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
---- Part 1 Introduction ---Presented To
Concrete Alliance Workshop By
Jeff Needham, P.E., S.E.
Needham and Associates, Inc.
Consulting Engineers
Promoting Tilt-Up Construction
at the Local Level
Focus on Competing with Metal Buildings
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
Needham and Associates?
• 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 for PEMB’s)
What is Tilt-Up?
• A construction method which eliminates the
cumbersome practice of constructing two
wooden walls to get one concrete wall.
Thomas A. Edison, 1909
• The process of casting walls or other
concrete elements on site and lifting and
placing them in their final location in a
structure.
Vero Beach, Florida
Kansas City, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Questions???
Are you losing work to metal
buildings?
What kind of projects?
Concrete Can Do Better
Than This…..Metal Buildings
at Their Worst!
Why Worry About Competing?
• MBMA claims about 60% market penetration (So
they say?? However the recent economic downturn
and dramatic increase in steel prices have hurt this
market share)
• That is to say 6 out of 10 non high rise buildings
• However, they often do not utilize metal wall panels
Competition is really 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.
Key Concept: Tilt-Up Panels
are a Hybrid Product
That is, they may be used with either
metal buildings or conventional
buildings.
How do you Promote Locally,
that is, Develop a Market
(Create process infrastructure )
1. Must have a market
need, that is HardWall construction must
be a requirement.
2. Must have (or create)
qualified subcontractors
that can readily bid and
build tilt-up panels
3. Subcontractors must be
able to supply bids,
prices, and proposals on
a design-build basis.
This requires an alliance
with a qualified
engineer. (The market
in metal buildings is
Design-Build)
How do you Promote Locally
(process infrastructure )
4. Need several qualified 6. Need (Educate) a
subcontractors to
knowledgeable
really be successful.
engineering and
architectural
5. Need (Educate) a
community to take
code and planning
advantage of the
department that
unique features of
understands the
difference between
tilt-up
precast, CMU, and
tilt-up and is not
biased.
How do you Promote Locally
(process infrastructure )
7. General Contractors 8. Must have access to
cranes, particularly
must be qualified,
mobile cranes with
that is, they must be
“training wheels”.
planners and actively
involved in the
process, CM “bid
takers” don’t cut it.
How do you Promote Locally
Finally, if the process infrastructure is in
place,
Market and Sell !, Sell and Market !
otherwise know as
“Hit the Bricks”
Follow classic sales and marketing
strategies
Making Tilt-Up Construction
Competitive with Metal
Buildings
---- Part 2 Background ---Presented To
Concrete Alliance Workshop By
Jeff Needham, P.E., S.E.
Needham and Associates, Inc.
Consulting Engineers
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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
Most Recent Trend, 2003 and
2004
• Metal Buildings are losing their
competitive advantage due to New IBC
Code and Unified ASD/LRFD Steel Design
• Recent Run-up in Steel Prices
• Dislike for Metal Walls in many
Communities
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 minimill.
• Expansion of Mills providing WF shapes.
• 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.
• 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-engineer” more
components, example is the steel stud industry
and wood Truss-Joist products.
• 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.
• The steel joist industry and pre-fabricated 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.
• 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.
Another Approach - Join with
Metal Building Companies
• Butler Delta Joist and
Hardwall Systems
• Varco-Pruden
• Ceco/Star
• ABC Hardwall
• NCI Group’s new
Long Bay product
• 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:
• NRMCA 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).
• Training for Planning and Zoning Officials
• 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)
Can metal do
this? (30 inch thick
insulated mass wall)
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