The ConX System Vs. Conventional Methods

Wood

Conventional Steel

Light Gauge Steel

Concrete

Other Structures

ConX vs. Wood

In the United States, wood frame is the most common method used for low- to mid-rise residential, mixed-use, and small commercial structures. The ConX System offers significant benefits vs. wood, at a comparable total installed cost:

Build Faster

  • Erect the frame 2 to 5 times faster
  • System was developed with other trades in mind, such as electrical, HVAC, and plumbing, so that they can spend less time configuring, drilling, and installing

Build Higher

  • Ability to build higher than the building code limitations governing wood frame (wood typically limited at 5 stories)

Build in Flexibility

  • No shear walls or brace frames: architectural freedom
  • Optimize occupancies: Place ConX anywhere on a concrete podium without having to align the structural grid above with parking or retail below.

Safety

  • Safer work environment, with minimal on-site waste or clutter
  • Non-combustible – mitigates fire risk
  • Not subject to plate crush
  • Premium seismic performance

Sustainability

  • Resource conservation: ConXR and ConXL are Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM.
  • Durable and dimensionally stable – doesn’t expand or contract with moisture content, nor will it shrink, creep, rot, bow, mold, split, decay

Savings

  • Potential for 10% savings on WRAP insurance (more for larger projects).
  • Lean crews – far less field labor

ConX vs. Conventional Steel

Traditionally, the use of structural steel has been limited to commercial or high-rise structures. The ConX System provides significant benefits over conventional structural steel methods, including:

Build Faster

  • Shorter lead times due to systemic approach with standardized readily available steel member shapes and sizes
  • The system was developed with other trades such as electrical, HVAC, and plumbing in mind, so that trades spend less time configuring, drilling, fitting and installing in a ConX structure

Build in Flexibility

  • No shear walls or brace frames
  • Use of ConXR, ConXtech’s shorter span system, enables freedom to place the structure virtually anywhere on a standard concrete podium without the requirement for load paths to align with parking or retail substructure below

Safety

  • Safer work environment, minimal steel climbing and reduced risk of injury
  • Better seismic performance through redundancy and distributed load transfer

Sustainability

  • Greener. Less wasteful from concept to completion

Savings

  • Lower cost
  • Less costly and time-consuming field inspections due to special inspection of welds taking place in the factory

ConX vs. Light Gauge Steel

In the last 10 to 15 years, components of light gauge steel have essentially replicated structural wood products. The ConX System offers significant benefits over light gauge steel, at a comparable cost:

Build Faster

  • Ability to erect a building in a fraction of the time because all components are precisely pre-manufactured and simply assembled on site – eliminating much of the structural complexity of light gauge multi-story construction
  • The system was developed with other trades in mind, such as electrical, HVAC, and plumbing, so that they spend less time configuring, drilling, and installing in a ConX environment

Build Higher

  • Ability to build higher than the structural limitations and building code governing light gauge

Build in Flexibility

  • No shear walls or brace frames – the simple ConX frame is the structure

Safety

  • Safer work environment, with minimal on-site waste or clutter
  • Premium seismic performance

Savings

  • Lean crews – far less field labor intensive

ConX vs. Concrete

Structural concrete is rarely specified for the residential component of high-density, mid-rise and mixed-use projects because of the cost and the structural requirement to align all vertical load paths throughout the multiple occupancies. ConXR is ideal for residential structures because the redundant, interconnected spans eliminate the need to align vertical load paths from residential floors through retail and parking structures. In commercial structures, use of ConXL vs. concrete often enables savings in the foundation or footings of building due to the efficient distribution of loads through the nodal moment frame/space frame design and because ConXL is a comparatively lighter weight structure.

The ConX System provides greater benefits than concrete, including:

Build in Flexibility

  • Flexibility to configure units, interior space and exterior windows without consideration for shear walls, brace frames and large columns typically required in concrete structures

Safety

  • Lighter and safer structure to endure seismic events
  • Eliminates disruptive traffic, cross-trade activity, and other noise and waste associated with placing concrete

Sustainability

  • Significantly greener. Lower CO2 emissions

ConX vs. Other Structural Methods

Build Faster

  • Dramatically reduces overall construction schedule by bringing efficiency to all trades

Build in Flexibility

  • Dramatically accelerates design through delivery of structural chassis ready for “dry in”
  • Manufactured and constructed with precision enabling other building elements to be factory built
  • Infinite architectural freedom and future flexibility

Safety

  • Durable, seismically sound, blast and progressive collapse resistant and non-combustible

Sustainability

  • Developed with efficiency and sustainability as primary goals

Savings

  • Lowers Total Installed Cost (TIC) of project
  • Potential for savings in insurance premiums