DESIGNED TO SCALE – THE NEXT STEP FOR DROP STRUCTURES

With a new decade kicking off, DROP Structures is excited to start the year off with a 22 unit development. Though DROP Structures began with a focus on one-off, custom products, this movement to scaled production has been integrated into our designs since the start. 

“Since Brandon, Matt and I started dreaming of creating DROP Structures, this is what we’ve been working towards,” Ryan Abernathy said. “So in a very real way, this is a dream come true.”

The order for the Monos came from a new resort in the U.S. that will utilize the units as cabins. Currently, the team is hard at work building each structure.

This project takes advantage of the years of work DROP Structures has put into streamlining the construction process. 

“Seeing these systems put into place, and working, is as satisfying as it was to place our first unit. ”

— RYAN ABERNATHY

Designed to grow – Increasing scale with minimal growing pains

DROP Structures was founded on the principle of design. From the aesthetics to functionality, the team has worked with creatives and architects to ensure every structure that leaves the shop adheres to a design-first ethos.

But for DROP Structures, that ethos goes beyond the design of each unit. It includes designing workflows and construction processes for each of our units that allow the team to easily scale from a single unit to mass construction without losing quality, or efficiency. Though this part of our design is not as pretty on Instagram and doesn’t get a lot of pins on Pinterest, the DROP Structures crew has spent a lot of time working through the kinks to ensure the building processes are where they need to be to facilitate growth.

“It’s been really great to see the solutions we came up with for building DROP Structures on a large scale work in real life.”

— BRANDON BOORSMA

“Though there have been amazing opportunities for growth through the unknown, this process of rapid growth has been remarkably smooth,”Brandon Boorsma said.

The team’s ability to streamline production of the units solidified the concept and now that they’re under construction, their dream has been confirmed by reality.  

“Creating renderings and dreaming of future projects is very exciting and very important for us, but it doesn’t mean anything without actually doing it. ”

— MATT LEICH

“Too often we see companies publicize amazing renderings concepts and ideas without the follow-through and the build process gets pushed back as a second priority,”Matt Leich said.

The units

21 of the 22 units currently under construction are specced exactly the same, with a few custom touches that will allow them to stand out from previous builds.

Featuring full glass at both the front and the back, these Monos split from previous projects with a new exterior treatment. Each unit will be delivered with a custom, seamless metal exterior  – a first for any DROP Structure. The interiors are panelled in the Baltic Birch that gives each DROP Structure the airy, open feel they’re well-known for. Once delivered, they’ll be furnished with care by Hannah Collins of This Is Roy.

ADA barrier-free

The last unit, however, will be quite a bit different. Featuring its own washroom the 22nd unit will be certified ADA barrier-free – a first for DROP Structures. We’ve worked closely with our client, and study the government requirements to ensure the unit will be able to accommodate a variety of disabilities, making the resort open to all.

With this experience and ADA certification of a DROP Structures unit, the team is excited to be able to open DROP Structures up to a broader range of people, allowing more people to enjoy the freedom of DROP Structures.

Growing to fit

This project, along with several more we started in the first quarter of 2020, led Drop Structures to move to a larger location, bringing on additional talented people. Beyond personnel, DROP Structures has further expanded our skilled supporting companies, opening access to C&C machines, 3d plasma tables and new techniques for exterior metal fabrication and installation.

These new developments create room to produce units faster and allow the team to offer more. As the company continues to change and evolve through the coming year the team is looking forward to working on a whole new scale.

Follow along

If you’re interested in following along as these new units are built and placed, check out the DROP Structures Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. For early updates, subscribe to the newsletter, where you’ll get the latest news and links to the blog posts as soon as they go up.

Happy New Year.