The Abott Apartments
"As you may have heard, we achieved substantial completion on August 24th. Moving students in on time and on schedule! Thanks again for your efforts in making this a successful project, I hope that we get to do it again in the future."
- Brian Evans
LEED AP BD+C Sr. Project Manager, Walsh Construction
“I was not familiar with this type of construction on a mid-rise and was skeptical, but after several months watching it come together, it makes a difference as far as speed in reaching the upper levels. The guys here from All Steel and OCP (the installer) have done an excellent job coordinating with us and other trades, making sure there is not any stoppage in work. It is the leading and cutting edge product in construction. The firestop is part of the assembly, which also helps get the project turned over quicker.”
- Steve Saigeon
Walsh Construction, Chicago
Directly across the street from the main entrance of Michigan State University, a mixed-use development, consisting of 13,000 SQ FT of retail shops, restaurants, 2 levels of parking, and 10 levels of apartments consisting of 363 bedrooms will dramatically change the skyline.
Expected to be a primary residence for Michigan State students, the apartment community features high-end amenities, including a rooftop terrace with a pool and hot tub.
The Critical Path
With a complex project, simplification is essential. East Lansing’s construction and development team sought out innovative solutions to cut down on installation time, remove seasonal variables, provide off-site prefabrication and deliver a lightweight solution for a tall structure with a rooftop amenities space including a pool. With a tight project footprint and another project being constructed just 50 feet away, an experienced project management team with just in time delivery systems was critical.
Advantages to Using Cold-Formed Steel
The developer ultimately chose the All Steel Mid-Rise Timberless-44 system and wall panels for expedited project completion, allowing residents to move in sooner. The project started on August 9th and will be open for business in less than a year. Over nine floors starting around 20,000 SQ FT each were completed in less than six months despite construction over the harsh winter months.
Utilizing the All Steel Mid-Rise Timberless-44 system and wall panels, the project team was able to construct a quality framing structure without disruption due to on-site conditions. With detailed scheduling and careful consideration of site logistics, just in time deliveries were coordinated with two trucks near one of the busiest roads in the region.
Comprehensive planning was taken into consideration when planning the rigging of the wall panels. The installation of the system is ideal for use in conjunction with lean construction practices, as tasks that traditionally take hours are only minutes with iSPAN TotalJoist component of the Timberless-44. Joists are bundled per room and flown via crane as a group to their destination for ease in installation. Due to cold-formed steel’s inherent strength properties, up to 30%, greater spans of joists can be created compared to engineered lumber. Additionally, pre-drilled knockouts within the joists allow follow-up trades to work quickly on the installation of MEPs.
Even with a discrepancy with drawings of the roof joist above the amenities area, the All Steel team collaborated and quickly overcame the issue in less than two days to maintain the schedule.
To further benefit schedule and consolidate trades, the exterior of the wall panels were coated with Sto Gold Coat®, a vapor-permeable fluid-applied membrane designed for application under continuous insulation wall systems that serves as a weather barrier.
The project is expected to be completed by August of 2020.
