Brock Hudgins Architects, an award-winning architectural firm focused on significant urban in-town development and renovation projects, is proud to announce the first Prescient project in Atlanta, Osprey in West Midtown.

By utilizing prefabricated cold form steel structural system, the Toll Brothers project has dramatically reduced the time and cost of construction on the 319-unit apartment building on the corner of Howell Mill Road and 10th Street.

The Prescient system allows taller structures at a lower cost than concrete, the traditional material used in vertical structures. The integrated approach leverages proprietary software and hardware platforms to deliver value for developer Toll Brothers Apartment Living. Balfour Beatty is the general contractor.

“By designing with the Prescient system, we were able to create a solution for Toll Brothers that maximized the number of residential units while minimizing the residential building footprint, freeing up enough land to build an economical, free-standing pre-cast concrete parking deck,” said Eric Brock, Principal, Brock Hudgins Architects. “By going taller, we also significantly increased the percentage of units able to command view premiums.”

Brock Hudgins Architects learned about Prescient in 2016, visiting their manufacturing facility in Denver and touring under-construction projects. From a design perspective, Brock and partner Ben Hudgins saw that it allowed the flexibility to go taller than other steel-frame systems, which translated into more density with improved organization and coordination.

On the tight urban sites that comprise a majority of Brock Hudgins’ work, that flexibility can make the difference between a site working or not working. The first project they connected on is the Toll Brothers Osprey multifamily project at 10th Street and Howell Mill Road.

The heart of the Prescient system is an innovative manufacturing process that is green, efficient and precise. The specifications and dimensions of every component are consistent from the first designs to the computer model to the finished product. Because the structure is assembled rather than built, on-site assembly takes just four steps.

“Prescient is a dream come true,” said XXX, Balfour Beatty. “With everything prefabricated, we are better able to coordinate with our subcontractors in terms of when they need to be on site. Osprey is an impressive building, and because of the system we are using, it is moving along safely and efficiently.”