ConXtech raises $7.1M for innovative building system
ConXtech is a Hayward, Calif. startup that makes a steel-frame building system that it claims makes building construction faster, and the end product safer and stronger.
The $7.1 million round is part of an $8 million total second round, led by Columbus Nova Partners (via peHUB). The company’s system is pretty interesting, so here’s more on how part of it works from their webpage:
During the field assembly process, ConXBeams are lowered and locked into place between ConXColumns from the top down. The ends of beam connectors immediately and easily lock into place resulting in an instant stable connection…
After the structure is assembled, high-strength bolts and custom washers filled with fluorescent orange silicon gel that squirts when the pre-load reaches the desired tension are inserted diagonally into the four corners of the adjoining outer-collar plates on all SMRSF connections. A hydraulic torque wrench is then used to tighten the bolts…
Because of ConXFrame’s unique ability to endure severe lateral loads, the system typically requires no shear walls, cross bracing or other conventional structural support up to 7 floors, even in the highest seismic zones. The system can be placed virtually anywhere on a concrete podium with parking or mixed use below. In most cases, there is no requirement to align the load path of the ConX structure above the podium with the shear walls or columns below the podium structure, thereby providing architectural freedom not achievable with any other structural system.
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About the Author, Chris Morrison
Chris Morrison writes about cleantech and environmental issues for VentureBeat, with occasional forays into gaming and semantic technology. He got his start writing about tech for Business 2.0 magazine, but quickly realized new media was the ticket when that institution closed its doors in 2007. Chris has also covered public equities and regulatory issues. He originally hails from southern Virginia, graduated from Evergreen State College in Washington, and now lives in San Francisco.