Press Releases April 1, 2021

Level 10 Construction’s 200 Park High-Rise Begins Using SpeedCore: 2nd project in the U.S. to use the structural core system

Source: Level 10 Construction

Level 10 Construction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Jill Lonergan
NorCal Marketing Director
(408) 663-2167 or jlonergan@level10gc.com

 

Level 10 Constructions 200 Park High-Rise Begins Using SpeedCore

2nd project in U.S. to use the revolutionary structural core system

 

“It is direct investments in innovations, like SpeedCore, that can save millions of dollars in construction costs, allow for earlier occupancy of a new building, and be built with materials produced in the USA.”—Evan Bayh, former U.S. senator and governor of Indiana, in RealClearPolitics, November 18, 2020

 

SUNNYVALE, CA. April 1, 2021—What is SpeedCore? Technically, it’s a Concrete-Filled Composite Plate Shear Wall (CF-CPSW) system. In laymen’s terms, it’s a faster, safer, and more efficient way of building a high-rise, and it’s being used for only the 2nd time in the country on Level 10’s 200 Park project in downtown San Jose.

 

Ron Klemencic, Chairman and CEO of Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), and a group of AEC colleagues took an established, open-source idea—filling prefabricated steel plates with concrete to create a building’s core—and elevated it by using the system on a high-rise: the 58-story Rainier Square Redevelopment in Seattle. The system enabled the team to erect the building’s core nine months ahead of schedule compared to the traditional method.

 

Recognizing the cost savings and schedule efficiencies of the system, Level 10 Partner/VP Operations Casey Wend pitched the idea to the developer, Jay Paul Company, for the construction of 200 Park, and the decision was made for the 19-story project to use SpeedCore. Project partners include MKA (structural engineer), Gensler (architect), and Schuff Steel (steel fabricator and erector).

 

The SpeedCore system relies on two steel plates connected with steel cross ties, which is then filled with high-strength concrete. The modular nature of these prefabricated “sandwich” panels allows for faster erection speed since the system provides stability without requiring traditional rebar reinforcing or the temporary formwork of a typical concrete core, and progress is not dependent on concrete curing times.

 

The 200 Park SpeedCore system began in February when the crew installed a mock-up of the pre-fabricated panels that will hold the concrete. See video here: https://vimeo.com/514068489

 

In March, working closely with MKA, Gensler, Schuff Steel, and Jay Paul Company, Level 10 created a 3-D conceptual video of the structural steel sequence. That video can be found here: https://vimeo.com/514068489. In the video, Partner/VP Operations Kevin Englund says, “The use of SpeedCore can help the team save (approx.) three months on the overall construction schedule” for the 200 Park project.

 

Want to know more about SpeedCore? The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) has a great webpage on the system: https://www.aisc.org/why-steel/innovative-systems/SpeedCore/

 

###

 

Level 10 Construction is a full-service general contractor with offices throughout California, including Sunnyvale, San Francisco and San Diego. An ENR California Contractor of the Year, Level 10 is focused on providing innovative facilities to the corporate, healthcare, education, hospitality, cultural, entertainment, technology, life science and mixed-use residential markets. Level 10 offers a full range of services, including preconstruction, design-build and integrated project delivery, self-performed concrete work, MEP and commissioning services, BIM services, green construction and Lean construction practices. Level 10’s core mission is to build at the highest level, which means delivering projects safety, on time and within budget, but which also means  discovering new efficiencies and value for our clients.