Contrary to popular belief, prefabricated building involves more than taking a traditional design and cutting it up into basic components. In fact, when implementing digitally native prefabricated building methods, collaboration with the entire building team at the earliest stages of design is an essential starting point. It makes it possible for the team to identify efficiencies, problem solve and turn around a project in record time. At Digital Building, we believe this early involvement is a hidden value driver.
By collaborating with all team members early on, Digital Building can work closely on a specific project to develop the best options for constructability, value, efficiency and quality. This enables teams to identify and adjust improvable design aspects and even sort through coordination issues, all upfront.
With a commitment to early planning and decision-making, prefabrication leads to a better design and improved scheduling. For this reason, we’re taking a look at some past projects that illustrate just how effective early collaboration is in transforming the way building teams can design and deliver projects.
Yosemite Hall at UC Davis optimizes material strategies with upfront communication
Prominently situated on the UC Davis campus, Yosemite Hall is a new 100,000 sq.ft. student housing building comprised of four stories with 390 beds. The building was originally conceived of as a wood structure; however, by collaborating early in the design phase, DPR Construction, the general contractor, worked with Digital Building Components to convert the design from wood to cold-formed steel. With the ability to make this crucial modification in the early stages of the process, the project improved both the safety of the occupants and the building’s durability.
Tucson, AZ, build works ahead to resolve install complexities
Complexities arise at every planning phase, which is why it is imperative that Digital Building be involved from a project’s onset. This was especially true for the success of a build in Tucson, AZ, where in order to install in front of the CMU wall, Digital Building fabricated double wide MCM panels. Prior to installation, Digital Building pre-drilled tracks into the CMU wall, giving the team a map to slide the panels into place during install. “This ensured we know every aspect of the project and we were able to think ahead early on. This made it easy for the team to conquer the complexities and made for an efficient install,” said Daniel Friego, Digital Building PE.
The AC Hotel by Marriott Scottsdale North improves efficiency with early decision making
To help this six-story high-end boutique hotel open its doors on time, Digital Building Components hosted a fully furnished standard two-bedroom mock-up for the owner at the firm’s finish facility. The mock-up included every detail from windows to flooring, sheets and even the toiletries. With the ability to make design adjustments from the project’s onset, Digital Building Components’ final load bearing panelized walls saved the general contractor 10-12 weeks off their schedule, allowing them to start the MEP trades much earlier than they could have with traditional construction.
If you have an upcoming project that might benefit from the many advantages of prefabricated building, don’t wait. Get in touch early and we’ll help you reach your building goals. www.digitalbuilding.com/contact
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