 Voice of the steel framing industry With no space to stage materials or store deliveries, a tight budget and an ambitious construction timeline, the 7-story, 85-unit West Point Apartments II located in the heart of downtown Tucson, Arizona, faced the kind of constraints that make many mid-rise, multifamily projects tough to execute. At 77,000 square feet, the project needed more than creativity in design — it needed a construction strategy that aligned with its financial model.
The original plan — five stories of wood atop a two‑story concrete podium — was typical for this building type, but feasibility analysis showed it wouldn’t work. The concrete work, transfer framing, red iron requirements, intertrade sequencing and construction timeline would introduce costs that would push the boundaries of the project’s budget. Additional costs — such as builders’ risk premiums, long-term property insurance for a combustible structure, and ongoing maintenance from wood framing that warps, molds and attracts pests — pushed the project beyond its proforma limits.
The answer was clear: Prefabricated, panelized cold-formed steel (CFS) framing was the obvious choice to make the project a success.
 The 7-story West Point Apartments II building is located in downtown Tucson, Arizona.  Through its prefab expertise, SFIA member Industrialized Construction Solutions saved 3 months on the overall schedule. Rethinking the Framing Approach
By engineering the building into a full 7-story load bearing, panelized CFS system, SFIA member Industrialized Construction Solutions, the project’s structural engineer of record and prefab CFS specialty engineer, eliminated the need for a podium entirely.
ICS worked closely with the project architect, Carhuff & Cueva, to program the first floor amenity spaces to allow for full vertical load bearing from the apartments above through to the foundation — removing the need for any transfer framing that would have called for reinforced concrete or red iron solutions. The only red iron used in the building occurred at some wide flange portal moment frames that transferred bearing and lateral loads to the foundation at a few isolated storefront window openings.
Steel sheet metal shear walls were used for the building’s seismic and wind force resisting system. This lightweight and ductile system allowed for flexibility to punch openings at windows and doorways, and leverage the long interior corridor run to reduce overturning demands to the shear wall hold-downs and foundations.
The framing solution included prefabricated wall panels and kitted precut CFS floor framing, all produced using CNC rollforming technology, fabricated, delivered and installed on a just-in-time basis by Tori Contracting. Without needing space for staging or material laydown, the project advanced upward efficiently — maintaining site safety, streamlining workflow control and reducing the delays and costs of securing off-site storage near the constrained downtown lot.
 A load bearing, panelized cold-formed steel (CFS) system eliminated the need for a podium.  Steel sheet metal shear walls were used for the building’s seismic and wind force resisting system. CFS Framing Saves Three Months
As a specialist in prefab CFS engineering, design, fabrication and installation, ICS leveraged its self-developed software tools to translate the structural Revit model into a full digital framing model. This final framing model drove Tori Contracting’s CNC roll former, eliminating the risks of human error in the translation from design to fabrication. The digital framing model ensured each panel fit precisely within required tolerances, eliminating costly installation delays onsite.
With consistent panel tolerances, smart sequencing and no surprise schedule delays, the 7-story framing was completed in just 78 days, saving roughly three months on the overall schedule. Those time savings translated into significant cost savings:
- Reduced general conditions
- Trimmed overhead
- Lower contractor’s liability insurance due to shortened exposure and noncombustible framing
- Earlier revenue stream for the owner
The CFS floor framing was also a key contributor. The original plan, which called for a concrete-filled metal deck, was replaced with long-span CFS c-joists. These were kitted and bundled for rapid onsite erection. The CFS joists were paired with noncombustible Structocrete structural subfloor sheathing. This assembly met the project’s acoustic and fire-rating specifications and allowed the build to proceed without wet trades or curing delays. It also introduced savings in the foundations and seismic lateral systems due to its lighter mass.
Tori Contracting’s use of in-house CNC roll forming and pre-tooling technology eliminated the need for time-consuming hand tooling. It also allowed crews to produce their own heavy CFS sections on demand, avoiding supply chain delays and bottlenecks.
 The original plan, which called for a concrete-filled metal deck, was replaced with long-span cold-formed steel (CFS) c-joists. $1 Million in Red Iron Cost Savings
At high-load locations, such as balconies and shear wall hold-downs, ICS replaced HSS framing with built-up CFS stud packs. This saved over $1 million in red iron costs.
Sheathing was field-applied post-installation to reduce panel weight and ease handling of the wall panels. The wall panels were craned in bundles to their floor plates. There, 2 crew members placed the panels by hand in position without the need for additional heavy equipment or extended crane time, which would have been required if sheathing had been added ahead of time.
In the end, West Point Apartments II is a technical success — and a financial proof point. By aligning its prefabrication construction approach with budget constraints, schedule demands and site constraints, the project showed how a smart material strategy can directly impact the bottom line.
Rapid logistics, CNC precision and noncombustible nature of prefabricated, panelized CFS construction offer developers a clear path to unlocking challenging proformas.
 The original plan — five stories of wood atop a two‑story concrete podium — was typical for this building type, but feasibility analysis showed it would overrun the project’s budget.  The prefabricated cold-formed steel (CFS) wall panels and kitted precut CFS floor framing were delivered and installed on a just-in-time basis.  The wall panels were craned in bundles to their floor plates.  The 7-story framing was completed in just 78 days, saving roughly three months on the overall schedule.  Cold-formed steel (CFS) lowered the contractor’s liability insurance due to its noncombustibilty. Additional Resources
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