Transcript Needham & Associates Consulting Engineers

Needham & Associates
Consulting Engineers
Fort Wayne, IN - Overland Park, KS
http://www.needhamassoc.com
Making Tilt-Up Construction
Competitive with Metal
Buildings
(Understanding Building Systems)
Presented To
Arkansas Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Inc.
By
Jeff Needham, P.E., S.E.
Needham and Associates, Inc.
Consulting Engineers
Your Speaker
• Jeff Needham, Principal
– P.E., S.E in 20 states, started firm in 1989 in
Fort Wayne, IN
– BS and MS from University of Kansas
• Charter Member of Tilt-Up Concrete
Association
What Does Needham and
Associates Do?
• General Practice Structural/Civil
Engineers
• Consultants to PEMB Industry
– Heavy Structures ( ex: large clear-spans,
steel mills, special structures)
– Hardwall Buildings ( ex: site-cast, tilt-up
concrete)
Vero Beach, Florida
Huntington, IN
Questions???
Are you losing work to metal
buildings?
What kind of projects?
Why Worry About Competing?
• MBMA claims about 60% market penetration
• That is to say 6 out of 10 non high rise
buildings
• However, they often do not utilize metal wall
panels (Competition is a metal wall)
• So are ready mix companies really vendors
or competitors?
The Answer Is ?
• You must be both!!
• Vendor for foundation and slab concrete.
• Possible supplier for wall panels on some
hybrid jobs.
• But often a competitor when teamed
with conventional roof supplier.
Tilt-Up Panels are a Hybrid
Product
That is, they may be used with either
metal buildings or conventional
buildings.
Definitions:
Pre-engineered Building is a steel
framing system, usually with a metal
roof and walls, with all structural
engineering done by a manufacturer.
Conventional Building is a framing
system, built of any material, with the
structural engineering done
independently of the manufacturer.
Also, the distribution systems of the
two approaches are different.
Is this building a metal
building or a conventional
building?
Tingle Project is an American
Building Company Project
For Tilt-up to Be
Competitive with Metal
Buildings - A Broad View of
Building Construction is
Necessary!
A narrow product view, i.e.
comparing only metal wall cost to
tilt-up wall cost in-place, will always
indicate metal walls are the choice,
but this hardly the story.
Don’t fall into this trap!
History and Trends in Metal
Buildings
Need to Understand Your Competition.
What are their Strengths and
Weaknesses?
Historical Background - Metal
Buildings
• Metal building companies first formed in
1920’s to service oil industry,
• WW II saw the development of the
Quonset Hut, and
• The Quonset Hut was a major image
problem for the PEMB industry .
Historical Background - Metal
Buildings (cont.)
• The introduction of high strength sheet
steel and the SSR roof in the 1960’s
propelled the industry into a fast growth
period in the 1970’s and 1980’s and
• The PEMB industry relies heavily on
proprietary computer software to
aggressively design their products,
Historical Background - Metal
Buildings (cont.)
• They are very efficient, but don’t have
any “extra” steel or strength and
• The AISC now (since the early 1990’s)
certifies PEMB companies to ensure a
minimum level of quality.
PEMB Trends in the 1990’s
• PEMB structures have continued to
increase their market penetration, PEMB
are attempting to compete for complex
buildings and
• This has lead to a misuse of PEMB
structures and actually higher prices and
longer deliveries than conventional
construction--however owners often have
no way to know this.
Example of a More
Successful PEMB Market
Penetration Program
• Hardwall Systems
(concrete or masonry walls).
• Tingle, Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Typical NEW PEMB Hardwall
Buildings
• Designed for strict serviceability issues
• Load bearing walls
History and Trends in
Conventional Construction
Strengths and Weaknesses of
Conventional Approaches.
Trends in Conventional
Construction
• Wide spread use of high strength steel,
• Increased use of tubular steel,
• Previous points driven by the rise of the
mini-mill,
• Continued shortages of WF shapes, and
• Precast concrete wall industry is
generally in decline, but is being replaced
by site-cast panels.
Historical Background Conventional Buildings
• Conventional Building carry on the trend
of “stick built” construction,
• Architects and engineers have always
done the bulk of the design work, and
• Steel framing is the most common, but
pre-cast concrete and cast-in-place
concrete are sometimes used in special
low-rise buildings.
Trends in Conventional
Construction (cont.)
• CMU use is very influenced by local
building trades,
• The overall trend is to “pre-engineered”
more components, example is the steel
stud industry and wood Truss-Joist
products, and
• The good architect/engineer takes
advantage of these trends for his client.
Historical Background Conventional Buildings (cont.)
• Wood framing and steel stud framing are
still very common in smaller structures,
• The conventional building world has been
slower to adopt the more efficient
methods used in the PEMB industry,
• High strength steels have only become
the norm in the last 5-10 years, and
• The steel joist industry and prefabricated wood trusses have adopted
PEMB style methods.
Trends in Conventional
Construction (cont.)
• Bar joist industry claims they are involved
in over two thirds of low-rise
construction, and
• How can this be true with PEMB market
share at 65% in the late 90’s???
Big Question - How Do You
Make Tilt-up Competitive with
Metal Buildings (really metal walls)?
• Must find and team with partners.
• Partners can be a metal building company or local
dealer.
• They can be a joist supplier (SMI is a good
example).
• They can be a developer or architect.
• In all cases, develop a market sense of where your
opportunities exist.
Basic Cost Examples
(100’x200’x20’ and 200’x400’x20’)
• 20,000sf MB, metal walls convert to $2.09/s.f.
• 20,000sf TU, concrete walls convert to $4.14/s.f.
• 80,000sf MB, metal walls convert to $1.02/s.f.
• 80,000sf TU, concrete walls convert to $1.88/s.f.
• Conclusion - All other things being equal, bigger is
more competitive.
Basic Design Concepts
(These will make the previous unit costs even
closer, and even eliminate the cost
disadvantage)
• Eliminate perimeter columns (tough for metal
building types!) tilt-up walls are very strong, use
them.
• Use long bays over 30 feet (bar joists are a very
low price levels).
• Consider and sell alternatives to SSR
roofing..currently a big advantage.
• SSR/bracing diaphragm installed is $3.30/s.f.
• Single Ply/Deck installed installed is $2.20/s.f.
Example:
(This 90,000 s.f. project was
essentially conventional except for roofing, and SSR
was more costly than single ply and deck. Also
exterior columns were not necessary).
Industry Legend:
Metal buildings are less costly
than conventional.
Not true at least for structures
over about
40,000 s.f.
Avoid projects not well suited
for tilt-up
• Avoid long clearspans, competing
only with walls.
• Avoid tall buildings,
panel costs may
rapidly escalate over
about 30 foot tall.
• Avoid small projects
unless they are
“jewel-boxes” where
cost is not an object.
• Avoid low quality
jobs, tilt-up is several
steps up the quality
ladder over metal
walls.
Contrary Example:
(This 250,000 sf
industrial project still used a combined tilt-up grade
beam and wainscot wall, despite being in the low
quality, span and height avoidance groups.
Another Approach - Join with
Metal Building Companies
• Butler Delta Joist and
Hardwall Systems
• Ceco/Star
• ABC Hardwall
• NCI Group’s new
Long Bay product
• Varco-Pruden
• The problem working
with these companies
is almost always
their“mind-set”.
• Also, the interface
between the panels
and their products is
a problem on most
jobs.
When competing with metal
walls, or promoting tilt-up
construction on any job, you
need:
• ARMCA and TCA marketing support.
• Clearly explain the advantages of tilt-up.
• Team-up with other quality sub-contractors,
vendors and suppliers.
• Qualify users, do not waste time on “low-cost,
tire-kickers”.
Marketing Needs:
• Technical literature to influence and train
engineers.
• Sales literature for owners.
• Training for contractors (TCA
Certification).
• Seminars in your area.
Review The Advantages:
• Very Durable, i.e. quality is big advantage over
metal.
• Flexible and attractive, remember arches,
curves, reveals, inlays, and many other
architectural features are possible, try this
in metal.
• Secure, metal walls can be removed with simple
hand tools.
• Long-Term Value, Lenders perceive concrete
walls as having much better long term value over
metal.
Can metal do this? (Target store in
Lee’s Summit, Missouri)
Can metal do this? (Secure, Hazardous
Chemical Distribution Center (225,000 s.f.) in Palmyra,
Missouri with tilt-up concrete column rigid frames)
Can metal do this? (Arched Towers in
Vero-Beach, Florida)
Thank You!...Needham &
Associates
Consulting Engineers
233 W. Baker St.
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
8417 Santa Fe Dr.
Overland Park, KS 66212
(219)420-3400
(913)385-5300
http://www.needhamassoc.com