Project Frog— helping owners and developers with industrialized construction solutions

Changes in customer demand, the nature and economics of construction, and the realities of the modern supply chain have led to fundamental shifts in how engineering and construction (E&C) firms tend to do business. Construction is no longer simply about building unique structures and physical infrastructure. Fundamental shifts can push E&C firms to explore radically new ways of creating and capturing value as they leap toward the fourth industrial revolution.

COVID-19 disrupted operating conditions and brought extreme financial stress to construction firms in the short term. However, it also accelerated long-term change within the sector, making innovation essential to confronting longstanding issues such as lagging productivity growth.

Construction is veering toward the future: In Singapore, the construction of two skyscrapers is underway, planned to rise to 192 meters, with 988 apartments comprising 3000 prefabricated modules manufactured in Malaysia and shipped to Singapore.

Moreover, bathroom pods are sold online – factory-made units preinstalled with mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). All this is being driven by the most disruptive trend in construction – industrialization or using advanced manufacturing technologies to improve efficiency.

One of the best firms to choose for your industrialized construction needs is Project Frog. Project Frog is the forerunner of Industrialized Construction with over 15 years of experience. Ever since 2006, Project Frog’s deep industry experience and a team of engineers, architects, supply chain managers, and field experts have eradicated the chaos of construction and design.

Project Frog overcomes hurdles in the built environment by leveraging its proprietary kit-of-parts technology, optimized building components, platform development, a vast network of manufacturers, and material sourcing. Project Frog offers a holistic approach to productizing buildings from design to occupancy.

The following excerpts were taken from a conversation with Jason Steele,

Vice President of Global Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, at Project Frog

As a journalist, I find Project Frog quite striking. From the emotional branding standpoint, it has that appeal. How did you come up with the brand name? And please brief us about the history so far. 

The FROG in Project Frog stands for Flexible Response to Ongoing Growth. We believe it perfectly addresses how we solve the challenges the construction industry continues to struggle with. Project Frog’s mission is to innovate at the nexus of design, manufacturing, and technology to impact the industry in its ability to deliver superior sustainable and commercially attractive built space faster while overcoming labor shortages and supply chain disruptions.

Q. Can you explain your services in brief?

For over sixteen years, Project Frog has provided Industrialized Construction (I.C.) / Modern Methods of Construction (M.M.C.) programs across the United States. While each client and program are different, our productization focus and core methodology allow us to custom-tailor programs to individual client demands.

Our core methodology is as follows, Industrialized Construction is the art and science of balance, locating the construction activity where it is best suited, i.e., “on-site vs. off-site.” The correct balance minimizes overall process disruption and the effort required to transform raw materials into the finished asset, saving time, reducing risk, minimizing labor, and normalizing outcomes. Based on client program demands, we tailor and build internal operations around these practices and combine them with a nationwide network of manufacturers to deliver solutions unique to this space.

Project Frog’s national network of over 20 manufacturers allows for a genuinely unconstrained supply chain, delivering quality prefabricated building components nationally.

Q. Could you brief us about Project Frog’s building platform? How does it help to deliver scalable  and mass customized buildings to your clients?

A properly executed I.C. program delivers standardization and normalization of cost, schedule, and outcomes across multiple regions, removing uncertainty and risk of cost and schedule overruns.

Project Frog’s systemic approach towards building platform design allows us to offer an optimized structural system design through analysis that addresses most of the continental US with ONE system. The building components also allow flexibility in design to help owners adapt to different site conditions.

From a manufacturing standpoint, the more components fabricated, the cheaper it is to construct each building.

Q. ‘Optimizing outdated construction processes to deliver superior sustainable & commercially attractive built space faster.’ Sounds promising. Would you like to elaborate on this a bit more?

At Project Frog, we don’t focus on the results of a single project. Instead, success is built on program delivery. Project Frog designs and engineers are building environments that put human beings’ health, wellness, and performance first while being energy efficient. Prefabrication or off-site construction solves many problems and delivers significant value to single building projects.

Q. What groundbreaking and proactive methodology does Project Frog implement to meet its client’s expectations?

Our core methodology is as follows, Industrialized Construction is the art and science of balance, locating the construction activity where it is best suited, i.e., “on-site vs. off-site.”  The correct balance minimizes overall process disruption and the effort required to transform raw materials into the finished asset, saving time, reducing risk, minimizing labor, and normalizing outcomes.

Q. Will your company expand, bringing on any new solutions we should be aware of?

Project Frog is always focused on innovation, so time will tell on what we come up with next. In 2016, from our initiatives to improve the lighting experience for occupants while providing an ultra-efficiency, we opened the LANTANA lighting division that now operates through various lighting partners throughout the US and Canada. KitConnect, a building productization software, will launch its newest release this fall to improve our design and engineering.

Q. About the future, where do you see Project Frog a couple of years from now?

I want to think that the work Project Frog is doing today will continue to influence the construction industry for years to come and eventually allow us to eliminate the outdated processes and inefficiencies of traditional construction.

Q. Can you provide us with one or two success stories describing the challenges your clients faced and how your solutions helped them overcome those challenges?

Multiple quick service restaurants and small format retail are working with us today based on our earlier successes with a chicken restaurant out of Atlanta, GA. We delivered a two-week reduction in framing across multiple regions with various general contractors and an 11% reduction in the critical path in all weather conditions.

A popular pharmacy chain sought to design and build a new small format platform for community stores. With Project Frog’s program, they realized 50% less cost in design development and 25-30% less in Architecture/Engineering costs. The pharmacy chain beat its most aggressive construction schedule and gained 48 more revenue days.

Project Frog delivered a 9000 sq ft LEED Gold medical office building in Victorville, CA, two times faster than conventional construction methods.

Provide businesses with innovative industrialized construction solutions for a sustainable future

Jason Steele is the Vice President of Global Business Development & Strategic Partnerships at Project Frog. As a transformational leader, Jason creates and executes strategic business development and operational initiatives, developing and fostering industry and business partnerships across the architecture, engineering, construction, and owner industries.

Jason’s prior positions at ATG USA, Autodesk, and Harrison French & Associates offered an opportunity to expand his proficiency in project delivery, strategic planning, process improvement, and technology implementation. Inspired by the intersection of design, construction, and technology transformation, Jason is excited to be at a place that allows him to be part of a diverse organization striving to revolutionize the building industry.

“A modern construction approach for better building outcomes.”