FIOSS by Entekra is one of the off-site construction methodologies being employed today to more rapidly build residential and commercial structures under factory-controlled environments.
Unique to the U.S. market, FIOSS is not a modular building solution, but one that leverages best-in-class technologies for prefabrication, panelization and components and has been perfected by Entekra CEO Gerard McCaughey and his team, which has received numerous patents for off-site methodologies.
As a result, any house style – from colonial to contemporary – can be precision built with FIOSS.
The process for building a FIOSS house encompasses six phases:
Pre-construction
The FIOSS process begins with the builder, architect, engineer, and key suppliers meeting with Entekra to translate construction drawings and plans into the exacting specifications for off-site automated manufacturing. During this phase, design risks are identified and addressed before the first piece of lumber is cut. Bringing together all parties to collaborate as a team at the start of the project eliminates the “not my job” mentality that often leads to costly delays and wasted materials when a structure is stick-framed. Timeframe: 2-3 Weeks.
Design and engineering
Based on the building plans – including the specified doors, windows and utilities – Entekra’s technical team generates detailed CAD drawings for every inch of the house. With local building codes pre-loaded into the computer system, the structure is first constructed virtually to ensure compliance. Continual review of the project specifications during this phase delivers efficiency in cost, material utilization, production planning, logistics and building completion. Timeframe: 4-5 Weeks
Off-site manufacturing
Detailed CAD and CAM files are transferred to the production program for automated manufacturing of the structural components with modern methods of construction. Computer-controlled saws precisely cut materials with tolerances narrower than the width of a typical saw blade and then all the panels for the structure are manufactured under factory-controlled conditions. Timeframe: 1 Day
Delivery
All structural elements are sequentially loaded in reverse order of assembly to facilitate on-site efficiency and safety. Because FIOSS is an open panel system, in which the panels have not been pre-wired or pre-plumbed in the factory, the panels can be stacked horizontally on top of each other for cost-effective transportation to the site. Timeframe: 1 Day
On-site assembly
Structural elements are sequentially off-loaded and assembled by a crew of four framers with the assistance of a crane. The frame of a FIOSS home is erected to plate level on Day 1, with the roof assembled on Days 2 and 3 and frame checking on Day 4. Since it typically takes a crew of five workers 15 days to stick-frame a house of approximately 2,800 square feet, the four-day framing cycle for FIOSS represents a productivity increase of 507 percent in terms of equivalent man-days. Timeframe: 4 Days
Watch this video of a typical first day of framing on a FIOSS site.
Finishing
As soon as the structural shell is weather tight, trades can begin finishing work on both the interior and exterior. Executing this work concurrently is one way FIOSS reduces overall build time by 30 or more days. Other time-savings factors include elimination of design flaws during the Design and Engineering phase and process improvements, such as factory-fitting the insulation. Timeframe: 7 – 8 Weeks