Exchange Detroit

Overview

Exchange Detroit showcases the first North American application of the LIFTbuild approach to high-rise construction, a top-down method where each floor is assembled on the ground and then lifted and locked into place. The benefits of the LIFTbuild technique include improved worker safety, jobsite efficiency and significantly faster completion as compared to conventional construction methods.

The project offers 153 residential rental units, 12 for-sale condominiums, ground-level rental office suite and retail space totaling 166,742 square feet. Each unit within Exchange frames impressive views of the Detroit cityscape.

We provided structural, construction engineering and façade engineering services to Ghafari Associates for the residential tower, which utilizes 16 levels of LIFTbuild floor construction overtop a two-story conventionally constructed podium. 

Highlights

• First, the foundations and two core walls were constructed. Next, each steel-framed floorplate with concrete slab on metal deck was constructed at grade and then lifted to elevation via strandjacks mounted to the tops of the core walls.
• Once a floor was lifted into place, the floor plate was locked into the core walls and the jacks were lowered down to lift the next floor plate.
• Each floorplate weighs approximately one million pounds and can be raised at a speed of 25 feet per hour.
• The façade, floor finishes, fire-protection and most MEP distributions were installed at ground level, so once the floors were locked into place, they were fully sealed and conditioned.
• This construction method eliminates the need for interior columns, creating wide open floor space within the units.