Schedule impact of alternative framing systems

Increasingly, owners of semiconductor manufacturing facilities desire new wafer fabrication facilities constructed in less time, for less money, and at higher quality levels. The structural framing systems that support wafer fabrication facility requirements are instrumental in determining how quickly a facility can be constructed and utilized. This article evaluates concrete versus steel for structural framing systems to determine the impact of defined alternatives on the construction schedule Advantages and disadvantages of using alternative structural materials for semiconductor manufacturing plants are discussed. A baseline structure was developed for time analysis. An industry survey was used to collect time data to analyze how structural materials affect the project schedule. All data collected was based on the model structure developed. Case studies of two existing semiconductor facilities were also utilized to augment the survey data.