The power of panelization

By Emma Peterson. 

How offsite fabrication is streamlining construction timelines and reducing on‑site challenges. 

In a new episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Karen Edwards sat down with Dan Ozuna of Tremco CPG to talk about the growing momentum behind panelized exterior wall assemblies. Dan is the vice president of panel systems at Tremco, making him the perfect person to ask about this topic. He opened the conversation by explaining what panelized exterior wall assemblies are:  

Per definition, it's offsite fabrication of building components and assembly of these components in a controlled environment. In other words, it's when you fabricate larger units that are delivered to the construction site post-formation, ready to install right away. 

There are a variety of reasons that contractors and specifiers are starting to work more with these types of panel assemblies, but for Dan there is one big one, “They’re speeding up construction schedules because they're so efficient.”  

So, how do panelized exterior wall assemblies make a job site more efficient and timelines faster? When these panel units, which can measure as large as 8 feet wide and 40 feet tall, arrive to a site, they include things like sub-framing, a weather-resistant barrier, thermal girts, insulation and more. By putting these elements together prior to arrival on site, you avoid a variety of traditional issues related to weather restrictions.  

Dan explained: “There's a lot of materials that are temperature controlled, for example, sealants or weather barriers need to be applied at certain temperatures or not below certain temperatures. By building in a controlled environment and not in the field, you're not dependent on the weather anymore.” 

Additionally, by doing a lot of the assembly off-site, contractors can have less materials and equipment sitting at their sites. This avoids issues like space limitations or even damage to equipment/materials due to the elements.  

At the end of the day, panelized exterior wall assemblies are a great example of innovation and collaboration across the trades. Rather than having to store materials on site and wait as different specialists came to the site, weather-allowing, to install a layer of the building envelope, you can get panelized exterior wall assemblies that are ready to go up precisely when you need them.  

To learn more about panelized exterior wall assemblies, listen to the whole podcast with Dan.