After surviving the missile test, the design load was estimated to be able to withstand winds of up to 275 mph. To determine the product’s flexural strength under wind, a test lab shot a wood 2x4 going 55 mph at a Renco wall. Murphy adds that because workers don’t require any specialized training-the MCFR system uses color-coded plans and 3D models of the interlocking system that new workers can easily follow-the system is an economical choice for the contractor from a labor perspective as well as in terms of tools and materials. “As we did that, making a building with it got faster and easier, and … the building got stronger each time.” “We had to keep changing it to make it better and easier to work with,” he says. “We worked on this for more than 10 years,” Murphy tells ENR. Connections (above) were seismically tested to failure and revealed elastic but strong bonds within the overall building system. These steel molds form the blocks and decks from raw materials such as recycled crushed glass. Renco USA’s mineral composite, fiber-reinforced wall, floor and roof sections (below) are manufactured in a process similar to injection molding in the company’s facility in Jupiter, Fla. The project’s construction-or, to be more precise, its assembly-has required a crew of only about 11 workers with varying levels of skill and experience to erect the three-story buildings using only the manufactured materials and its proprietary adhesive. Miami-based architectural firm Arquitectonica designed the project. Renco co-founder Tom Murphy, Jr., is also founder, chairman and CEO of Coastal Construction Group, which ranked 169th on ENR’s 2023 Top 400 Contractors list. Construction of the 96-unit development is being managed by Coastal Construction. via a $21-million, four-building multifamily project now nearing completion in Palm Springs, Fla., near West Palm Beach. Now, Renco is putting its product to the test in the U.S. Renco has further tested its product by constructing a variety of prototype structures in other countries, including Turkey, where the material was initially fabricated. Extensive testing of the relatively lightweight material has shown it to be exceptionally strong, while also exhibiting other properties indicative of long-term durability. Importantly, once it has been molded into blocks or other shapes, MCFR performs well. The 3D model of Renco USA’s Lakewood Road project shows each MCRF brick, deck piece and roofing joist, and is color coded to show the construction sequence and which piece goes where. No heavy cutting, welding or masonry work is needed, and trade contractors installing mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment can use the same methods as in conventional concrete or steel construction to hang conduit and install ducts, piping, wiring or junction boxes. What fuses the MCFR pieces together is a methyl methacrylate bonding agent, similar to that already used for aerospace, marine and large truck connections. This approach lets the company form the material into any shape necessary, from building blocks for walls that lock together, to roof beams, joists and floor decking that connect in similar ways. The construction materials-which are a combination of recycled glass fibers, resin and naturally occurring calcium compounds-are manufactured in Renco’s Jupiter, Fla., manufacturing facility using a process similar to injection molding. Renco USA is manufacturing a patented mineral composite, fiber-reinforced (MCFR) building system that uses blocks that interlock like Lego bricks to create everything from structural walls to floors and roofs. But as ongoing labor shortages and volatile markets for both structural steel and concrete continue to hamper estimators’ attempts to keep costs down, a Florida-based company is putting together an alternative building system, block by glass fiber-reinforced block. Steel and concrete have been the dominant materials for structural uses for the last hundred years, with the addition in multistory construction over the last 30 years of glulam and cross-laminated timber. Manufacturers of Prefab Tackle a Skeptical Marketplace Contractors Make a Bet on Prefab and Modular
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