About the tour
Most of a building's envelope doesn't have to be built outdoors, in the weather, one stick at a time. At 4C Construction Systems' manufacturing facility in Hayward, exterior walls, interior partitions, and roof and floor framing are fabricated as complete components — framing, cavity insulation, continuous exterior insulation, sheathing and factory-applied weather protection — then packaged, sequenced, delivered and installed on site in days rather than weeks.
During this tour, 4C co-founders Yonah Naftaly, a licensed general contractor, and Denny Skripchenko, an architect, will walk participants through a live production line as wood- and steel-framed exterior panels are being built. At a full-size mockup of both systems, attendees will compare 4C ECO, a wood-framed panel for Type V construction detailed for thermal performance, with 4C SAFE, a steel-framed panel used in 1-hour and 2-hour fire-resistance-rated assemblies with tested UL / ICC-ES listings, suited to wildfire-prone Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) sites.
The session will also address how prefabrication and panelization can serve projects of almost any size and type, from a single-family home or ADU to multifamily housing, and what changes for the architect when the envelope is manufactured rather than site-built.
Before you come
- Wear closed-toe shoes. This is a working factory; safety glasses and hi-vis vests are provided.
- Plan your ride. The on-site side lot holds 10 cars, so carpooling is encouraged.
- Lunch is provided after the tour.
- 1 AIA LU|HSW. Add your AIA member number on the form for credit reporting.
