According to Benvenuto, two spine-shaped concrete supports at the building's core will support the $64 million tower. They will function as a pulley, to lift floors weighing a million pounds, and will house the elevators and stairways.
"We can immediately condition the space, so our workers immediately go into a cool condition on a hot summer day or a heated condition on a cold winter day," Benvenuto explained.Most PopularBenvenuto claims that the construction is beginning after four years of research and development and a number of U.S. patents.
Such top-down construction, coupled with prefabrication techniques, could prove to be a powerful building technique of the future.Sited on a triangular, three-quarter-acre site, the 16-story structure will be, at best, challenging to build, and not just because bustling city streets and commercial establishments surround it. The site's proximity to Detroit's elevated People Mover system limits prospective crane usage.
Before the 166,000-square-foot Exchange began building in September 2021, LIFTbuild acquired around 15 separate patents for top-down construction and manufacturing-in-construction techniques over four years of research and development. Tamaro, who has served as the structural engineer on top-down projects in India, claims that this is the third iteration of the method used to lock the floors into the core and that it has become simpler, faster, and better with each passing iteration. “It’s getting better because we have the contractor’s input each time to see what works and what’s a challenge.” the contractor said.
"It's a fully cantilevered design, and there are no columns in the way of the exterior glazing, so if we go up to the floors, you will see a wide-open floor space, which is great for the residents but also great for the workers assembling it,” Benvenuto says.According to Benvenuto, all steel construction has been designed using
“We constantly communicate and talk to our subcontractors about why this is the right height for us for access, installing work, or for moving around the site,” Benvenuto says.Fire protection, piping supply, ductwork, and the top track for the interior walls are installed at this ground-level stage rather than at a higher elevation.
The new building method is not only groundbreaking from a technical construction point-of-view but it also enhances safety on site too.would be installed in a traditionally built construction by workers tying in on the edge of the floor plate, first applying insulation and then a rain screen. Crews wearing safety harnesses would install a metal panel cladding on the exterior while a crane raised materials to the proper height.
Thanks to the fire protection subcontractor and alliance partner Progressive, all sprinkler heads are flexible and fit into the ceiling when installed on the floor above. Shaw Electric, which was also involved in the design process as an alliance partner, erected the electrical wiring using a similar technique. Similarly, alliance partner Sylvan designed and built mechanical systems and HVAC ductwork to fit in before floors were lifted.
“When you move all this labor down to the ground, the more sophisticated the MEP systems are, it’s better,” Benvenuto says.