Lean Construction the BamCore Way
The process of efficiency and quality has a name: Lean Construction.
Lean Construction is a term that was coined in 1993. Today, it is gaining traction in the built community as people become aware of the urgent need to change our building methods and materials. Lean Construction’s philosophy is rooted in basic core values that BamCore shares: behave with integrity, be a good steward of resources, commit to innovation and excellence, and build strong communities. It is an end-to-end process theory for the sustainability of the planet, people, and profit. But, what about real life, boots on the ground Lean Construction? This is how it works the BamCore way:
Employ Renewable Resources
We sustainably source nature’s strongest and fastest-growing material, timber bamboo. By utilizing this renewable resource, we begin the Lean Construction agreement of sustainability for the planet by sequestering carbon. We follow through by green engineering structural wall panels that are fully customizable. Additionally, the Bamcore Prime Wall eliminates over 80% of wood studs, headers, and posts, reducing thermal bridging and air leakage. This efficiency improves the quality of the building and reduces operational energy and costs.
Reduce Waste & Labor Costs
We can simplify the Lean Construction philosophy to two ideals: reduce waste and improve quality. To this end, BamCore took a hard look at ways to reduce construction rework. Construction rework wastes time and materials. According to research from the Lean Construction Institute:
- 70% of construction projects are over time and budget
- 57% of construction project spending equates to waste
- 50% of raw materials consumption comes from the building industry
BamCore reduces construction rework by precutting each structural panel in the factory to millimeter accuracy for every window, door, switch, outlet, and access panel. Nail patterns and MEPI lines are also drawn directly onto the panels showing the exact location for installation. For further clarity, panels are sequentially numbered, palletized, and delivered to the job-site ready to go. This eliminates waste and speeds construction up to 50%, contributing to a reduction in labor costs.
For ease of installation, the BamCore Prime Walls are erected on a traditional bottom plate using a pneumatic nail gun. There is no need for heavy equipment; a crew of three can do the job. We wanted to increase speed and efficiency while opening up the labor pool to a broader scope of individuals. You don’t need as many skilled framers to erect the BamCore Prime Walls as you do in conventional stick construction. Finding efficiency in labor during a labor crisis comes as a relief and satisfies the Lean Construction agreement of improving quality while reducing waste and labor costs.
The BamCore prefabricated wall system reduces rework from miscommunication, human error, and defective materials, but what about reducing rework from errors in the design process?
Innovate and Build Community
BamCore leverages AutoDesk Forge technology making it easy for teams to collaborate on the design. There has often been a disconnect in the built community between engineers, architects, building designers, contractors, and trades. But by innovating the technology to be intuitive for users, it is easy to meet building code compliance and the owner’s design goals. By synergistically working together, the built environment becomes an efficient community in reducing time, cost, labor, and waste.
How does it work exactly? BamCore adapted “the Forge platform to create the job site application that transforms Revit model data into animated 3D construction plans. By animating a building’s plan, the job site crew members can see the entire construction order from the first panel to the last. The animation can be stopped, started, backed up, or moved ahead at any point. And the details of any specific panel or component can be exploded for further review. The visual building-plan representation removes language barriers and lets project teams use workers with all skill levels, increasing hiring possibilities” and improving quality. -AutoDesk Forge
Efficient Quality
From end to end, The BamCore Way is an actionable method and material to Lean Construction principles. By harnessing highly renewable timber bamboo’s strength, the BamCore Prime Walls reduce a building’s embodied carbon footprint. Coupled with the hollow wall ship-lap design that reduces thermal bridging and air leakage, we also lower operating energy and costs. This efficiency reduces a building’s GHG by approximately 200 metric tons, compared to conventional framing.
The timber bamboo green engineered structural walls have a high vapor transmissivity rate, drying out moisture faster than a conventional wall. This quality reduces the risk of mold in all climate zones for a healthier living environment. Plus, the BamCore Prime Wall is 51% stronger than a conventional 2x6 wall because of the materials and the design. This quality improves safety.
The BamCore customizable structural wall is factory cut to millimeter accuracy for fast and efficient installation, eliminating job-site waste and reducing labor costs. Using innovative technology, the built community can collaborate in an efficient workflow that saves time and reduces design miscommunication, eliminating rework waste at the job site.
The Result?
A healthier, happier, cleaner environment for us to live, work and play in. It’s The BamCore Way.
For more information on BamCore structural walls contact sales@bamcore.com.
