Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
11/09/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 11/09/2024 23:43
Katy Bradford: Cassette approach offers compelling construction solution
September 11, 2024
Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
Katy Bradford is on a mission to revolutionize the construction industry.
Bradford, a doctoral candidate at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Department of Energy Building Technologies Office, or BTO, Innovation in Buildings fellow, is the founder of Cassette Construction, a company in the newest cohort of Innovation Crossroads, a DOE Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program node at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
As an Innovation Crossroads fellow, Bradford and her company will receive technical, financial and networking support to successfully advance the company's products to the marketplace. Bradford's fellowship is co-sponsored by BTO and DOE's Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Office, or AMMTO.
The construction industry is facing surging housing demand, declining productivity and increased demand for lower embodied carbon building materials over traditional building materials. Building construction alone contributes approximately 9% of global carbon emissions, equivalent to three billion tons of CO2 annually. The industry is also facing a significant labor shortage, with 41% of the workforce projected to retire by 2031. These combined factors represent a significant and sustained threat to the United States housing market until new methods and technologies can be leveraged to counteract them.
Bradford and Cassette Construction offer a compelling solution to these challenges.
"Cassette wall panels address these issues through offsite additive manufacturing with low-carbon materials," Bradford said.
Cassette panels are prefabricated, containing components that combine structural supports, insulation and cladding materials. These panels serve as ready-made units for building walls, floors and roofs.
By using bio-based materials derived from rapidly growing plants and waste, these panels are not only cost-effective but also carbon-negative.
"During Innovation Crossroads, Cassette Construction will develop our prototypes to full-scale, leading to the creation of our minimum viable product," she said.
The program provides her with access to ORNL's state-of-the-art facilities, enabling the design and fabrication of a comprehensive additive manufacturing system tailored for offsite construction of wall panels. This system will be rigorously tested to ensure the panels meet performance standards for sustainable, affordable housing.
Through built-in connections, which make panels quick and easy to install, the risk of error in on-site installation is also reduced, which translates to lower costs and increased safety on construction sites, while also improving product quality.
- Katy Bradford, founder of Cassette Construction and an Innovation Crossroads fellow
The potential impact of Cassette Construction's technology on customers and the broader construction industry is substantial, Bradford said. The company's wall panels aim to alleviate pressure on construction schedules by introducing an offsite manufacturing process, which Bradford projects will condense project timelines by up to 15% compared to traditional stick framing methods.
"Through built-in connections, which make panels quick and easy to install, the risk of error in on-site installation is also reduced," Bradford said. This reduction in installation errors translates to lower costs and increased safety on construction sites, while also improving product quality.
Additionally, Cassette Construction's panels could make it easier for builders to achieve green building certifications and meet sustainability goals due to the use of low-cost, low-carbon materials. The company projects that the offsite manufacturing method could significantly reduce on-site labor and minimize connections, addressing the labor shortage issue head-on. This efficiency not only benefits individual construction projects but could also lead to an estimated annual profit boost of $265 billion in the $11.5 trillion construction market, Bradford said.
By addressing critical industry challenges with innovative and sustainable solutions, Bradford is paving the way to a future of responsibly constructed low-cost housing.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science. - Galen Fader