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Panel fabrication plant ‘brings green to the market’
By Holly Fisher
Contributing Writer
A desire to promote green building projects led Verdi Architecture to expand its firm into development and construction. Now it is entering the fabrication business, opening a plant in the Summerville area.
Verdi Building Systems, located in the Benchmark Industrial Park on U.S. Highway 78, will fabricate structural insulated panels. These panels are crafted like an ice cream sandwich, explains David Hill, co-owner of Verdi. They have two pieces of oriented strand board on the outside with rigid foam insulation in the center. SIPs are more energy efficient and stronger than traditional building materials.
The panels have been around since the 1950s, says Amy Hill, Verdi co-owner, but the building industry is beginning to use them more.
The Hills say they are hoping to “bring green to the market” and make SIPs more accessible to contractors building anything from a modest home to a 20-story office building. Most SIP manufacturers take the raw materials and ship them off to builders to use how they see fit, David Hill says.
One of the problems with that process, he says, is the manufacturers may only offer limited technical support.
“It’s a hurdle to convince builders that it’s cost-effective and to get subcontractors to support (SIPs),” Amy Hill says. “We design, and we build with it. Our focus is on how to make it easy for contractors to use.”
Some builders may resist the panels because the upfront cost seems higher. David Hill says it costs 10% to 15% more for the materials, but SIPs speed up the building process, so there is a 30% savings in labor costs, particularly if the building is initially designed with SIPs in mind.
Verdi, which started in 1997, has been using SIPs for at least 12 years in its architectural firm, which led to the creation of The Verdi Group, the real estate and development arm of the company.
“Our focus is on green building, and you can tell people (about green building), but we wanted to show people, so we have the architectural firm with a development arm,” Amy Hill explains. Now with the fabrication plant, they can control the fabrication of their panels, along with the price of SIPs, she says.
Providing support
Since the Hills have experience designing and building with SIPs, they can provide additional support and information to builders.
“We do use them, so we have the field knowledge,” David Hill says. “We have the integrated design capabilities. We can design a building to use SIPs efficiently.”
The new Verdi Buildings Systems will allow for more efficient use of SIPs, the Hills explain. For the first 12 to18 months of operation, they will purchase uncut panels and then custom cut them for construction. The panels will be cut to accommodate doors and windows and also cut to fit together easily.
Cutting the panels in the 10,000-square-foot warehouse rather than on the job site reduces construction time and eliminates waste, the Hills say. The panels are numbered or lettered, so the construction crew only has to look at the plans to fit panel No. 1 to panel No. 2 and so forth.
“We hope to eventually manufacture the panels, but we want to perfect the fabrication first,” Amy Hill says.
Affordable energy savings
A building made with SIPs is more energy efficient and needs only half the A/C unit compared to that of a building made with traditional stud framing and fiberglass insulation.
The Hills say, while they are environmentalists, they are businesspeople first. They realize most people will not pay more for a green product. “We want to provide a good product, but it has to be something people can afford,” Amy Hill says.
SIPs have been promoted more within the luxury market, such as custom timber frame homes.
“The pricing hasn’t been very competitive, but that is changing,” David Hill says. “We do luxury homes, but we’re here to deliver this (to more markets). We’re bringing green to the market.”
Verdi Building Systems will have its grand opening in June, and the Hills expect to hire a four-person construction crew soon. Verdi has seven employees in its various business groups, but David Hill expects to hire about 10 people by the end of the year.
As part of the company’s plans, it will relocate its Daniel Island and Summerville operations to the new fabrication plant. Verdi will continue to maintain, at least for several months, an office in Asheville, N.C. The company also has first shot at a new facility that is being constructed near the new plant to allow room for expansion.
“This plant is tying it all together. It’s where we’ve been headed,” Amy Hill says. “We’re bringing (SIPs) to the contractors and the fabrication level.”
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