Masonry Magazine October 1978 Page. 20
RIGID FRAME CONSTRUCTION
continued from page 19
efits not only for his own contracting business but for his Wisconsin protege as well. With some modification of Simmons' system, particularly in the roof design, Prossen thus far has constructed approximately 40 Rigid Frame buildings in Wisconsin, with eight others in various design, development and negotiation stages. The Brookfield Industrial Park, for instance, is built entirely of masonry buildings and features 7 of Prossen's Rigid Frames. "One metal building manufacturer was so impressed with the masonry construction in the park," Prossen chuckles, "he put up an all-masonry building of his own."
While metal building manufacturers make a big point about speed of construction with their system, Prossen has put up a concrete block industrial building in only 28 days from groundbreaking. "What the metal people don't talk about is delivery time, which can take up to several months," he points out. "Normal delivery time for a metal building is five to eight weeks. In that period of time I can have a masonry building erected and dried in before they get delivery on their steel."
Other major considerations when comparing the two systems are energy savings and fire ratings. Based on a 10,000-square-foot building located in Wisconsin, a 12" concrete pre-insulated block wall and 10" prestressed roof plank with 14" insulation has a heat loss of 117,760 btu's per hour. This same area with 1/56"-thick metal with 3" insulation and a 3" insulated metal truss roof has a heat loss per hour of 192.640 btu's."
Fire ratings are an equally significant factor when using concrete masonry. In a multi-tenant commercial building, for example, the use of masonry fire walls to divide the space into separate fire areas can achieve very beneficial cost savings if these fire walls form a complete building separation-something that can be readily accomplished with concrete masonry.
Rigid Frame construction is especially adaptable to warehouses, and this application is designed into the basic building module from the start-not after the building is
"Source: A Businessman's Guide to Fire Insurance Cost by Raymond M. Marker.
up. For example, the concrete masonry walls have the integrity to support crane rails directly, eliminating the costly extra framing which a crane would require in a metal building. The haunches, too, are incorporated into the support columns to carry the rails in 25' bays.
The warehouse facilities as well as the other Rigid. Frame structures also have knock-out panels built into the walls where necessary to allow for easy future expansion. "A bulldozer can knock out these panels in short order, as opposed to dismantling a metal building," Prossen explains.
A graduate of Marquette University with a degree in business administration. Prossen started in business in 1969 as a mason and concrete contractor. Before that he had spent several years in industrial management with. two nationally known firms.
His masonry experience led to his acquaintanceship with Bob Simmons, whose modular approach to masonry construction impressed Prossen. "At that time," Prossen says, "I was looking for a unique masonry product, not one that would compete with other mason contractors but would supplement their work. Bob's system fit my bill."
His initial project. purely on an experimental basis. was for a neighbor who wanted a small building to house a printing plant. Relying on Simmons' technique. Prossen designed and constructed the building on land he had purchased for a planned industrial park in the Milwaukee suburb of Pewaukee. Encouraged by the success of his first building. Prossen built a 101' 4" x 100' warehouse, with 50 bays, solely as a model for Rigid Frame masonry con- struction. The acceptance was so swift, he soon was com missioned by owners to construct six more buildings and put additions on three others. Both the Pewaukee indus- trial park and mason contractor Prossen were on their way.
Appraising the growing acceptance of Rigid Frame. masonry construction, Prossen sums up: "It is so superior to a metal building and other construction systems that you can't afford not to buy it from the standpoint of long- range returns. I will not, however, discuss comparative building costs."
NOTE: Special thanks to the National Concrete Masonry Association for its assistance in providing the photos and other materials in the preparation of this article.-ED.
(Left) Close-up of striated, through-the-wall 8"x12" x 16" preinsulated concrete masonry units. (Right) Interior view of a light manufacturing facility recently constructed by Prossen for a New Berlin (Wis.) corporation. The president of the firm wrote him: "I'd like to take the opportunity to tell you how pleased we are with your building...no less than fantastic. I shudder to think how close we came to building a steel structure. Despite the fact we're heating twice the volume of space (in our new building), the heating bills aren't that much different.... You told me about the insurance savings, but to be truthful I just couldn't believe you. I do now."
20 MASONRY/OCTOBER, 1978