the courtyard) were designed based on standard sizes of the materials specified. This means that if the product being used to construct the sides of the planter come in a standard length of 3 feet, the overall design of the planter takes that into account along with the sizes of the posts and joints to come up with a final overall size that fits it’s location in the courtyard.
And finally back to my project at Piper Village. Our construction of Buildings 5 & 6 this past summer included two basically identical buildings side by side. We sequenced the excavation and foundation work to enable us to excavate dirt from the second foundation, utilizing a telebelt to convey the excavated material from this foundation directly into the first foundation as under slab and perimeter backfill. This prevented the need to export waste material, which saved time, space for a staging area for the stockpile, and trucking costs.
The underlying objective is reducing and managing waste. When an architect and contractor can work together proactively in preconstruction, designing with the end product and materials in mind, a project benefits with smoother construction, reduced cost, and a less waste.
So what's so special about 35? It seems that 30, 40, or 50 are all about looking back. The end of something. 35 is the age when it seems you finally are all grown up. When you start looking ahead with the notion that it matters what you do. It matters who you are. You begin to seriously consider the impact your life has on others.
The RAFN Company turns 35 this year. We have used this piece of our newsletter to tell the story of how we have evolved into a company with a consistent value driven reputation. In this final installment of the series we thought it could be fun to focus on the future.
Briefly, the past five years have proven that our core values and our business model work. During the time when a lot of companies struggled to survive we held our own. We kept our head above water, our people working and focused on our customers. As a result we are thriving as we enter the next 35 years.
I imagine that in the future our work will remain the same. We will continue to do the types of projects that our clients choose to pursue. There will be a half dozen mixed-use projects; some for people with limited incomes, some for seniors and some for hip young "millennials". There will be some infill "Transit Oriented Development" projects that include offices, retail spaces and community centers. We will continue to build out some great spaces for theaters, museums, architectural firms and restaurants. We will likely continue to prosper in the private school arena where our creativity coupled with quality serves a unique niche. And I both hope and anticipate that our work in historic renovation will continue to revitalize our wonderful city.
I imagine that our clients will largely be the same people they have been with an occasional fun new personality like Jason Parker and his Copperworks Distillery. They will be people who appreciate our attention to detail and our honest approach to finding the specific ways that we can serve each individual customer. We will continue to work with great partners like Ira Gross (IL Gross) and Dan Say (Swenson Say Faget) as we discover new matches like Jim Cary (James Cary Architects) and Amy Hartwell (GGLO).
We will continue to refine our accounting and project management systems to maintain their efficiency and accuracy while enhancing the user experience for our employees and clients. Our preconstruction processes will move to the cloud and become tools for the whole project team as we continuously seek more ways to collaborate. Our client relationship management tool will be used to facilitate communication, project close-out and feedback loops for better asset management and life-cycle product considerations.
All of these things will progress without ever losing sight of those things which we have mastered. Our job costs will remain highly competitive, our quality assurance program will remain top tier, and our focus on safety will never be compromised. And most of all our culture will be the first, last and most important thing that our people learn and value. We will continue to seek the high road at every opportunity and we will continue to be - Good People doing Great Work.
