Published on Thursday, March 06, 2008

Robeson Plaza building to go up one panel at a time

Developer Buzz Lloyd begins construction Monday on a $10million, three-story brick building — without any masons.

The Robeson Plaza building, which will house medical offices, will be built in sections on the ground instead of by masons who lay brick and block around a steel framework.

Lloyd said the project will be one of the first in Fayetteville to be built using the technique. Metrocon Corp. of Raleigh is helping build the panels.

The sections range from 15 to 23 feet wide and 55 feet tall and will be about 10 inches thick.

The concrete-and-brick panels will be lifted into place. Steel will be welded into the panels to create the second and third floors.

Cost, efficiency and the ability to hire qualified masons drove his decision, Lloyd said.

He estimated the technique will cut construction from 15 months to less than a year. The building should be 20 percent more energy efficient than traditional construction, he estimates.

Hiring masons has become more difficult, he said. “It’s the toughest subcontractor to find,” he said.

The building is expected to be ready for its first tenant, Fayetteville Cardiology, by the end of the year, Lloyd said. Fayetteville Cardiology will be on the third floor.

Lloyd said the four-acre site on Robeson Street was selected because of its proximity to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and other doctors’ offices, and its visibility on a highly traveled road.

At 68,000 square feet, it is the largest single building Lloyd Builders has undertaken, Lloyd said.