Solving San Francisco's Housing Shortage with Modular Construction

When San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee recently announced plans to prioritize affordable housing construction, many eyes turned to Seattle, a city that has spent the years since 2006 concentrating on new development. Scrutiny quickly showed that the significant increase in residential options has had a positive effect on that city's lodging costs. In fact, between 2007 and 2011, as the issuance of new construction permits rose in number, Seattle's average rental rates actually dropped.

Can San Francisco Repeat the Feat?

With all eyes focused on San Francisco, the question is; can they duplicate Seattle’s results of increased housing options and decreased lodging costs? One construction method available to the city is modular construction. San Francisco can utilize modular construction to add new housing developments in a shortened time period.

Benefits of Modular Apartment Construction

San Francisco can appreciate the many advantages that modular construction can provide to its residents. These include benefits such as greater reduced construction waste, speed of construction, and building flexibility. The disruption to the construction site is minimal, which translates to fewer cleanups after the building is in place. With modular construction, underground gas tanks, site grading and utilities are prepared at the same time the buildings are constructed at the factory. Construction delays are minimized because the buildings are constructed indoors. Although these buildings are built quickly, there is no sacrifice in quality. These modular buildings are constructed by highly trained workers and meet or exceed building codes and standards. Modular construction can complete developments 40% faster than traditional construction. Because of the shortened construction timeline, residents are able to occupy the building sooner, which allows investors to earn their ROI faster.

A Cutting-Edge Answer to San Francisco's Housing Shortage

Conveniently located in San Francisco's South of Market region is a modular apartment complex that features 23 units and boasts 295 square feet of fully equipped sustainable living space. The off-site manufacturer of this breakthrough development not only shortened construction time but also in this case, minimized expenses while lowering the project's impact on the surrounding neighborhood.
Currently this apartment complex is being leased to college students because of the affordability of each unit. With the simple living environment, this complex satisfies basic housing needs that are energy efficient with its solar heating and solar heated hot water. Today, the attractive structure stands to illustrate one viable and economical solution to San Francisco's affordable housing shortage.

Contact us to find out how modular construction can be used for your project.