Even the best of construction sites tends to have very limited space, be crowded, dirty and sometimes chaotic.
Modern project design, construction and management tools make it much easier to move substantial portions of the project work offsite. Various modules, sections of piping or overhead racks and even complete rooms can be built offsite and transported to the site for fit up.
At FT Williams & Associates, we firmly believe that offsite construction can add greatly to the overall success of a project:
Digital design tools producing 3-dimensional details of an entire project have simplified offsite construction by enabling critical positioning, clearances and interfaces to be confirmed with a high degree of confidence in advance of construction. The state-of-the-art of digital design tools is such that mega-cruise ships are constructed from pre-fabricated modules fitted together to save time and money.
We invest significantly in Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, workstations and training of our engineers, designers and specialists to deliver the highest quality in all of our projects. We equally make substantial investments in our modular construction, sheet metal fabrication and pipe pre-fabrication shops.
Just some of the offsite construction that we do includes boilers, chillers, pumps, pipe spools, ductwork, overhead racks, controls, air handling units and electrical equipment.
Offsite construction typically consists of building structural framework, installing the equipment and components in the framework. Piping ductwork, wiring, controls, etc. are then installed and tested to create a fully operational system that can be installed and fit up as a single unit in days rather than weeks.
Sheet metal is primarily used for ductwork and flues but it can also be used for specialty applications such as vent and fume hoods and plenums.
Piping systems are pre-fabricated in sections with flanges, tees, valves, elbows, etc. welded in our shops to increase quality and expedite field assembly.
