Few colleges or universities have embraced prefabrication more wholeheartedly than Valparaiso (Ind.) University. The Lutheran-based institution completed a $27 million residence hall this past summer in which the structural elements were all precast. The modular bathroom pods were manufactured in and shipped from New Jersey.
“The primary motivation for prefab was an accelerated schedule,” says Andy Frank, Construction Executive with Mortenson Construction. Much of the structural and exterior work on the 85,000-sf building was completed before the start of winter, which was critical in an area prone to blinding snowfalls fed by nearby Lake Michigan.
Manufacturing precast flooring planks and exterior panels that mimic limestone and brick masonry in a climate-controlled plant saved two to three months on the construction schedule, says Frank. The modular bathroom units, made by AmeriPOD, Dayton, N.J., shaved another month off the construction timetable of the suite-style residence hall. The time savings enabled the building to be ready for the fall 2014 semester.
FGM Architects and Mortenson collaborated on the design-build project using 3D BIM modeling to deliver a Collegiate Gothic structure that blends in with the prevailing campus architectural style. One of the critical factors in the construction process was leaving wall openings large enough for the bathroom pods to be transported from a staging area at one end of each floor through the building to their final position. Workers rolled the bathroom units through each floor to a preformed depression, where they were lowered by jacks into place.
Frank attributes the success of the prefab approach in part to the type of project. “When you have a large number of users involved in programming the building”—such as an academic building shared by multiple departments—“you’re going to need a longer design process,” he says. Housing projects tend be more suitable for prefab because they usually have a limited number of stakeholders—in the Valparaiso project, primarily residential life officials and some students.
Related Stories
| Dec 17, 2014
ULI report looks at growing appeal of micro unit apartments
New research from the Urban Land Institute suggests that micro units have staying power as a housing type that appeals to urban dwellers in high-cost markets who are willing to trade space for improved affordability and proximity to downtown neighborhoods.
| Dec 17, 2014
11 predictions for high-rise construction in 2015
In its annual forecast, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat predicts that 2015 will be the "Year of the Woodscraper," and that New York’s troubled B2 modular high-rise project will get back on track.
| Dec 17, 2014
Demand softens, but outlook for Architecture Billings Index remains positive
The AIA's Architecture Billings Index for November was 50.9, down from a mark of 53.7 in October. Despite the drop, the ABI continued its seven-month run of positive scores (above 50).
Sponsored | | Dec 16, 2014
Quadcopters save project team $15K in warranty work
On a recent trip to see what technology Todd Wynne and the rest of the team at Rogers-O’Brien Construction have been tinkering with, I had a chance to experience firsthand which new hardware innovations will one day be applied in the AEC space.
| Dec 16, 2014
Architect Eli Attia sues Google over tall building technology
Attia and tech company Max Sound Corp. have brought a lawsuit against Google because of Flux, a Google X-developed startup launched in 2014. Flux creates software to design environmentally-friendly buildings in a cost-effective way.
| Dec 15, 2014
SHoP Architects plans to turn NY's Seaport District into pedestrianized, mixed-use area
The scheme includes a proposed 500-foot luxury residential tower that would jut out into the harbor, extending the Manhattan grid out into the waterfront.
| Dec 15, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture launches fundraising campaign for independent incorporation
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation announced today that it approved a possible path toward independent incorporation of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture by raising $2 million before the end of 2015.
| Dec 15, 2014
Studio Gang tapped for American Museum of Natural History expansion
Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects has been commissioned to design the $325 million Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
| Dec 12, 2014
Dunkin’ Donuts launches certification for green restaurant buildings
The company aims to build 100 new DD Green-certified restaurants by the end of 2016.
| Dec 12, 2014
COBE's striking 'concrete finned' scheme wins competition for Adidas' flagship building in Germany
Danish firm COBE has been announced the winner in a contest to design a new Adidas flagship building in Herzogenaurach, Germany. It beat out 29 other teams, including REX and Zaha Hadid.