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 will offer 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 will frame 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. Exchange is projected to open in the spring of 2023.

Highlights

• First, the foundations and two core walls were constructed. Next, each steel-framed floorplate with concrete slab on metal deck is constructed at grade and then lifted to elevation via strandjacks mounted to the tops of the core walls.
• Once a floor is lifted into place, the floor plate is locked into the core walls and the jacks are 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 are installed at ground level, so once the floors are locked into place they are fully sealed and conditioned.
• This construction method eliminates the need for interior columns, creating wide open floor space within the units.