SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BONE Structure®, designer and builder of luxury custom homes using a patented light steel frame building technology and integrated process has launched its first U.S. office in San Francisco, CA. The company’s tested and proven building system is a scalable solution to meet California’s 2020 Net Zero Energy (ZNE) new home building requirements.
Founded in 2005 by President Marc A. Bovet in Laval, Quebec, Canada out of a frustrating personal construction experience, BONE Structure has patented, in 42 countries, a technology that combines aesthetics, flexibility, efficiency, and respect for the environment. “We have been building houses the same way for 400 years. The cost keeps going up and the quality down.” Bovet says, “A BONE Structure custom home is one that is healthy, energy efficient, and built to last generations.” With a background in retail and advertising, Bovet was part of the management team at Bombardier, the global leader in aerospace and transportation manufacturing, for many years. His experience and observations led to the idea of applying the same assembly technologies to home construction.
Charles Bovet, Vice President of Business Development at BONE Structure will lead the company’s expansion to the U.S. Bovet received his Masters of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction in 2013 from Stanford University after completing his Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering at McGill University in Montreal. Following Stanford, Charles looked to his graduating class to build a multidisciplinary team and opened BONE Structure in San Francisco, with the idea of disrupting the housing industry.
“California was an obvious choice for our first U.S. location,” said Charles Bovet. “It is the home of innovation and the birthplace of world-changing smart technologies. Similarly, BONE Structure is world changing smart technology for the building industry,” he said. “We believe that the process of building a custom home should be exciting, simple and transparent, and we refuse to conform to the old adage: We’ve always done it this way.”
Quality construction is the foundation of an energy efficient structure. “We have developed a building system that makes it possible to build energy efficient homes at scale,” said Charles Bovet. “Our plan is to bring the cost of our building technology down from the high-end custom home to a mid-priced custom option, to an affordable, beautiful, desirable, healthy, comfortable, energy efficient home for the masses. Our shells are net zero ready, meaning they are extremely energy efficient and with the addition of a small solar system they can produce more energy than they consume,” he said.
Architects have greater flexibility with the BONE Structure system, due to the strength of its steel parts, homes can have a very large open plan interior space and double height ceiling allowing for natural light throughout and future reconfiguration as needed. The home’s shell produces near zero waste, is made of 89 percent recycled steel, and is 100% recyclable, seismically resilient and safe from damage by termites and mold.
Each custom, tailor-made home is designed for assembly using a battery powered drill, and one type of self-tapping screw, thereby allowing a significant reduction in labor hours. A BONE Structure’s set of laser cut steel components include pre planned, ready-made “highways” to accommodate building systems: plumbing, electrical, and heating ventilation and air conditioning. This avoids any potential clashes between the various trade workers on the jobsite. Precut insulation panels clip into place between the steel columns and soya-based polyurethane foam insulation is sprayed on the exterior that tightly seals the building and acts as a vapor barrier. Together, the steel structure, insulation panels, spray insulation, and the roof create a tight, energy efficient envelope.
BONE Structure has already contracted to build a new home in Palo Alto and another 15 residences in the Bay Area and Southern California. The company expects to build 50 new homes in California in 2016 and has manufacturing resources and ability to produce 1,000 residences per year. There are currently more than 250 BONE Structure custom homes in Canada.
For additional information, please visit: www.BONEstructure.ca/california-media-room
ABOUT BONE STRUCTURE
Founded in 2005, BONE Structure specializes in the design, development and commercialization of technologies for residential construction. It employs more than sixty professionals, architects, technologists, engineers, and urban planners and has integrated expertise to provide unmatched customer experience. The company also collaborates with architectural firms and other outside professionals. BONE Structure has a network of authorized builders composed of general and specialized contractors, project managers, developers across Canada and California who also share the company's corporate values of Respect, Transparency, Loyalty, Security and Fun. BONE Structure is a member of the NAHB in the US and other builder associations across Canada. They have also received a number of awards throughout the years for innovation, architecture, sustainability and process. For more information, please visit: www.BONEstructure.ca.
