Technology & Innovation

It’s Time for a Revolution

And Prescient is taking up the charge of revolutionizing the construction industry, starting with multi-unit structures for the Apartment, Hospitality, Student Housing and Senior Living Markets.

Starting with Technology

Prescient is first and foremost a digital technology company. More than 200 software, engineering and design professionals are at work full time at Prescient’s Global Technology Center, developing and advancing new systems that unify, simply and speed the design and construction process, all through Prescient’s Digital Thread. Prescient holds 103 patents on its technology, with 75 patents currently pending.

And Rethinking Manufacturing

Next, Prescient is an advanced manufacturing company, with highly automated, robotic plants in Colorado and North Carolina. Prescient’s Digital Thread translates three-dimensional, architectural drawings to the manufacturing plants’ automated cutting and forming equipment, which then transforms U.S.-made, high-recycled-content, cold-formed steel into the posts, panels, trusses, floor decking, and connections that form the Prescient Structural System, precise to within 1/32”.

Then Building It Faster, Better, Cheaper & Greener

Completing the process, Prescient is a structural assembly and installation company. The custom-manufactured components for each project are staged at the plant, and the procurement logistics team, with a fleet of trucks, carry just the right components needed at each stage of construction for just-in-time delivery to the job site. Trained and certified installation teams then assemble the Prescient structural components, each bar-coded to guide the process, delivering an efficient, accelerated framing process that takes months off a project’s schedule.

Software Technology

Prescient’s Digital Thread

The Digital Thread is Prescient’s proprietary software system that interconnects all of a project’s components, processes and team members.  Starting with the 3D BIM drawings, the Digital Thread incorporates 4D BIM to extract and visualize the progress of a project throughout its lifetime for all project team members. This supports communication, optimizes the schedule, and provides alerts about potential risks.

The Digital Thread takes it a step further utilizing 5D BIM to extract and analyze costs, and to evaluate scenarios considering the impact of changes. This system enhancement enables more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable construction environments. Simply put, 5D BIM = 3D BIM + Time Schedule + Cost.

The Digital Thread incorporates:

  • Design Optimization
  • MEP Conflict Elimination
  • Structural Engineering
  • Cost Estimation
  • Schedule Estimation
  • 5D BIM Design Output
  • Manufacturing Files
  • Logistics
  • Installation Plans

Hardware Technology

The Unified Truss Configuration System (UTCS) is the physical foundation of the Prescient system. It comprises light-gauge, steel-framed wall panels and trusses, and cold-rolled galvanized steel posts. The UTCS is unique in that it effectively supports and transfers vertical and lateral forces from the walls, floor, ceiling, and roof to its redundant and dense post system. This eliminates the need for hot-formed structural steel and concrete as part of a building’s structural system, resulting in a much lighter and more materially efficient structure.

Seismic Certification

Prescient is certified to be used in seismic zones with structures up to twelve stories over podium and up to 180 feet in total height.

The Prescient System has a number of advantages in seismic zones, including:

  • Low Building Weight (40% of a similar structure in concrete)
  • High Redundancy of Structural Components
  • High Ductility of the Prescient Structure
  • High Predictability of Individual Component Structural Performance

Prescient has collected more than 500 million data points in 950 tests to validate the integrity of our system under pressures equal to or greater than the largest seismic events in history.

Integrated Stairway Shafts and Stairways

Prescient stairs are installed as each level of Prescient framing goes vertical. Having working staircases throughout the project significantly increases worker efficiency and safety on the job site.

Prescient Balconies

Prescient offers precast concrete and steel balconies in three different styles: Cantilevered, Inset, and French. Installation can be done as the building goes vertical, just another way Prescient saves both time and money on a project.

Integrated Shafts and Elevator Systems

Elevator shafts and railings are incorporated into every Prescient design. A strategic partnership with KONE takes elevator integration to a new level, significantly reducing the amount of labor required to install the final elevator. This efficiency results in lower project costs and further reduces the project schedule.