Mixed-Use Gets Max Savings
Although multi-family starts may decline slightly in 2020 according to CBRE, the sector is projected to remain resilient. Mixed-use multifamily will continue to be robust, as consumers seek live-work-play options. Both Boomers and Millennials are migrating to multifamily developments—respectively downsizing and moving on their own, all leaving the traditional family home behind in favor of mixed-use buildings to fit their lifestyles.
A key challenge for builders remains the lack of skilled workers, which decelerates schedules and delays building completion. Those who build efficiently, however, obtain a competitive advantage over rivals. The faster crews can build, the faster a building can start generating revenue for the building owner. Formulating your own approach to maximize mixed-use project time and cost savings is just good business.
Project-wide efficiency is more important than ever. Employing construction management software and using building information modeling (BIM) certainly delivers efficiency gains. But have you fully considered eliminating inefficient processes that waste valuable time on the job site? The faster you dry-in the building, the closer it is to completion. One way you can easily simplify the time, cost, and materials involved is in the wall assembly. While traditional approaches call for separate sheathing and weather barrier products and installation, Georgia-Pacific offers materials that combine the process in one. This reduces sheathing and waterproofing time, while also trimming labor costs, tightening the schedule for a faster move-in.
Leading the industry in innovative materials and application insight for over 30 years, our latest integrated sheathing and weatherproofing solutions cut the excess from the envelope finishing process for all mixed-use buildings. Combining the weather-resistive barrier, air barrier and sheathing removes the need for a separate barrier application. For steel-framed structures, DensElement® Barrier System fills microscopic voids in the glass mat and gypsum core via AquaKor™ Technology, creating a hydrophobic, monolithic surface that blocks bulk water while retaining vapor permeability. For wood-framed buildings, ForceField® Air and Water Barrier System integrates the weather barrier into the wood sheathing panels, eliminating the need for a separate building wrap. Depending on which system you use, both include compatible finishing accessories to seal the envelope tight—so you can specify the entire assembly from a single source.
In mixed-use projects using podium construction, the upper concrete floor functions as a fire break, as well as the structural support for the residential real estate above. Five stories of multifamily can rise over commercial or retail space and above-ground parking. When you shift the above-ground parking to subterranean, residential floors can be up to six or seven stories high.
We’ve simplified the process with a straightforward solution for any mixed-use assembly needs. Use ForceField® Air and Water Barrier System in mixed-use projects using podium construction or in traditional multifamily construction, and use DensElement® Barrier System for fire-rated multifamily structures six floors or higher using conventional or podium construction.
To learn more about how these products can help you build today’s urban landscapes and those still to come, visit our ForceField page.