Advantages of The Wide Module Structural System

CECOCONCRETE.
COM
ADVANTAGES OF THE WIDE MODULE STRUCTURAL SYSTEM
Reduced Initial Cost

• Recent case studies show $5+ per sf in initial cost savings vs. structural steel on office, healthcare
and higher education projects of approximately 80,000 sf+ throughout the West
Reduced Schedule and Better Cash Flow

• With concrete you can start immediately - no need to wait for fabrication
• Finish trades come right behind us - no need to wait for slab on metal deck and fireproofing
• No exorbitant costs from changes incurred between placing the mill order and breaking ground
• There are no up-front costs for fabrication, you pay as you build
Increased Flexibility
• Changes, penetrations and irregular shapes are easy to accommodate - right up to the pour
• Superior rigidity enables movement of air handlers and imaging equipment without added cost
• Bolster areas needing increased flexibility for less than $.50 per sf
• Embed Unistrut for ultimate MEP flexibility in every room, and blue bangers are a snap
Energy Cost Savings

• The thermal mass of cast-in-place concrete in the frame alone can save 3-9% on total annual energy
costs (“Modelling Energy Performance for LEED” by Medgar Marceau, “Modelling Thermal Mass” by Mas-
sachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT), saving operational costs
• Reducing energy use reduces the initial cost of the HVAC system by approximately $.20 per sf per 3% of
energy use reduction
• The wide module easily facilitates hybrid or full hydronic systems which work very efficiently with the
thermal mass of concrete to decrease energy use up to 30-35%.
• The wide module cuts approximately 6” - 14” from each floor, reducing space requiring heating and cool-
ing and reducing the length of MEP runs - in addition to reducing costly skin
Reduced Life Cycle Impact and Reduced Life Cycle Cost

• Much lower embodied energy than structural steel (1.5 mj/kg vs. 32 mj/kg)
• Much better Life Cycle Analysis than steel (“Life Cycle Analysis of Buildings,” MIT)
More Sustainable
• A concrete frame can help garner many LEED points a steel frame cannot - approximately 5-12 points in
CECOCONCRETE.COM
WIDE MODULE FRAME

Wide Module Forms are nonproprietary and are available in standard 53” and 66” widths. When used with 7” and 6” joists
they produce 5’ and 6’ joist centers respectively, although any joist width or beam width can be used in combination
with standard width pans by simply spacing the pans out further apart and/or decreasing the overall length of voids.
Forms used for this structural system can either be segmented for non-exposed finishes
(most economical – and may be acceptable if architect desires a “rough” finish with offsets
up to 1”) or bay-length forms for exposed finishes (may be less economical if custom
lengths are required).
Using hard-rock concrete, a two-hour fire rating can be

achieved with slabs 4-5/8” thick, although generally a 5” slab
is used. When placed over pans ranging in depth from 14” to
24”, this gives an overall system depth of 19” to 29”. Shallower
systems are appropriate for spans in the 25’ to 35’ range, while deeper depths are appropriate
for spans in the 35’-45’ range.
Live load designs well over 100 psf can be achieved with this system. Concrete
“equivalent” thicknesses will range from 8” to 12” and reinforcing quantities will be
lighter than other cast-in-place systems with similar design requirements (flat plate
or beam-and-slab), thus reducing concrete material, rebar material, and foundation
design requirements over these other structural designs.
The wide module design is also extremely rigid due to its depth, yielding negligible
deflections. All these benefits make the wide module design a very economical
option for a variety of long-span and/or heavily loaded structures such as hospitals, office buildings, courthouses, lab
buildings, classrooms, data centers, libraries and stadiums.
Voids Created with 53” Design Wide Module Long Form Concrete
Module Quantities for 53” and 66” Void Widths
Depth of Void Cubic feet of void created
per linear foot
Depth of Width Cubic feet of concrete per square foot for 4
Steelform of Joist 1/2” thick topping slab*
14” Not Available 53” Void 66” Void
16” 5.741 14” 5” .491

9” Not Available .533
20” 7.130 12” .572
24” 8.500 16” 6” .541 .511

9” .597 .559
12” .648 .603
Voids Created with 66” Design 20” 6” .592 .553

9” .662 .612
Module 12” .725 .667
Depth of Void Cubic feet of void created
per linear foot 24” 6” .646 .597
9” .730 .668
12” .806 .734
14” 6.303
16” 7.185
20” 8.935
24” 10.667

Advantages of The Wide Module Structural System

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Advantages of The Wide Module Structural System

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Advantages of The Wide Module Structural System

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

CECOCONCRETE.

ADVANTAGES OF THE WIDE MODULE STRUCTURAL SYSTEM

Reduced Initial Cost

Reduced Schedule and Better Cash Flow

Energy Cost Savings

Reduced Life Cycle Impact and Reduced Life Cycle Cost

WIDE MODULE FRAME

Using hard-rock concrete, a two-hour fire rating can be

14” Not Available 53” Void 66” Void

16” 5.741 14” 5” .491

24” 8.500 16” 6” .541 .511

Voids Created with 66” Design 20” 6” .592 .553

You might also like