Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Modular Buildings offer Advantages for the Healthcare Industry
Modular buildings offer the healthcare industry quick construction turnaround and high value. Both factors are important in the modern era of tight budgets and difficult construction schedules. Modular buildings can be used for many healthcare applications such as medical offices, clinics, diagnostic imaging facilities, dialysis centers and medical laboratories. Medical facilities can benefit from the flexibility and value of modular construction, temporarily or long-term.
Modular Construction
A modular building is constructed in sections in a controlled factory environment. As the modules are constructed, site work commences to install foundation, utilities and initial site grading. Next, the modules are delivered to the site and assembled on the foundation. Lastly, utilities are connected and the final interior and exterior finishes are completed.
Temporary Use
Often, a renovation or large construction project displaces workers. Using a modular building as swing space is often the best solution to provide a temporary location to house workers and assist patients until the project is complete. Medical swing space can keep the clinic, hospital or emergency room functioning while providing uninterrupted service during construction. The recovery process from natural disasters can also be aided by modular construction. Temporary modular clinics and hospitals can serve the community while the permanent structures are rebuilt.
Long-Term Use
Modular medical buildings also offer value when used for a permanent medical facility. The final building erects quickly and may offer a more cost effective solution because of the efficiencies of factory construction compared to onsite construction methods. The modular construction process can offer the owner all of the same options for floor plans, interior decoration, detail and healthcare specific requirements such as oxygen lines and laboratories. Other specialty features that these modular building can have include: airborne infection isolation room to reduce the spread of illness), HEPA filtration system with a MERV 15 air filter in the HVAC system for fresh air, specimen pass-through cabinets, medical sinks with foot pedals, special electrical loads for medical equipment such as x-ray machines and more.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Affordable green modular homes for low-income households via the Marianas Variet
HAGÅTÑA — The island’s first green modular homes were introduced to the public on Thursday in a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in Yigo. The new homes offer an alternative and affordable option for low-income households.
Nanum Consulting Corp. vice president John S. Ko said the steel frame modular houses will be the first green-designed homes to be commercially offered on-island. Emphasizing the affordability of the units, Ko said their company is pushing for a construction rate of $80 to $85 per square foot, which is at least 30 percent cheaper than the islandwide standard of $125 per square foot. Nanum is spearheading the project in partnership with Guam HNC Inc. and Guam Nexus C&D.
The housing project offers 3- and 4-bedroom deluxe units in addition to affordable 1- and 2-bedroom units. Construction for the deluxe units will take at least 45 working days while the smaller, more affordable homes will take just 30 days to complete.
The affordable 1- and 2-bedroom modular steel frame houses, according to Ko, would probably cost around $50,000. He said they are working closely with the Guam Housing Corp., hoping to provide affordable housing to those who can’t afford to buy a home on Guam. GHC has a list of around 10,000 possible applicants.
In a presentation held before the ceremony, modular home designer Sun Hyun Chun said the units were designed and constructed based on Guam requirements, utilizing a technology that has been widely adopted all over the world.
The steel frame houses have limited concrete components, according to Chun, guaranteeing less radon gas emissions. Use of steel framing in construction, he added, is encouraged by the American Lung Association.
The design of the houses also offers better insulation which lessens household energy consumption.
A project briefer also endorsed the homes’ seismic and typhoon resistance qualities, promising that the building material can withstand a wind load of 200 miles per hour and will remain standing in any type of earthquake.
In addition, the briefer emphasized the material’s fire- and termite-resistant qualities. Using steel as a building material can also reduce the cost of construction insurance and homeowner insurance premiums.
At the end of his presentation, Chun said he hopes to have the new homes widely adopted on Guam.
*Article via the Marianas Variety found at: http://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/50620-affordable-green-modular-homes-for-low-income-households
Nanum Consulting Corp. vice president John S. Ko said the steel frame modular houses will be the first green-designed homes to be commercially offered on-island. Emphasizing the affordability of the units, Ko said their company is pushing for a construction rate of $80 to $85 per square foot, which is at least 30 percent cheaper than the islandwide standard of $125 per square foot. Nanum is spearheading the project in partnership with Guam HNC Inc. and Guam Nexus C&D.
The housing project offers 3- and 4-bedroom deluxe units in addition to affordable 1- and 2-bedroom units. Construction for the deluxe units will take at least 45 working days while the smaller, more affordable homes will take just 30 days to complete.
The affordable 1- and 2-bedroom modular steel frame houses, according to Ko, would probably cost around $50,000. He said they are working closely with the Guam Housing Corp., hoping to provide affordable housing to those who can’t afford to buy a home on Guam. GHC has a list of around 10,000 possible applicants.
In a presentation held before the ceremony, modular home designer Sun Hyun Chun said the units were designed and constructed based on Guam requirements, utilizing a technology that has been widely adopted all over the world.
The steel frame houses have limited concrete components, according to Chun, guaranteeing less radon gas emissions. Use of steel framing in construction, he added, is encouraged by the American Lung Association.
The design of the houses also offers better insulation which lessens household energy consumption.
A project briefer also endorsed the homes’ seismic and typhoon resistance qualities, promising that the building material can withstand a wind load of 200 miles per hour and will remain standing in any type of earthquake.
In addition, the briefer emphasized the material’s fire- and termite-resistant qualities. Using steel as a building material can also reduce the cost of construction insurance and homeowner insurance premiums.
At the end of his presentation, Chun said he hopes to have the new homes widely adopted on Guam.
*Article via the Marianas Variety found at: http://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/50620-affordable-green-modular-homes-for-low-income-households
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Modular Buildings for Retail Spaces
Modular buildings are prefabricated structures that consist
of multiple building modules or sections. Modular construction is often
associated with temporary facilities, but the cost effectiveness of buildings
has encouraged retail owners to utilize this prefabricated building method for
permanent use as well.
Permanent modular buildings are ideal for large retail spaces
and convenience stores alike. Off-site
construction of buildings provide owners with a faster return on their
investments due to shorter construction timelines as well as additional cost
savings with sustainable features such as photovoltaic roof panels, sustainable
cladding and low-e glazing to reduce heat gain.
The renovation or expansion of an existing retail space can
often displace staff and other occupants. Swing space, or temporary
building modules, can help in such instances to house displaced employees
throughout construction. This swing space concept allows retail stores to
remain operational with minimum interruptions and prevents retailers from
losing revenue. Modular kiosks are also
viable temporary (or permanent) solutions for retailers. Kiosks, with their compact design, can open
within 24 hours of being delivered to the site.
Technological advancements in traditional and modular
construction enable builders to integrate the two construction types to
expedite the building process. The
option of combining modular and traditional construction results in a turnkey
project that is seamlessly integrated and masterfully created. Modular construction, when combined with
traditional construction, can also help reduce the project’s overall timeline
by a month or more. These types of constructions can be applied to larger scale
projects such as shopping malls with traditionally built common areas and the
use of modular units for store and department spaces.
The flexibility and standardization of design with permanent
modular structures provides a quality building that is highly functional and
versatile; while temporary structures are ideal and are appealing solutions for
swing spaces and kiosks. These innovative design systems are unrivaled
and can be applied to any renovation, expansion or new retail construction project.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Chief Constable Stephen House opens new custody suite at Motherwell police office via the Wishaw Press
A dozen new custody cells have been officially opened in Motherwell police office.
Strathclyde Chief Constable Stephen House – last week appointed to lead the Police Service of Scotland – visited the station last Thursday.
The 12 new modular custody cells address the current prisoner demand, and can be moved elsewhere if required.
The existing custody centre has also undergone improvements to maximise the safety of staff, officers and offenders, including a new CCTV system and an intercom facility to allow prisoners to communicate with staff.
Chief Superintendent Nelson Telfer, Divisional Commander of North Lanarkshire said: “Multiple cell occupancy had become an issue for the Motherwell area, so there was a need to upgrade and modernise the custody facilities.
“These improvements will help with the management of prisoners throughout the North Lanarkshire area.”
Chief Constable House explained: “Modular cell buildings are a new approach to prisoner and staff facilities and are an important investment.”
Article via the Wishaw Press at: http://www.wishawpress.co.uk/wishaw-news/local-wishaw-news/wishaw-news/2012/10/03/chief-constable-stephen-house-opens-new-custody-suite-at-motherwell-police-office-76495-31953693/
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Modular Building Techniques and the Dounreay Modular Laboratory
Modular construction is a concept
that is growing in importance and usefulness in today’s world. The ability to
quickly construct and/or modify and transport modular buildings makes modular
construction the ideal choice for a wide variety of purposes. Additionally, their
structural and safety advantages such as being pre-installed with partitions,
fume cupboards, windows and office areas, make them a better alternative to conventionally-built
structures.
The Dounreay radioactive
analysis laboratory is an excellent example of the strengths of modular
construction. Comprised of 35 modules, the Dounreay facility located in
the U.K. was constructed by placing and connecting the modular components via
cranes. The durable facility will remain in place for 25 years, after
which it will be relocated.
In addition, modular
construction includes robust safety provisions. The Dounreay facility has
one-hour fire containment in any given module, which is a first in the modular construction
industry. In addition, each module includes comprehensive environmental
safety systems, including HEPA filtering and fume extraction stacks. The
facility was also built in full compliance of the nuclear industry’s
regulations for ionizing radiation. Finally,
due to the location of the facility, the modular components have been designed
to withstand the environmental effects of being exposed to inclement weather
and salt water.
This facility also highlights the
primary advantages of modular construction; flexibility, ease of installation,
durability and quality. As the modules are produced off-site, the majority of
the construction process can occur before shipping the modules to their final destination.
This is a tremendous advantage when considering the construction of facilities
at remote or difficult to access areas. Additionally, the ability to relocate a modular facility provides a great deal of flexibility for the
facility owner.
Modular construction provides
numerous advantages over traditional buildings including speed, flexibility and
re-use. The Dounreay laboratory shows that modular buildings can provide
flexibility and ease of installation without sacrificing durability and quality.
Monday, October 8, 2012
LEED rating system for green building grows into global phenomenon via the San Jose Mercury News
Twelve years ago, the U.S. Green Building Council launched a rating system called LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, hoping that architects, engineers, designers and real estate firms would improve energy efficiency and increase the use of recycled materials and nontoxic paint in their projects to win LEED-certified recognition.
Now LEED has grown into a powerful brand and global phenomenon. There are 14,044 LEED-certified commercial projects, covering more than 2 billion square feet, in 140 countries. Another 34,601 projects are in the pipeline. Northern California is home to hundreds of LEED buildings, including San Jose City Hall, San Francisco International Airport's Terminal 2, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the Oakland Public Library branch on 81st Street.
"Green building is not a curiosity anymore -- it's a huge market," said Aditya Ranade, a senior analyst with Lux Research in Boston. "The green building sector will be a $280 billion global industry by the end of the decade. LEED is dominant around the world, but there are other standards. Malaysia has its own Green Building Index, and China has developed its own three-star-rating system."
The Green Building Council offers four levels of LEED certificates. They range from certified, in which 50 percent of the requirements are met, to platinum, in which at least 80 percent are met. Facebook's data center in Prineville, Ore., for example, achieved LEED gold status.
But as LEED has grown and green building technology evolves, so has the need to update the rating system. The Green Building Council, a nonprofit with 14,000 member companies, on Tuesday will release proposed changes known as LEED v4 that member companies can comment on. The draft changes, which will be subject to a public comment period through Dec. 10, include increased technical rigor for energy performance and new categories that focus on integrated design, life cycle analysis of materials used and issues like indoor air quality.
"In order for LEED to be relevant, it has to evolve," said council spokeswoman Ashley Katz. "In 2000, people didn't know what low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint was. Now it's what everyone uses."
Lux Capital notes that venture capitalists have pumped more than $4 billion into green building since 2000. Several Silicon Valley companies, including digital lighting startups Redwood Systems and Adura Technologies, are considered ripe acquisition targets for larger companies focusing on building sensors and controls.
The original idea behind LEED was to make buildings more energy efficient and reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. But LEED-certified buildings, which are often filled with natural sunlight and access to fresh air, have proved to be popular with employees, improving concentration and boosting productivity.
Hospitals, schools and universities are increasingly turning to LEED standards: The University of California has 100 LEED-certified facilities, followed by Harvard, which has 75. And leading companies increasingly see LEED-certified buildings as a way to recruit top talent.
In June, the Green Building Council's Northern California chapter launched the "California Best Buildings Challenge." Thirteen companies, including Adobe Systems (ADBE), Genentech, Google (GOOG), Prudential Real Estate Investors, SAP and Zynga, have signed on and committed to a 20 percent reduction in energy, water and waste by 2014.
"Improving the environmental performance of our buildings not only helps us reduce waste, save energy and water and improve indoor air quality, but also positively impacts the health and productivity of our employees around the world," David Radcliffe, vice president of real estate and workplace services at Google, said in a statement. "Through our early participation in the California Best Buildings Challenge, we hope to inspire companies of all shapes and sizes to implement innovative approaches to reducing their environmental footprint."
For more information about proposed changes to the LEED rating system, known as LEED v4, go to:
https://new.usgbc.org/leed/developing-leed/future-versions
Article via the San Jose Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_21673213/leed-rating-system-green-building-grows-into-global
Now LEED has grown into a powerful brand and global phenomenon. There are 14,044 LEED-certified commercial projects, covering more than 2 billion square feet, in 140 countries. Another 34,601 projects are in the pipeline. Northern California is home to hundreds of LEED buildings, including San Jose City Hall, San Francisco International Airport's Terminal 2, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the Oakland Public Library branch on 81st Street.
"Green building is not a curiosity anymore -- it's a huge market," said Aditya Ranade, a senior analyst with Lux Research in Boston. "The green building sector will be a $280 billion global industry by the end of the decade. LEED is dominant around the world, but there are other standards. Malaysia has its own Green Building Index, and China has developed its own three-star-rating system."
The Green Building Council offers four levels of LEED certificates. They range from certified, in which 50 percent of the requirements are met, to platinum, in which at least 80 percent are met. Facebook's data center in Prineville, Ore., for example, achieved LEED gold status.
But as LEED has grown and green building technology evolves, so has the need to update the rating system. The Green Building Council, a nonprofit with 14,000 member companies, on Tuesday will release proposed changes known as LEED v4 that member companies can comment on. The draft changes, which will be subject to a public comment period through Dec. 10, include increased technical rigor for energy performance and new categories that focus on integrated design, life cycle analysis of materials used and issues like indoor air quality.
"In order for LEED to be relevant, it has to evolve," said council spokeswoman Ashley Katz. "In 2000, people didn't know what low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint was. Now it's what everyone uses."
Lux Capital notes that venture capitalists have pumped more than $4 billion into green building since 2000. Several Silicon Valley companies, including digital lighting startups Redwood Systems and Adura Technologies, are considered ripe acquisition targets for larger companies focusing on building sensors and controls.
The original idea behind LEED was to make buildings more energy efficient and reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. But LEED-certified buildings, which are often filled with natural sunlight and access to fresh air, have proved to be popular with employees, improving concentration and boosting productivity.
Hospitals, schools and universities are increasingly turning to LEED standards: The University of California has 100 LEED-certified facilities, followed by Harvard, which has 75. And leading companies increasingly see LEED-certified buildings as a way to recruit top talent.
In June, the Green Building Council's Northern California chapter launched the "California Best Buildings Challenge." Thirteen companies, including Adobe Systems (ADBE), Genentech, Google (GOOG), Prudential Real Estate Investors, SAP and Zynga, have signed on and committed to a 20 percent reduction in energy, water and waste by 2014.
"Improving the environmental performance of our buildings not only helps us reduce waste, save energy and water and improve indoor air quality, but also positively impacts the health and productivity of our employees around the world," David Radcliffe, vice president of real estate and workplace services at Google, said in a statement. "Through our early participation in the California Best Buildings Challenge, we hope to inspire companies of all shapes and sizes to implement innovative approaches to reducing their environmental footprint."
For more information about proposed changes to the LEED rating system, known as LEED v4, go to:
https://new.usgbc.org/leed/developing-leed/future-versions
Article via the San Jose Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_21673213/leed-rating-system-green-building-grows-into-global
Monday, October 1, 2012
Modular Hotels Can Stack Up via the Sydney Morning Herald
Our hotel sector has struggled to deliver brand-new properties in the past five years, as rising construction costs have made it difficult for new hotel developments to ''stack up'' in terms of viability. This is despite room shortages being reported in most capital cities. However, this is set to change, with modular construction methods enabling high-quality, faster and cheaper construction of new properties.
Australia has been relatively slow to take to modular construction compared to other countries. However, there has been a marked move in the past few years to embrace it across diverse property asset types.
There have been negative perceptions of modular construction in Australia for several reasons including perceived limited service lifespan, design limitations and property valuations along with risk associated with overseas procurement of modules, industrial relations implications, design stigma and limited local industry experience.
However, there are many benefits to modular, prefabricated construction, including faster delivery, cost savings, greater quality control and improved safety on site.
A tipping point has occurred in the construction industry where the benefits of modular project delivery have outweighed the constraints. The methods have also been used in new developments across many sectors and have proved successful.
We initially used modular methods for limited purposes, such as site offices on construction sites. But prefabricated construction has since been successfully used in medium-density residential developments, high-volume housing for the mining sector and the development of public buildings and social infrastructure such as hospitals, hotels, aged care facilities and schools.
It has also proved critical in meeting significant accommodation demands in remote mining towns in Queensland and Western Australia, where conventional construction techniques are unable to be employed based on exhaustive demand, tight time frames and prohibitive costs.
Following this success in other sectors, Australian hotel owners and developers are only now seriously contemplating complete modular construction forms.
Previous uses of modular construction in our hotel sector have been limited to small components of budget hotel chains. In the mid-1990s Accor used prefabricated bathrooms in its economy hotel chains Formule 1 and Ibis based on industrialized construction techniques that were tried and tested during its earlier similar brand rollouts in France.
Europe has excellent examples of high-end hotels constructed using modular techniques. These create a pathway for how the Australian hotel industry could embark on a construction revolution resulting in desperately needed new hotel stock.
Drenka Andjelic (author) is the managing director of Construction Assignments.
This story was found via the Sydney Morning Herald at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/property/modular-hotels-can-stack-up-20120824-24rqf.html
Australia has been relatively slow to take to modular construction compared to other countries. However, there has been a marked move in the past few years to embrace it across diverse property asset types.
There have been negative perceptions of modular construction in Australia for several reasons including perceived limited service lifespan, design limitations and property valuations along with risk associated with overseas procurement of modules, industrial relations implications, design stigma and limited local industry experience.
However, there are many benefits to modular, prefabricated construction, including faster delivery, cost savings, greater quality control and improved safety on site.
A tipping point has occurred in the construction industry where the benefits of modular project delivery have outweighed the constraints. The methods have also been used in new developments across many sectors and have proved successful.
We initially used modular methods for limited purposes, such as site offices on construction sites. But prefabricated construction has since been successfully used in medium-density residential developments, high-volume housing for the mining sector and the development of public buildings and social infrastructure such as hospitals, hotels, aged care facilities and schools.
It has also proved critical in meeting significant accommodation demands in remote mining towns in Queensland and Western Australia, where conventional construction techniques are unable to be employed based on exhaustive demand, tight time frames and prohibitive costs.
Following this success in other sectors, Australian hotel owners and developers are only now seriously contemplating complete modular construction forms.
Previous uses of modular construction in our hotel sector have been limited to small components of budget hotel chains. In the mid-1990s Accor used prefabricated bathrooms in its economy hotel chains Formule 1 and Ibis based on industrialized construction techniques that were tried and tested during its earlier similar brand rollouts in France.
Europe has excellent examples of high-end hotels constructed using modular techniques. These create a pathway for how the Australian hotel industry could embark on a construction revolution resulting in desperately needed new hotel stock.
Drenka Andjelic (author) is the managing director of Construction Assignments.
This story was found via the Sydney Morning Herald at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/property/modular-hotels-can-stack-up-20120824-24rqf.html
Modular Construction the Increasing Choice for Classroom Space
The
campus at Lowell Elementary School has grown. This past summer, the
Lowell Elementary School decided to have a modular building constructed to
accommodate the growing student population. According to a recent article
found here.
The
temporary building will provide two new classrooms for a campus that has been
functioning beyond capacity for some time. The modular building is
located just outside the schools back door and has a sloped roof, large
windows, handicap accessible entrances and two classrooms equipped with a
bathroom and sink. Lowell Elementary school is not the only facility with
this problem as many schools across the country face an increase in student
enrollment every year.
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