// SYSTEMS-BASED CONSULTING · OFF-SITE MANUFACTURED
Buildings
assembled,
not poured.
The consulting practice of the world's leading experts in the SLI-invented floor and core systems — slab-free floors with no concrete, and pre-manufactured cores that put a permanent elevator to work on day one.
Design & construction experience
Off-site systems development
Concrete in the floor system
Fire-rated assemblies
// WHO WE ARE
The experts on the system, not generalists
World-leading specialists in the design, engineering, manufacturing and implementation of the SLI-invented floor and core systems.
// WHAT WE DO
Engineer floors & cores for off-site delivery
Consulting for developers, architects and contractors: feasibility, design-for-manufacture, and erection sequencing.
// WHY IT MATTERS
Faster, lighter, and out of the critical path
No concrete floors. Factory-plumb cores. Schedules compressed by taking the gating items off site.
// THE FLOOR SYSTEM
[01]A floor plate
with no concrete.
A slab-free, panelized cassette — corrugated form deck, in-floor radiant heat, steel joists, acoustics and a 2-hour fire-rated ceiling — manufactured complete, then craned and bolted into place.
vs. ~50 for concrete
Fire-rated assembly
Size — L × W × H
Concrete in the plate
// THE CORE SYSTEM
[02]An elevator
from day one.
Pre-manufactured elevator shafts and stairwells arrive factory-plumb and square — so the permanent elevator installs early and carries crews and material. No expensive jump car. No grinding crooked concrete. The core stops gating the schedule.
- ▸Factory-welded shafts, verified plumb on their side
- ▸Permanent elevator replaces the temporary construction hoist
- ▸No chipping, shimming or shaving out-of-plumb concrete
- ▸Core lifts off the critical path of the build
// BUILDING SYSTEMS
A complete kit of parts
AVAILABLE OR IN DEVELOPMENT — EVERY MAJOR BUILDING SYSTEM, MANUFACTURED OFF-SITE.
Floor System
A slab-free, panelized floor cassette manufactured off-site with radiant heat, acoustics and MEP integrated. Craned and bolted into place — no concrete.
Building Core System
Two kinds of pre-manufactured core — elevator cores and stairwell cores (wall systems with built-in stairs) — factory-plumb and square so a permanent elevator runs from day one, off the critical path.
Wall Systems
Prefabricated demising and end walls — twin structural panels with 1-hr / 2-hr fire ratings and an interstitial utility chase.
Fire Protection
Fire-safety equipment manufactured into the panels and assemblies to meet international building and fire code.
Exterior Closure
Factory-finished exterior closure with floor-to-ceiling glazing options — weather-tight on placement.
Finish Systems
Entry doors, bathrooms & showers, and wall & ceiling finish systems delivered as complete, pre-finished assemblies.
Low-Voltage Electrical
Low-voltage power, data and building-intelligence cabling integrated into the panel line.
Mechanical Systems
Mechanical equipment and distribution pre-installed in floor, wall and ceiling panels for plug-and-play assembly.
// CONSULTING SERVICES
Where we engage
Arlan Collins and the Floors & Cores team advise teams ready to move from conventional construction to a systems-based approach.
Feasibility & Systems Strategy
Assess a project for off-site delivery: which systems apply, schedule and cost impact, and the path from conventional design to a systems-based approach.
Floor & Core Engineering
Engineering support for slab-free floor cassettes and pre-manufactured cores — connections, fire-rating, tolerances and crane / bolt sequencing.
Design-for-Manufacture
Translate architecture into a manufacturable kit-of-parts. Revit / BIM coordination, panelization, and factory-to-site logistics.
Construction Sequencing
Take the core off the critical path. Plan pick-and-place erection, day-one elevator use, and parallel trades to compress the schedule.
// PROVEN IN THE FIELD
Built with these systems
303 Battery
Belltown, Seattle, WA
The world's first Net Zero Energy multifamily high-rise — pre-certified under the Living Building Challenge. Built from ~900 manufactured panels across ~10 panel types.
VIEW PROJECT ↗6 stories · 24 units47 + 7
4558 7th Ave NE, U-District, Seattle, WA
The first completed building using the system — up in five months from slab-on-grade. Multiple design and structural-engineering awards.
VIEW PROJECT ↗124 unitsBurbridge Place
Permanent Supportive Housing · Seattle, WA
Permanent supportive housing delivered with load-bearing panels, in partnership with the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC).
VIEW PROJECT ↗// THE EXPERIENCE BEHIND IT
Decades of
systems building.
The team behind Floors & Cores brings a half-century in design and construction and deep experience inventing and refining the SLI floor and core systems — now the world's foremost experts in delivering them, proven on real buildings from low-rise to high-rise.
Design & construction
Off-site systems R&D
Building systems
Concrete poured