Innovative building construction technique: Modified up/down method

The up/down construction method has great potential to shorten construction time. Until several years ago, this method had rarely been used in the United States. Recently, however, it has emerged, being applied in several projects, and its effectiveness in saving construction time is being proven. While efficient in terms of scheduling, the up/down method poses some disadvantages and risks for the contractor due to its unusual and complicated construction procedures. Various modifications of the up/down technique can be devised to accommodate project conditions and the contractor's experience and familiarity with a given construction methodology. This paper presents a modified up/down method that depends on more conventional construction techniques, but that can still result in significant construction time savings. A real construction project is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the modified up/down method in terms of construction time saving and practical cost considerations. Applying the method presented in this paper provides an easy and useful way for the contractor to shorten construction duration and, in the long run, reduce costs.