SLS Building Systems – Hotel Henrietta, New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
SLS Building Systems, LLC helps deliver a luxury hotel four months ahead of schedule using Howick roll-forming technology.
Project summary
- Partner: SLS Building Systems, LLC
- Challenge: Aggressive schedule, high-spec façade, tight budget
- Solution: Offsite panelised cold formed steel framing with a seamless digital-to-physical workflow
- Machines used: Howick FRAMATM 5600 and FRAMATM 3200
- Result: Four floors of load bearing panels and composite metal deck delivered and installed:
- Completed in 3 months, twice as fast as traditional methods
- Completed by 5–6 crew members, 66% less labour than traditional methods
- Zero rework on critical aesthetic features
The project
In the middle of New Orleans’ historic Uptown district, a new boutique hotel has raised the bar for modern construction efficiency. Hotel Henrietta at 3500 St. Charles Avenue is a Michelin awarded five-story luxury hotel that blends classic Southern charm with modern performance. Developed on a prominent corner site, it needed to maintain strict aesthetic standards while staying on budget and on time.
With a 16-month schedule and exacting design details, particularly around the distinctive window openings, the project demanded precision, speed, and flawless execution.
Compressing time with panelised performance
To achieve this ambitious goal, the project team called on SLS Building Systems, LLC, a prefabrication specialist with a track record of delivering high-performance buildings using cold formed steel framing. While the ground floor featured a structural steel podium, the upper four floors were constructed using SLS’s prefabricated load-bearing metal stud panels, manufactured on Howick FRAMATM 5600 and FRAMATM 3200 roll-forming machines.
These were fabricated offsite to exact dimensions, shipped to site, and installed by a lean team of just 5–6 workers in just 3 months.
“Had the project been traditionally framed without prefabricated metal stud wall panels, the same 4 floors of load bearing construction would have taken 7 to 8 months with triple the onsite manpower”
Digital design meets precision fabrication
SLS Building Systems, LLC used Autodesk Revit with Graitec Strucsoft framing software to design and coordinate the framing. The seamless integration with Howick’s machines meant every component was labelled and tracked for easy assembly on site. This ensured that critical design elements like the highly specific window rough openings were built exactly to specification with no rework needed.
Results that speak for themselves
Both the client and general contractor (GC) were new to offsite panelisation and were impressed with the results. The project was completed four months ahead of schedule, and SLS Building Systems, LLC received letters of recommendation from both the owner and GC acknowledging their performance, quality control, and professionalism.
About SLS Building Systems, LLC
Based in the United States, SLS Building Systems, LLC specialises in the design, manufacturing, and installation of panelised steel framing systems for mid-rise commercial buildings. With a focus on quality, safety, and speed along with cost efficiency, SLS partners with owners, developers and contractors to bring smarter building solutions to life.
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