When FastFloor launched in 2019, the goal was straightforward. It was to find a better, faster way to build with steel. The project grew out of the American Institute of Steel Construction’s (AISC) Need for Speed initiative, which challenged researchers to rethink how buildings are designed and assembled without giving up safety or performance.

Matthew Eatherton and a group of researchers found the answer in the form of a modular steel floor system. Instead of pouring concrete on metal decking piece by piece at a job site, FastFloor relies on steel panels that are largely fabricated offsite and assembled quickly in the field. This approach allows buildings to be built 30% to 50% faster than traditional floor systems which saves time, reduces jobsite congestion, and streamlines construction schedules.

Over several years, the team of researchers tested the concept from every angle. Early phases focused on proving that FastFloor could work, using computer modeling and laboratory testing. Later phases expanded into full-scale prototypes, examining how the system performs under gravity loads, how it responds to vibration and sound, and how it interacts with the rest of a building’s structural frame.

That next stage is now underway. A $400,000 grant from the Charles Pankow Foundation is supporting the next phase of FastFloor’s development, which will include full building design examples, deeper structural analysis, and additional testing to confirm strength, vibration, and diaphragm performance. The work brings FastFloor closer to real-world implementation, with support from AISC and a broad coalition of industry partners.

Central to this effort are researchers and educators who are advancing how steel structures are designed and built, including Matt Eatherton, professor and Raymond G. and Madelyn Ann Curry Fellow at Virginia Tech. Eatherton is widely recognized for his work on steel connections, research that underpins faster, safer, and more reliable construction practices.

Eatherton’s contributions have been recognized with an AISC Special Achievement Award, which honors individuals whose work has made a significant impact on structural steel design, construction, research, or education. He received the award for his research on end-plate moment connections and for co-authoring AISC Design Guide 39: End Plate Moment Connections, which is a key reference used by structural engineers nationwide.

AISC is a not-for-profit technical institute supported by the steel industry that partners with the architecture, engineering, and construction community to develop safe, efficient steel specifications and codes, while driving innovation to make steel the most sustainable, economical, and resilient structural material. For more than a century, AISC has served as a trusted resource for the design and construction of domestically fabricated structural steel buildings and bridges.