The Element Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, shows how roll forming supports steel framing on a complex hospitality project. Fabricated by Scottsdale customer US Frame Factory, this steel framed hotel used cold-formed steel for the primary structural package, including CFS wall framing and CFS floor joists, to deliver an eight-story building with precision, repeatability, and efficient installation. The result is a clear example of how advanced manufacturing and coordinated detailing can support large-scale construction.
Planning and Fabrication of the Steel Framed Hotel
This steel framed hotel totaled 110,000 square feet and included eight floors of CFS load-bearing walls and floor joist framing. Planning and estimating took about one year before fabrication began. A structural engineer provided the full structural package, and US Frame Factory did not perform design work. Instead, the approved package was taken directly into Scottsdale’s ecosystem and fabricated using ScotRF. That direct workflow allowed the team to move from engineering documents to production-ready components and systems with accuracy and control.
Because this was a tall hospitality project, steel framing was selected instead of wood. The lower floors also required integration with structural steel, making tight coordination essential. The project was fabricated using Scottsdale’s KFS Framemaker 1622 and KFS Framemaker 1420, giving US Frame Factory the ability to manufacture the wall and floor systems for this multi-story structure. From the beginning, roll forming helped establish a practical path from engineering to fabrication.
Project Summary
Project name: Element Hotel, Richmond, Virginia
Project type: Commercial and Hospitality
Fabricator: US Frame Factory
Roll forming machines: KFS Framemaker 1622 and KFS Framemaker 1420
Building system: 8 floors of CFS load-bearing walls and CFS joist systems
Project size: 110,000 sq. ft.
Key characteristics: 15–20 ft room spans, 24 in. o.c. wall framing, integration with structural steel on lower floors
Steel framing cost: $1,250,000 ($11.34/sq. ft.)
Planning phase: 1 year
Fabrication timeline: 8 months
Framing crew size: 12 framers
Roll Forming of Cold-Formed Steel Systems for Predictable Production
Fabrication lasted eight months, and the framing was erected by a crew of 12 framers. One of the major advantages of roll forming on this project was the ability to deliver highly predictable, precut, and straight material. That consistency made the framing easier to install and helped maintain alignment across repetitive hotel layouts.
The interior construction images highlight the strength, precision, and scalability of cold-formed steel in a multi-story building. The light-gauge steel wall panels and floor framing work seamlessly with structural steel and concrete core elements to create a clean, efficient structural system. The interior views emphasize the uniformity and accuracy of the steel framing layout, while the exterior image demonstrates the scale and speed of erection. For a project of this size, steel framing provided the accuracy needed to support smooth field progress.
Fire-Rated Systems with CFS Wall Framing and CFS Floor Joists
A key feature of this steel framed hotel was its joist floor system. The building used CFS floor joists with DragonBoard Structural Subfloor Panel in a tested 2-hour fire-rated floor/ceiling assembly. Based on the assembly information provided, the system included UL Certified DragonBoard subfloor, structural steel members consisting of cold-formed steel joists or trusses, fiberglass insulation, resilient or hat channels, and gypsum board below. This means the floor system was not simply a panel deck, and it did not rely on a concrete topping slab in the assembly shown.
That distinction is important because it shows how CFS floor joists can be used in a fire-rated system without concrete on top. Combined with CFS wall framing, the floor framing supported room spans of about 15 to 20 feet while maintaining a clean and organized installation pattern. The project also used 24-inch-on-center CFS wall framing, contributing to repeatability across the guest room and corridor layout. In both the floor and wall systems, cold-formed steel helped create a disciplined framing package suitable for hospitality construction.
Engineering Considerations for the Steel Framed Hotel
The structural package included key loading criteria that shaped the framing approach. The provided information lists roof dead load at 20 psf, roof live load at 20 psf, floor dead load at 25 psf, floor live load at 40 psf, corridor live load at 100 psf, exterior wall dead load at 25 psf, and interior wall dead load at 15 psf. The project also referenced a basic wind speed of 112 mph, Wind Exposure Category of B, Seismic Design Category of B, Site Class of D, mapped spectral response acceleration Ss of 0.299, and S1 of 0.061. A summary of the design loads on this project is shown below.
These requirements mattered because the building combined structural steel on the lower floors with CFS wall and joist systems above. CFS wall framing had to coordinate with the primary structure, while CFS floor joists had to fit the fire-rated assembly and span requirements. The steel framing package itself costs about $1,250,000, or $11.34 per square foot, excluding labor and sheathing towards the end of 2025 and beginning of 2026.
How Roll Forming Serves This Steel Framed Hotel
The Element Hotel demonstrates why roll forming is so effective for modern hospitality construction. With cold-formed steel, US Frame Factory was able to produce an organized and accurate framing package directly from the structural engineer’s documents. The combination of CFS wall framing, CFS floor joists, and integrated structural steel created a scalable system for an eight-story commercial project. This approach allowed CFS wall framing and CFS floor joists to work together in a highly coordinated system. Steel framing delivered the predictability, cost, and installation efficiency needed to bring a 110,000-square-foot building together successfully.
Additional Scottsdale Roll Forming Solutions and Resources
- Blog – A More Simplified Way of Designing Cold-Formed Steel Framing
- Blog – Reasons to Invest in a Multi-Profile Roll Forming Machine
- Blog – Overcome Unique Design Challenges in Mid-Rise Construction with Roll Forming
- Blog – The Latest in Fire Performance of Cold-Formed Steel Structures
- Blog – Fundamentals of Floor Vibration in Cold-Formed Steel Joist-Framed Floors
- Blog – Fire and Acoustic Ratings in Cold-Formed Steel Assemblies
- Video – KFS Framemaker 1622 End Shearing and Flange Dimpling
- Video – Powered Decoiler in Operation with KFS Framemaker 1420
- Financial Services
To learn more about Scottsdale’s roll forming solutions and steel framing ecosystem, visit us at www.scottsdalesteelframes.com, call us at +1 (888) 406-2080, or email us at rollformers@scottsdalesteelframes.info.
