Professor Bearup
CON 252
25 October 2015
Homework #5: Wood Frame Construction
Adolfson and Peterson is a large national general contractor that operates within various
fields of the construction industry. This company specializes in many areas of the construction
industry but the Adolfson and Peterson construction site that we visited was a large apartment
complex with a wood framed structure.
The project manager and owner of the build decided to design the build with a wood
framed structure due to the cost efficiency of using wood over other materials such as steel
members, but also because wood is a much easier product to work with. In addition the project
manager mentioned that the size and height of the building warranted a wood-frame project,
and he mentioned that if the building would have been any taller then it would have been a steel
framed project.
The foundation used on the construction site is known as a geopier foundation system.
Geopier is a company that creates foundation systems to be used in a construction project. This
company specializes in the creation of foundations in areas of soft and compressible soil, where
shallow footings are required. The superintendent of the project mentioned that the company
decided to utilize this system as the project rested on dirt that was not ideal for a normal slab on
grade foundation.
Adolfson and Peterson ultimately chose not to pursue a LEED rating on their project, so
there were minimal sustainable features to this project. While incorporating sustainable features
within a project build benefits company reputation and the environment, many project managers
and owners choose not to pursue a LEED rating as having features that earn LEED points can
