Modular Construction-The Fastest Way to Build

Modular Construction-The Fastest Way Build

Traditional building timelines can be long, rigid, and unpredictable. Modular construction offers ways to obtain quality end results in an efficient yet abbreviated time frame.

Weather often plays an important and many times detrimental role in the timeline and efficiency of typical building schedules. With modular construction, weather is irrelevant because of the carefully controlled factory settings where modular buildings are expertly constructed. Quality control is easier to enforce in a closely supervised factory setting. Craftsman can also work more quickly and productively in a temperature regulated environment than they can when working out in the elements.

In outdoor environments, security can also be hard to guarantee. Vandalism and material shortages can lead to even more delays in the building process. Prefab homes are essentially complete at the time of arrival, and sections or modules can quickly and securely be put into place. Prefab construction directly correlates with having specific and reliable move in dates, which also proves beneficial for being able to smoothly oversee the safe transportation of possessions.

If home builders have a change of heart regarding needs or wants for the layout and features of their new home, customizations can be accommodated at the factory, without adding stress and time to the building project. Modular construction offers the opportunity to reconfigure the building without the major headaches and hassles associated with reconfiguring or relocating stick built structures.

There is a lot to like about this innovative, fast, and environmentally friendly mode of construction.

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Modular Government Buildings

Modular Government Building

Modular construction provides a wide range of temporary and permanent modular buildings that help meet the space needs of federal, regional, state and local government agencies. Modular buildings can be used for fire and police stations, office buildings, hospitals and even military purposes.

Modular construction involves prefabricated buildings that are built in a climate-controlled factory. Constructing the major components of a building at the off-site factory helps to decrease the possibility of weather delays. These prefabricated buildings are constructed by highly trained specialized workers and meet or exceed building codes and standards.

The time it takes to assemble a modular government building is a fraction of what it would take to construct a traditional government building. Using modular construction can decreases the construction period by 40 percent. In addition to the reduced construction times, prefab buildings offer occupants the interior and exterior design options that traditionally constructed buildings do.

Any government agency seeking additional space would be wise to take a look at modular construction as a great resource in constructing buildings that would meet their needs.

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Are Modular Hotel Pods the Future of Hotel Construction?

Modular Hotel Pod

A new wave of hotel construction is sweeping the western world. Pod hotels are compact yet have amenity-filled rooms that are around 100 square feet. Pod Hotels originated in Japan and have evolved to become more popular in Europe and the United States. These new hotels appeal to both business owners and travelers, as they are low-cost, efficient, and increasingly fashionable.

Hotel construction is going modular due to its flexibility and efficiency of construction. A modular building is easier to build than a traditional building. The rooms can be constructed off-site while the site preparation is being completed.

Travelers are attracted to these hotels' low nightly cost, convenience, and trendy nature. Due to the low cost of constructing and maintenance of the modular hotels, the nightly cost is affordable. Each room provides the basics: a bed, a private bathroom, and often a sitting area with a television. Some hotels also offer kiosks that allow travelers to check themselves in and out.

Hotels featuring modular construction attract both business travelers and tourists. Business travelers are especially attracted to their low cost and convenience. Those traveling for pleasure enjoy the trendy, innovative nature as well as the low cost of spending a night in a hotel pod. These travelers appreciate the new style of pods, which are larger and offer more amenities than the original Japanese style, in which rooms were quite small and box-like, only large enough to sleep in.

Hoteliers can capitalize on this new innovation. Travelers want stylish, modern lodging at low prices, and that’s exactly what pod hotels delivers.

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World's Tallest Prefab Building Leads Modular Boom

Prefab Construction in NYC

BROOKLYN — Trucks are expected to arrive at the Atlantic Yards Thursday carrying the first modules of what will become the tallest prefabricated building in the world.

Coming from a factory at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the roughly 930 steel-framed boxes are the basic building blocks for Forest City Ratner’s B2, an eco-friendly, 32-story tower with 363 rental units, half of which will be reserved for low, moderate and middle-income families.

B2, which is expected to open in December 2014, is just one of many high-profile prefab projects rolling into the city.

Many local developers are seizing on modular housing as a way to get projects completed more quickly and efficiently. A shorter construction window means tenants can move in faster, which helps cut financing costs and reduces the impact on neighbors because there’s less noise, dust and debris.

“We're getting phone calls like crazy from developers who see [prefab] as a panacea for the plumber who doesn't show up or the electrician who screws up everything,” said Peter Gluck of Gluck+, the firm that designed the Stack, a sleek seven-story, 28-unit residence in Inwood. It's the city’s first prefab steel and concrete multi-story building and is expected to open its doors to renters in January.

A four-story modular housing prototype — designed for the city’s Office of Emergency Management to provide homes after disasters like Sandy — will rise in Downtown Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza for public tours starting in January.

And a developer is expected to close next month on the land on East 27th Street for the city’s much talked about micro-unit contest. There, a nine-story modular building with 55 units, from 250 to 370 square feet, is expected to rise for low and middle-income New Yorkers — without any direct city subsidies — in a year’s time. That's a significantly shorter window than conventional construction.

“You increase the speed of construction and decrease the amount of anguish,” Gluck said. “The allure of prefabrication is you eliminate that mess of 20 different trades interfacing at different times. So, the thought of having 80 percent of the building arrive in finished condition is attractive.”

The Stack’s modular units were built in three months at a Pennsylvania factory — in a controlled environment protected from any inclement weather — while the foundation was being laid at 4857 Broadway. It took just a few weeks to deliver and stack the modules and then three months to seal the building and connect the plumbing and electricity, Gluck said.

Prefab projects tend to be five to eight months quicker than similar, non-prefabricated constructions, he said.

Though the Stack's rents haven’t been finalized, studios are expected to start at around $1,800 a month, one-bedrooms at $2,400, two-bedrooms at $3,200 and three-bedrooms at $3,900, said Cliff Finn of Douglas Elliman Development Marketing.

Though modular housing has potential drawbacks for developers due to being less flexible with layouts, the units are much quieter for residents since each one has its own floor and ceiling rather than just an 8-inch slab between apartments, he noted.

“Anyone that's lived in a new construction rental will tell you they can hear through the walls,” Finn said.

While developers can save on financing because of accelerated schedules, modular construction isn’t necessarily cheaper to build. As with any construction, it depends on the materials used.

“Modular building is associated with cheap, substandard mobile homes,” said James Garrison, who teaches at Pratt Institute's architecture program.

“The reality of it is, it's no more or less cheap or insubstantial than any other form of construction. The way we see it, it's not a product; it's an approach.”

Garrison's firm won the city's post-disaster prototype competition. It is also working on a prefab hotel for an undisclosed Williamsburg location that will have “multiple courtyards.”

There are some challenges that prefab construction poses — the size of modules is dictated by what the city's aging bridges and narrow streets will allow trucks to carry to the site — usually loads up to 14-feet wide.

There's also the complicating factor of the construction being done out of state. The city is still figuring out how to inspect buildings when they are being manufactured out of New York. Third-party inspectors are being used for now, architects said.

There are also issues with zoning rules that butt up against prefab specifications.

Ammr Vandal, of nArchitects, which created the winning design for the My Micro NY competition in 2013, said, for instance, that zoning allows for an 80-foot-tall building, but because each module has a thicker space between units, the building needs to be 85 feet tall.

Also, the city requires setbacks, or tiers, at 10 feet and 15 feet, which don't fit neatly with the building's prefabricated construction, she explained.

As the buzz around modular construction grows, Capsys, the Brooklyn Navy Yard factory where the micro-unit project is being built, has seen an influx in business, especially from younger architects.

“Modular just makes sense to folks growing up with the looming energy crisis and global warming,” said Tom O’Hara of Capsys.

“Our construction system builds tighter building envelopes, better quality control, safer working conditions. It just makes sense.”

Zimmer Amy (2013 December, 11) World's Tallest Prefab Building Leads Modular Boom Retrieved on December 13, 2013 From www.dnainfo.com

Benefits of Green Buildings

P.I.Q. High Performance Classroom

There are many benefits to green buildings, from minimizing the environmental impact of construction to producing less waste and providing a healthier indoor environment for its occupants; green buildings can be an environmentally friendly space solution.

Environmentally Friendly

Modular green construction has a lower impact on the environment over traditional construction methods. Many of the materials used for the walls and floors are made from recycled materials. Green modular buildings are excellent at conserving natural resources by utilizing high efficiency utilities and fixtures as well as making better use of natural lighting.

Less Waste

Green modular buildings require less energy to operate due to the utilization of better temperature insulation methods. This helps reduce operating costs by lowering heating, air conditioning and electric bills. Besides being energy efficient, green modular buildings decrease product waste due to the ability to reuse entire buildings or major components of the building.

Healthier Environment

Because modular green buildings are built in a climate-controlled factory environment, there is a reduced risk of moisture accumulating inside the building, which reduces the risk of mold. There are also minimal on-site greenhouse gas emissions because most of the work is done at the factory.

With its inherent reduced product waste and healthier environment, it is now easier than ever for builders to go green with the use of modular construction.

What is Permanent Modular Construction?

What is PMC?

Permanent Modular Construction also called (PMC) is an off-site construction process that results in high quality, turn-key building solutions. These modular buildings are built to the same building codes as traditional construction and can be built with various materials such as wood, steel or concrete. Permanent modular construction decreases exposure to harsh environments, allowing crews to perform in comfortable conditions for a streamlined construction process.

There are several important benefits that can be enjoyed with the use of permanent modular construction. One benefit is that the completion timeline of the building is significantly shorter compared to standard construction techniques. The shortened construction period can be attributed to the process of building the modular unit in a climate controlled factory, while the site preparation takes place. This includes the foundation and placement of utilities on-site. Another benefit of permanent modular construction is the option of layout configuration and customization through a wide selection of interior and exterior finishes

Whatever the need, permanent modular construction has proved itself as a building method that makes an excellent option for any space need.

Can modular construction boost productivity?

Modular construction allows for a faster building process, but is it better?


"We are noticing a surge in interest as construction developers are trying alternate ways to build," said Tracey Daniels, communications director for Modular Building Institute, an international nonprofit trade association based in Charlottesville, Va.

Modular construction is a process where portions of the project are built off site. Once together and sealed, the modules become one integrated wall, floor and roof assembly, according to the organization's website. Structurally, modular buildings generally are stronger than conventionally constructed buildings because each module is engineered to independently withstand the rigors of transportation and crane lifting onto foundations.

Modular construction, which includes both permanent and movable buildings, reduces waste through factory production, Daniels said.

Once together and sealed, the modules become one integrated wall, floor and roof assembly, according to the organization's website.

Daniels said as bigger companies – such as Skanska, based in Blue Bell, and Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., based in Allentown, take on or incorporate modular elements to their projects, smaller companies are beginning to do so, too.

Another benefit is time savings, she said. Instead of having to wait for site work to be done, construction on the building can take place simultaneously, allowing for projects to be done more efficiently.

"You can shave 30 to 50 percent off of the timeline," Daniels said.

Modular construction also is used frequently for urban housing, hotels, hospitals and schools to allow for minimal site disruptions and to reduce on-site traffic, she said.

One of the main points to consider is that if modular construction is the chosen method, it should be decided early in the design process, since it can be harder and more costly to redesign a project, she said.

Modular construction's impact on boosting productivity could be enhanced with the growth of green buildings and technology.

According to a 2011 Smart Market Report from McGraw Hill Construction on "Prefabrication and Modernization: Increasing Productivity in the Construction Industry," the re-emergence of pre-fab and modular as a new trend is tied to the rise of building information modeling (or BIM, which uses software to create 3-D project designs). It also is connected to the increasing interest in green buildings, which influences design and construction processes.

The report takes a look at pre-fab and modular processes and their impact on productivity metrics for the construction industry, including costs, safety, project schedules, quality, eliminating waste and creating green buildings.

The findings from a survey of 809 contractors, architects and engineers showed that:

• 66 percent report that project schedules are decreased; 35 percent said by four weeks or more.

• 65 percent report that project budgets are decreased; 41 percent said by 6 percent or more.

• 77 percent report that construction site waste decreased; 44 percent said by 5 percent or more.

With increasing interest in lean construction, the strong influence of green construction and the rising use of BIM technologies, these factors make pre-fab and modular process a critical trend in the construction industry, the report said.

Here is a useful link to an article about construction waste and modular construction.

http://constructioninformer.com/2013/02/19/modular-construction-promises-less-construction-waste/

And another about a recent modular construction project at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.

http://www.nrb-inc.com/us/dormitories-accomodation/commerical-modular-buildings/three-story-dorm-addition#

Pedersen Brian ( 2013 December 06) Can modular construction boost productivity? Retrieved on December 11, 2013 From LVB.com.