It is our common practice to explore different structural ideas and solutions for any given project. For Bridge-205 Race, we developed designs for prefab, steel, and concrete structures—from conceptual to almost full bid drawings—to compare pricing and determine which system offered the best overall outcome. Prefab meant quick construction times but was too risky to execute and presented a lot of massing redundancies. Steel was the cheapest, but the size and place of columns and beams compromised the interior spatial quality of apartments. Concrete was fast, flexible, offered bigger windows, taller ceilings and nicer finishes, but was the most expensive.

As we were involved in design, bidding and supervision, we were able to find a specific concrete system that kept all the benefits of conventional concrete but that incorporated some prefabrication. The filigree slab system, partially fabricated offsite, saves costs from labor, is more efficient and allows concrete ceilings to be exposed, lowering costs but more importantly, improving the interior expression of the apartments. The best system achieves the best building possible, cantilevering the concrete structure and opening the corner views.