Innovation Building Program
Data & digital design drive collaboration
Charlotte Build 2
The Innovation Building Program (IBP), launched by MiTek in 2021, aims to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the building industry by exploring new off-site construction methods. By comparing innovative approaches to traditional building techniques, the program tracks various data points to assess improvements in cycle time, total cost, and other key metrics.
In the second IBP comparison build in Charlotte, North Carolina, a greater emphasis was placed on using digital designs, and the builder partner, True Homes, even took the lead on these efforts. By leveraging virtual design technologies, builders can optimize designs and ensure accurate implementation on-site.
Brett Jones, Sr. Project Manager – Installed Solutions, said True Homes took on the role of lead designer, organizing coordination meetings and weekly standups in the latest comparison build.
“When you consider MiTek’s mission and our vision of advancing off-site construction and enabling our homebuilding partners to take that approach, this example shows the partner taking the first step towards improving their building methods and using off-site techniques,” Jones said.
Fast Facts
This example shows the partner taking the first step towards improving their building methods and using off-site techniques.
Brett Jones
Sr. Project Manager – Installed Solutions, MiTek
This second innovation build pair in partnership with True Homes took place in 2022 near Charlotte, featuring a four-unit, three-story single-family attached townhome. The component manufacturer (CM) partner, The Building Center, supplied floor and roof trusses and wall panels for the project. The designs used wall panels and compared open-web floor trusses to I-joists, ultimately influencing how True Homes constructs homes today.
“Wall panels were something new for True Homes and the framing crew, and they were genuinely interested in comparing open-web floor trusses to I-joist,” Jones said.
Based on the findings from the first innovation build in Charlotte, True Homes began using open-web floor trusses in all their townhome models. While on-site for the second innovation build in 2023, Jones noted that all the standard townhomes in the new community were constructed with open-web floor trusses.
“This is pretty typical for a new home community for us, and some of the core principles of our homebuilding platform are consistency, efficiency, and predictability,” said Brad Crysler, Market Partner, Charlotte West Field Operations for True Homes. “The opportunity to participate in this prototype and the panelized wall build really can boost that because we feel like we’re already pretty efficient, and this should only make that better.”
Learning from the first innovation build in Charlotte, True Homes identified areas for improvement to enhance productivity and logistics. They recognized the importance of efficient material staging, delivery schedules, and wall panel optimization.
Bret Schuman, Plant Specialist of Labor and Materials at Charlotte West for True Homes, said that staging between a control build and an innovation build is quite different. For the control build, the team arranges for all the lumber needed for the build to arrive over two days. Since components arrive pre-assembled, it’s simply a matter of fitting the pieces together.
By exploring alternative anchor bolt options, considering larger wall panel sizes, and fine-tuning material logistics, the team aimed to optimize construction processes and reduce potential challenges related to on-site operations.
True Homes and MiTek understand how important it is to build strong relationships with component manufacturers, framers, and other stakeholders. Collaboration helps share knowledge and improve building processes.
Crysler said collaboration was more intentionally prioritized before and during the second build process.
“During the first prototype, we learned that some of the key players who weren’t involved upfront needed to be included. So, we’ve become more intentional about the planning, and I believe you can see that in the execution on day one,” Crysler said.
We’ve become more intentional about the planning, and I believe you can see that in the execution on day one.
Brad Crysler
Market Partner – Charlotte West Field Operations, True Homes
True Homes and MiTek are dedicated to strengthening the existing data sets collected from previous innovation builds. By performing further comparisons between open-web floor trusses and I-joists, they seek to confirm the consistency and advantages of this construction method.
“One of the most fundamental characteristics of the success of a homebuilding operation is the cycle time of a build,” Crysler said. “How often can you turn that capital and still maintain all of your quality standards? So taking the risk in this case is absolutely worth it because we feel that if we can even save 10% of the overall cycle time, which can be over four months on a building like this, it’s pretty beneficial.”
Key Takeaways
The cycle time savings above apply to this build only. Actual results will vary with each project. Learn more about typical whole home componentization savings results.
