Smart Wall Could Reduce Construction Costs
Philadelphia architect Michael Rosen has developed a prefabricated utility wall that he hopes will bring the benefits of plug-and-play to any new home's electrical and mechanical systems. The Rosen CoreWall is a structural insulated panel (SIP) that has been laser-cut to accept all of a home's utility connections: the electrical panel, the structured wiring hub, home monitoring and security systems, sewer and water connections, the hvac system's supply and return ducts, and so on.Rosen calls it "the home's engine," because it centralizes the utilities that drive a house. He says that any home can be designed to be CoreWall-compliant; it's just a matter of arranging baths, kitchens, laundry rooms, and other wet areas in such a way that you can drop the wall into place to complete most of the house's plumbing and wiring. "It's a more efficient way to build in that there's only one wall with systems in it," he says. In fact, he claims that the product can reduce the total cost of a home by 15 percent because fewer pipes, wires, and ducts need to be installed. "You don't need rough plumbers or hvac guys," he says.
Even before CoreWall was unveiled last month at the NextGen Demonstration home at the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla., Rosen began receiving orders from production and custom builders. The walls are custom-manufactured by a SIPs manufacturer in Seattle, and can be shipped anywhere in the U.S. given a four- to six-week lead time. For more information, go to www.corewall.com — C.W.