Quickspan Case Study: The Katy Project

When The Kroenke Group developers had the opportunity to create beautiful new living spaces near the historic Katy Trail in the Dallas suburbs, their vision was to construct a stunning building that would complement the nearby shops and restaurants that bring visitors to the community and enhance the surrounding neighborhood. Like all construction projects, Kroenke knew the job would be disruptive to local residents and businesses and they made it a priority to get the job done quickly—but without sacrificing the quality.

Building the new residences was no small task. The work called for completely replacing an existing 78-unit two- and three-story apartment complex with a newly developed, luxury complex offering 214 one- and two- bedroom apartments with easy access to the Katy Trail and the other popular amenities in the area.  

Marek looked at a variety of different product offerings from a range of manufacturers and, after doing comparative testing on a variety of products, selected CertainTeed’s QuickSpan™ Locking Drywall Grid System. QuickSpan is an innovative ceiling grid system that provides the industry’s longest unsupported spans for flat drywall, and it’s specifically engineered to offer faster, easier installation in narrow room applications. It was the perfect product that not only met but also exceeded the requirements of the project.  

“With the increased demand for fast turnaround on these kinds of projects, and taking into consideration that time is always money in the construction business, it’s important that everything, from the installers to the products used, are working at maximum efficiency,” said Jeff Reeves, Estimator and Project Manager, Marek Brothers. “Using QuickSpan, we were able to frame ceilings quicker and only use a fraction of the ceiling wires originally estimated, saving labor, time, and the cost of additional ceiling wires. QuickSpan exceeded our expectations, and we will be using it on our future projects.”

QuickSpan has a locking system that features solid cross tees connectors that click into place for a positive lock and are composed of a heavy-duty metal material for maximum rigidity and screw grip. This greater strength and stability is achieved with a meticulously constructed double-stitched web. Its locking channel includes pre-engineered locking tabs spaced every 8” on center, allowing tees to quickly twist and click into place. The design of the system and locking tabs help to prevent lateral movements and twisting, which can often cause issues during and after installations. “It’s always exciting to develop solutions that help contractors and developers create new and exciting structures,” said Matt Rapposelli, Product Manager, Grid, CertainTeed Ceilings. “We bring contractors into the product development process from start to finish. One key step is putting prototypes directly into their hands to get their reactions and respond to their feedback. With QuickSpan, we didn’t compromise on strength and quality, so contractors can count on a higher level of performance.”