Guides

Introduction

Modular construction techniques continue to evolve, surpassing traditional methods by offering superior value, performance, and efficiency. Building components that are prefabricated, transported, and assembled mon-site in a modular fashion offer a forward-looking approach to commercial construction needs, ultimately exceeding the cost-benefit ratio for both owners and installers. From reduced build times to innovative design standards, modular construction has increasingly become a popular choice across a wide range of industries.

Challenges of Traditional Construction Methods

Today’s building construction companies are faced with compounding challenges in cost control, quality, code compliance, environmental impact, efficiency standards, productivity, and more. Coupled with new, disruptive technologies, cultural resistance (doing things the old fashioned way), and a lack of skilled labor, an industry crossroads has developed that has significantly impacted its bottom line. Whether it’s a simple or complex project, builders are forced to work within extremely tight margins and navigate their operations with little room for mistakes or surprises.

Every aspect of the project, from material delivery to quality control, becomes subjected to a greater margin of error. For example, cold weather can affect build progress and material integrity, miscommunication between parties can bring construction to a standstill, and precise tolerance requirements are rushed due to last minute changes.

There’s a lot of moving parts in traditional, on-site construction that requires pinpoint coordination, scheduling, and thoroughness. Quality can easily fall by the wayside as soon as the first unexpected issue arises. Along each phase of construction, the owners of the building are at the mercy of numerous variables that could prevent the job from getting done on-time and within budget.

Time is of the essence when building from the ground up. On-site, traditional construction relies on good weather in order to maintain progress, protect materials, and ensure that the job is performed accurately. Traditional construction processes are subjected to worker productivity, supply abundance, and communication challenges between all of the contractors and subcontractors involved.

As companies look toward more innovative ways to get the job done, modular buildings offer an attractive approach to increasing profitability and streamlining operations.

Modular Construction Defined

Modular construction features all of the hallmarks of traditional construction methods, but with a more refined, forward-thinking, and systematic approach to building. In modular construction, prefabricated building sections are created off-site in an environmentally controlled facility. The very same materials, code compliance, specifications, and design intent are applied. However, each section or “module” of the building is constructed separately, transported to the site, and assembled.

Benefits of Modular Construction

Modular construction combines the very best aspects of traditional construction with a meticulous, unhampered approach by incorporating industrial engineering and assembly line methods in order to maximize building efficiency. Among its main benefits include:

Quick Turnaround

Modular building construction is 30% to 50% faster than traditional methods due to complete sheltering from weathering elements that could affect materials, delivery, and personnel. Meanwhile, site planning and preparation is performed in unison, ensuring that installation can occur quickly and efficiently upon arrival. Supply is easy to coordinate for factory made, prefabricated buildings, since they ensure a single source for all construction materials. The entire process is turnkey, managed, and coordinated by a single company with their own in-house team.

Reduced Labor Costs

All construction is performed within the factory and highly trained personnel focus their efforts on each modular component. Using assembly line practices, the components undergo an extremely efficient building process that decreases labor time, increases productivity, and optimizes resources. Since prefab construction is performed under one roof, the team is free from weather delays or scheduling changes. In traditional construction, one change to a construction schedule can have a cascading effect on all of the teams involved, thereby driving up labor costs.

Minimal Environmental Impact

Prefabricated buildings are constructed with a Lean manufacturing approach that utilizes as much raw material as possible while reducing and optimizing waste. In traditional construction methods, large quantities of materials are delivered on-site in bulk, generating nearly 90% more waste than modular construction techniques. Prefabricated construction materials are recyclable, sourced in exact quantities, and require significantly less energy consumption to assemble. In addition, there is less noise, dust, and emissions to nearby communities when performed in a contained factory environment.

Superior Quality

Modular buildings meet the same quality control, building code, and architectural specifications as traditional construction projects. Through the use of the very same computer aided BIM software, builders are able to identify and analyze their designs for energy savings and building efficiency.

Design integration and construction approach is handled in the factory. They are able to standardize their materials, resulting in a more precise level of quality control. When built in a climate controlled environment, prefabricated building tolerances are not subjected to trapped moisture between components, hot and cold expansion/contraction, or sunlight deterioration.

Versatile and Scalable

Since each component is pre-engineered, modular construction offers an array of design opportunities. They can be integrated into either new or existing buildings, expanded in size, moved to another location, or reused by a different party.

Economic Advantages

Return on investment is maximized when purchasing a prefabricated building, as depreciation is significantly shorter than traditional construction. All aspects of the building construction process are consolidated to the factory and a team will manage the entire process more effectively than working with multiple, disparate parties. In many ways, the cost of the building process is greatly reduced in addition to the actual building materials.

Major Applications of Modular Construction

Industrial

In the industrial segment, modular construction offers a fast alternative to traditional buildings for various operating environments including manufacturing, mining, engineering, oil and gas, and more. Rather than building costly, permanent structures, modular construction allows industrial companies to quickly establish buildings that can operate in harsh environments. They can be transported and reused, thereby helping industrial companies save money.

Commercial

For commercial purposes, prefabricated buildings help companies control capital costs in various areas. Offices, equipment enclosures, mail rooms, storage areas, clean rooms, and reception areas utilize the economic advantages of modular building. Commercial buildings achieve greater flexibility and lower capital costs.

Medical/Healthcare

In healthcare, prefabricated buildings offer a fast, economical, and sterile building solution for clinics, laboratories, clean rooms, bathrooms, and medical equipment storage. During disasters, prefabricated buildings and shelters can be quickly setup and deployed to help first responders, victims, and hospital staff. The speed, quality, and custom design of modular buildings provide a viable economic alternative that helps minimize costs for both the facility and patient.

Education/Community

Prefab schools, daycare centers, and classrooms can help lower taxes for public schools and help maintain affordable tuition for universities. Simple, safe, and sturdy, these modular buildings can be deployed as extensions to existing schools in order to accommodate student population increases. In addition, these structures can also serve to help shelter the homeless or act as a community center for residents.

Retail

Faced with increased competition, overhead, and leasing costs for retail businesses, prefabricated buildings offer a suitable economic alternative. Custom designed and installed on-site, all aspects, from lighting to plumbing, are incorporated for retail businesses. The cost savings in construction and maintenance, when compared to traditional construction methods, help retailers maintain their profitability when adding additional storage, employee space, or floor space.

Security

Security needs often change within an operation. Modular guard houses and control centers can be easily added and moved as necessary, enabling fast and cost-effective expansion of security operations in nearly any facility or location. The durability and long-term stability of prefabricated buildings help to establish a safe and effective base of operations for security personnel. We offer blast and bullet resistant options.

Innovative, High Quality Modular Solutions by Commercial Structures Corp.

Backed by 43 years of experience in modular building construction, Commercial Structures Corporation has been leading the way in state-of-the-art, prefabricated building technology and development. Our team applies the latest advancements in modular construction to solve the most pressing challenges in traditional building practices. Our buildings meet UBC and BOCA codes, ensuring a long-lasting, durable solution.

We work with clients across a variety of industries to understand their needs and develop solutions that help them achieve their goals. For more information on the benefits of modular construction, please contact us.

Table of Contents

• Modular Construction Defined
  • How does modular construction answer the challenges posed by traditional construction?
  • What are the benefits of modular construction?
    • Quick Turnarounds
    • Cost Reduction
    • Flexibility in Use
    • Environmental Benefits
• Types of Modular Buildings
• Major Applications of Modular Construction
• Modular Construction by Speed Space

Introduction

The commercial and industrial construction sector is constantly faced with an array of challenges. Time constraints, tight budgets, cost control, and inclement weather are just some of the hurdles that construction companies must overcome to ensure successful delivery of a single project. Additionally, construction professionals are under increasing pressure to maintain quality at lower costs, with minimal impact on the environment.

It has therefore become apparent that significant improvements need to be made to the conventional construction process, changing the way in which projects are delivered to meet the growing needs of the modern day client. Fortunately, the rapidly evolving modular building industry has helped many professionals overcome the shortcomings of traditional construction by improving construction efficiency, increasing cost-effectiveness, and enhancing building flexibility.

Modular Construction Defined

Modular construction – also known as prefabricated construction – is the process in which the sections of a building are constructed off-site, under plant-controlled conditions, for subsequent transportation and assembly on-site.

The individual prefabricated sections of the building, called modules, are designed and engineered in accordance with the same building codes and standards as conventional buildings. The sections are then transported to the construction site where they are erected and joined together to assemble the final structure.

Modular buildings offer very few limitations. This type of construction can be performed with the same materials used in traditional construction, including steel, concrete, and timber. Modules can also be assembled to achieve almost any building configuration or floor plan layout, from single-story housing units to multi-story commercial buildings.

How does modular construction answer the challenges posed by traditional construction?

The modern construction industry is plagued by numerous obstacles. In many countries, the shortage of skilled on-site labor has been a major constraint on many projects. This lack of resource has made it difficult to keep up with the demands for growing infrastructure. The traditional construction model is also quickly becoming unsustainable due to its inherent inefficiencies and rising construction costs.

Owners are losing money on projects. Architects and engineers are not getting the kind quality they expect. Meanwhile, contractors continually have to bear increasing risk and financial burden.

Modular construction addresses these shortcomings by taking construction away from the site and into the factory. Repetitive assembly line-like manufacturing allows for better management of resources and materials. The controlled factory settings also lessen the probability of adverse and unforeseen circumstances often encountered on the construction site.

What are the benefits of modular construction?

Quick Turnarounds

One of the major benefits of modular construction is its significantly faster construction time. The Constructing the building modules happens independent of on-site work such as site preparation and foundation works, allowing construction activities to take place concurrently. This is in contrast to traditional construction where work is typically performed sequentially.

Cost Reduction

The cost reductions realized by modular construction can come from several sources. First, faster construction usually equates to lower costs. Also, modular construction requires significantly less on-site labor and construction vehicles, resulting in considerably reduced labor and equipment costs.

Another avenue where modular construction saves money is in waste reduction. The controlled nature of prefabrication enables contractors to optimize purchases and store materials safely away from potential theft or damage risks caused by prolonged environmental exposure. Furthermore, modular construction also requires a smaller design team, reducing the costs associated with engineers, architects, and project managers.

Flexibility in Use

The usage of modular buildings can also be easily changed by disassembling, rearranging, or relocating the prefabricated modules. This reduces the demand for additional labor and raw materials and minimizes the energy expended to reconfigure the building to meet new requirements.

Environmental Benefits

Modular buildings are also widely regarded for their significantly cleaner on-site installation. Conventional construction activities such as mixing, grinding, cutting, traversal of heavy equipment, and waste disposal can result in destruction and contamination of the job site and surrounding areas. Prefabricated construction requires less on-site labor and fewer vehicles and equipment, thereby minimizing the negative impact on the environment.

Types of Modular Buildings

The versatility of modular construction allows structures of almost any type to be built with very few limitations. Some of the common types of modular buildings include:

In-Plant Offices

The flexibility of modular buildings makes them ideal for in-plant office construction. They can be used to quickly erect workspaces near plants without affecting operations. These prefabricated structures can also be easily rearranged to accommodate workspace expansion.

Exterior and Two-Story Buildings

Modular buildings are designed and engineered to the same building codes and standards as conventional buildings. This makes them capable of withstanding external environmental loads due to seismic activity, extreme winds, and snow. These buildings can also be outfitted with standard features such as thermal windows, insulation, raised floors, and many others.

Restrooms, Locker Rooms, and Break Rooms

Modular buildings can also typically be outfitted with the plumbing fixtures and electrical wiring required for the appropriate application. Modular restrooms, locker rooms, and break rooms are ideal for amusements parks, campgrounds, public functions, sporting events, and other applications where rapid installation is paramount.

Equipment, Pump, & Machine Enclosures

Prefabricated enclosures can be used to protect a variety of sensitive equipment including generators, water pumps, communication equipment, and control panels. They can also be outfitted with specific features such as noise, electrical, and fire insulation; ventilation; and other necessary machinery enclosure requirements.

Medical Buildings & Laboratories

Modular buildings can include essential medical and laboratory features such as air handling and filtration systems, chemical sprinklers, and air curtains. Other amenities, such as restrooms and shower rooms, can also be preinstalled for fast and easy erection at a moment’s notice. Off-site construction allows these buildings to be built under precisely controlled conditions to help meet various stringent medical standards.

Blast Resistant & Bullet Proof Buildings

Where modular buildings are vulnerable to high impact loads due to blasts, vapor cloud emissions, forced entries, pressure vessel ruptures, high-velocity projectiles, and/or security threats, they can be designed to be durable enough to prevent collapse, minimize penetration of debris, and mitigate other types of undesirable failure.

Control Rooms

Modular control rooms offer a spacious solution for housing control equipment and personnel. They can also be designed with noise or other control measures to protect the room’s interior from specific external influences.

Major Applications of Modular Construction

Modular construction can be used to design and construct numerous buildings for a diverse range of applications. Some typical uses of modular buildings in various industries include:

Industrial

Commercial

Medical & Healthcare (including Emergency Services)

Security

Modular Construction by Speed Space

Speed Space has been a leading manufacturer of modular buildings and offices for a wide variety of applications for over 30 years. We specialize in custom-built portable buildings, guard houses, in-plant offices, and mobile offices for almost any industry. Each modular building solution is precisely analyzed and designed by our engineers for safe and efficient operation in each unique situation and environment.

If you would like to learn more about how our modular construction solutions can be used for your building project, feel free to contact our support team or request a quote.