A Model of Off-Site Execution

Solving for X is the foundation of algebra. 

For contractors, the need to define “X” doesn’t end with grade school exams. Our Osprey team in Atlanta, GA knows better than most the importance of understanding a project’s “X-Factor.” 

As the first project across Balfour Beatty’s US operations to leverage an off-site structural prefabrication solution, Osprey teammates have instilled a learning culture to best leverage the system’s advantages. 

Off-site construction requires building panels to be designed to precise specifications and manufactured much earlier than with traditional construction, resulting in a far more efficient installation process. But, it is most effective when executed in close collaboration with successor trades such as the exterior skin and MEP subcontractors. Therein lies the “X-Factor.” 

Once the prefabricated structural system arrives on a jobsite, there is a predictable and fast-moving sequence in which the structure is assembled from the first post to the last screw. For a project to be successful, successor trades must be equally predictable and nimble. 

Key drivers for the project's success included: understanding the off-site construction cadence to effectively allocate labor, schedule just-in-time deliveries, and determine laydown areas for pre-stocked materials. These discoveries empowered our trade partners to keep pace with the off-site manufacturing company and their speed to deliver available work areas.  

The Osprey team didn’t just seek to understand the structural system from a 10,000-foot view. From preconstruction onward, they meticulously identified elements that successor trades needed knowledge of, such as the number of studs required in the jamb of a window opening or the location of switches and receptacles about lateral bracing. 

The off-site structural system also possesses safety advantages. Because panels arrive on-site with perimeter protection already in place, it reduces the risk of falls from height, which is the leading cause of construction worker injuries and fatalities. 

Thanks to the successful efforts of exterior skin trade partners including Roswell Drywall, Window Traditions, and Southern Walls as well as interior partners Century Fire Protection, Gill Plumbing, and Titan Electric, the team is effectively putting work in place directly below the working deck according to plan.

“We’re plowing new ground in Atlanta,” praises Russ Brockelbank, vice president of operations. “You can feel the energy and excitement in every member of the team.” 

As the project progresses, it’ll continue to become a model of off-site execution from design to final delivery.