Behind SWENSON’S Structural Design Patent with Case Swenson

SWENSON has received a U.S. Patent for its award-winning structural design tactic, Landmaker. The Landmaker Structural System is a safe and effective way to build high-rise concrete buildings. It took years to develop, with collaboration between industry leaders, including Hardip Pannu and Barry Swenson (pictured right).

SWENSON’s president, Case Swenson (pictured left), shared details behind the intellectual property with Connect Media’s Daniella Soloway.

Q. How did the team develop Landmaker?

A. In 2000, a team of inventors (Barry Swenson, Don Peoples, Hardip Panuu, Bo Lundmark) set out to come up with a simple, easy to build and cost effective structural solution for high-rise concrete buildings – particularly for commercial and residential applications. The SWENSON team has completed 6 of these towers locally using this patented system. So, at this point, it is a proven system, with proven advantages.

Q. What are the advantages to using this system?

A. There are several advantages, including:
• Less expensive than traditional concrete or steel frame buildings; ex: focus on placement of the seismic walls provides additional usable space and conversely a reduction in materials required for the structure
• Where traditional wooden framed buildings are limited to five floors, the use of the Landmaker system allows the developer to think beyond the five-story limitation (promotes higher density)
• Streamlined pre-engineered design
• Sustainable; can be created locally using recycled materials and industrial byproducts
• Easy to build
• Reduces labor and material costs
• Increases structural integrity
• Safety standard on par with that of a hospital
• Increases sellable and rentable area for the developer
• Adaptable to any skin system, so it won’t always look like the same tall “box” in the sky
• Concrete floors and walls carry less vibration, creating less noise

Q. Who is using it (other than SWENSON), and who stands to benefit from using it?

A.The SWENSON team is the only organization leveraging the Landmaker structural system currently. Beneficiaries of this structural system include anyone looking at building mid and high- rise buildings for all the advantages mentioned above.