By Andy Claypole, President, Accelerated Building Technologies

In today’s challenging building environment, efficiency is everything. New materials and new construction techniques are providing significant improvements in efficiency – with benefits to builders, designers, building owners and tenants alike.

Greater Efficiency – Everyone Has a Stake

Today’s interest in efficiency is nothing new, of course. Throughout history, builders have always looked for ways to construct buildings faster and stronger at the lowest possible cost.

Today, however, the pursuit of efficiency is driven not only by builders, but also by building owners, tenants and others stakeholders, all of whom are interested in a wide variety of efficiencies. As builders seek to shorten construction cycles, reduce waste and make more effective use of labor, designers, owners and tenants are looking for other efficiencies, such as lower life-cycle costs, reduced maintenance requirements, greater flexibility in the use of space, lower energy costs and reduced environmental impact.

When it comes to efficiency, the benefits of steel – particularly light-gauge steel framing – have been recognized for many years. By combining steel with other materials, manufacturers are now expanding on these benefits to create entirely new building systems that provide entirely new levels of efficiency for everyone involved.

Builders Take Advantage of “STEP” Efficiency
One of the most successful examples of these new steel applications combines the structural strength of light-gauge steel with the proven insulation value of expandable polystyrene (EPS). Fused together into wall panels, these thermally efficient systems offer exceptional energy efficiency, of course. But they also provide a variety of other efficiencies.

Called a “STEP” (for “Steel Thermal Efficient Panel”), these new fused materials have been developed into a complete wall system, composed of four-foot panels in various thicknesses, with the steel framing members either flush with the panel face or embedded in the EPS foam. The STEP system significantly reduces construction time since framing, insulation and sheathing are completed in a single process.

Since each panel is extremely light in weight (about 40 pounds for a 4-by-8 foot panel), one member of a building crew can generally lift a panel into position while another crew member secures it in place adjacent to the preceding panel. Window and door openings are precut, while prepunched openings in the studs allow for easy mechanical access and structural bracing. Open cavities on the panel interior offer space for electrical and plumbing components. These techniques allow building contractors to further reduce on-site labor requirements and shorten the construction cycle.

Moreover, since STEP panels are manufactured in standard four-foot widths in custom lengths, on-site waste is reduced to the bare minimum, which in turn offers dramatic savings in disposal costs. STEP panels’ stiffer, more rigid structure also reduces construction defects, resulting in fewer callbacks – a “hidden” efficiency that shows up directly on the contractor’s bottom line.

STEP Benefits to Other Stakeholders

STEP systems’ efficiencies benefit others involved in the building process as well. The EPS foam’s energy efficiency can lower both heating and cooling costs – an important long-term cost saving to building owners and tenants. The panels’ improved sound dampening characteristics also provide highly cost-effective wall systems where noise reduction is an issue.

STEP systems take advantage of light-gauge steel framing’s inherent advantages over wood or other materials, including improved fire resistance and outstanding resistance to mold, mildew, moisture, insects and rodents. In addition, since steel framing is manufactured from recycled materials, STEP building systems are a truly green technology and a major contributor to LEED® points – an increasingly important consideration in today’s environment.

Design and Production Efficiency As Well

STEP systems even contribute to more efficient design and construction planning processes. Leading STEP manufacturers such Accelerated Building Technologies provide a complete construction solution process, which takes an architect’s preliminary drawings and outputs them as architectural drawings, which are then reviewed by engineers prior to final plans being printed, stamped and sealed. The panels are then precut to the exact specifications of the job and shipped to the job site for installation.

By improving efficiency for builders, designers, owners and tenants, today’s new STEP building systems are gaining widespread attention – and fast-growing popularity. The success of these systems proves once again that when it comes to building, efficiency is everything.

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