Modular Advantage Magazine
In each bi-monthly issue, Modular Advantage explores a specific modular construction topic and features interviews and articles from industry experts along with news and updates from the Modular Building Institute and its members, modular building case studies, and upcoming industry events. This construction trade magazine is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in commercial modular construction.
While printed copies are free to subscribers, we have partnered with PBC Today and BD+C magazines to send digital versions of the magazine to 300,000+ industry professionals around the world, including architects, engineers, developers, and general contractors in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, and more.
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Latest Articles & Interviews
How Rebel Concept Harnesses AI as a Design Tool to Improve the DFMA Process
“The complexity of projects and the size of project are so large, and the technology is so complicated that AI would do it so much faster than we are,” says Kris Droszcz, CEO at Rebel Concept. “Everybody’s struggling to control the manufacturing processes according to the design. And I think that’s what AI will do.”
One Answer from AI Can Provide Innumerable Opportunities, says Stack Modular’s Jim Dunn
The Stack AI Engine is not fully functional yet, but it offers an unlimited number of productivity benefits. Currently, the company is using AI for cost estimates, most recently for a project out in California.
GrayWolf: Building the Future of Modular Data Centers to Power the AI Revolution
The growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based applications has created an urgent need for data centers capable of managing massive amounts of data. As businesses across industries increasingly rely on digital infrastructure to power their AI tools, the demand for data centers has skyrocketed.
Artificial Intelligence: Yes, it is a Construction Game-Changer
Much like other sectors of the economy, AI is reshaping construction, revolutionizing how projects are planned and executed across the country. While it is obvious that AI cannot do certain things by itself, like laying bricks, paving roads, or shingling roofs, its impact stands to be both massive and positive.
The Potential and Possibilities of AI for Offsite
AI is everywhere. Many industries have incorporated AI into business as usual with new organizational structures and new dependencies to be more efficient and to automate repetitive tasks. Offsite construction will not be immune to AI’s ubiquity. The technology offers unique benefits to the offsite building process.
Moving from AI Hype to an AI Advantage
Learning about AI will help you see past the overinflated hype and identify the opportunities specific to your own business. Learning about AI is like peeling an onion – each layer reveals something new, and occasionally it might make your eyes water. But in the end, you’ll have all the ingredients you need to cook up some real innovation in your organization.
The Blueprint for Smart and Ethical AI Integration in Your Business
The journey toward smart and ethical AI integration involves crafting a strategic vision that aligns AI’s transformative potential with your organizational goals. True success with AI is measured by its capacity to enhance human capabilities, foster sustainable growth, and generate value for all stakeholders while actively avoiding ethical pitfalls and harmful risks.
Five Factors for Success When Shifting Your Business to Modular
As labor, competitive and cost factors push more contractors and developers to embrace the opportunity to go modular as a first choice and not a last resort, it’s become clear that adopting this new model requires more than just a willingness to make it happen. Here are five factors to consider as your company moves to a modular construction model:
UniCool-Edge: Optimized Cooling Solutions for Modular and Edge Data Centers
In an industry where efficiency, scalability, and security are crucial, the UniCool-Edge™ system is a revolutionary solution for modular data center manufacturers. By offering external mounting for maximum space utilization, energy-efficient cooling, and pre-commissioned reliability, UniCool-Edge helps manufacturers stay ahead in the rapidly evolving AI-driven data center market. As edge data centers continue to expand, solutions like UniCool-Edge will play a vital role in supporting the next generation of modular data centers and their data center infrastructure.
Building Skills in a Virtual World: Immersive Training for the Modern Workforce
As both the hardware and software for developing and deploying XR applications continue to become more affordable, the investment in this technology as a training tool is increasingly appealing. XR also offers several other benefits, including performing potentially hazardous tasks in a safe environment and acquiring new skills without the immediate need for physical materials.
Current Issue
This edition dives into the ever-evolving field of artificial intelligence. How is it affecting modular building design and construction? What possibilities does it offer? Should it be trusted yet? With exclusive articles and interviews from the early-adopters and AI experts, this issue is a can't-miss resource for companies looking at AI-powered tools and processes.
Featured Modular Building Case Studies
Hawthorn Extended Stay by Wyndham—Jackson, WY
The plan was to build the project in two phases. This would enable the property to open sooner and start
accommodating guests while completing the second phase. The digital twin was designed to provide a complete factory-ready model for both phases upfront. That gave the factory everything it needed to bring each phase into production quickly. It also enabled everyone a way to plan both
phases ahead of time, and begin prepping the site in advance.
102-108 Westford Street
102-108 Westford was an opportunity for New England-based GreenStaxx to show how project costs could be trimmed by using a standardized, modular-ready Triple Decker design.
Geberit In-Wall Systems Makes a New Breed Luxury Room Concept a Reality for International Hotel Brand
Geberit in-wall flush toilet systems for wall-hung toilets are the classics for modern bathroom design. citizenM has specified the Geberit systems into their bathroom walls worldwide as a basis of their bathroom design. This installation is part of the over one million times building owners have installed Geberit systems in their buildings around the globe for over the past 50 years.
Panel Built Provides Custom Modular Enclosure for Major Beverage Manufacturer
The challenge was twofold. Firstly, Panel Built needed to create a spacious enclosure that could accommodate a large facility crane. This enclosure required a design that provided ample storage space and integrated seamlessly with the existing infrastructure. Secondly, the structure needed to incorporate office space that offered personnel an unimpeded, 360-degree view of the factory floor.
Fire Station 67
Fire Station 67 is designed in direct response to the climate crisis, the increasing threat of wildfires, and the needs to the Rancho Mission Viejo community. Prefabricated off-site and assembled from 10 modules, the 4,667-square-foot fire station is a modular design with the ability to reconfigure the structure into something new in the future.
Maceo May
Maceo May is a six-story, all-electric modular construction, affordable housing development located on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. The climate-responsive design provides 104 homes for formerly homeless veterans and their families with a strong focus on decarbonization, resilience and wellness. The apartment building offers 1 on-site manager’s unit, and a mix of 24 studio, 47 one-bedroom and 34 two-bedroom units.
The Sphere Made Possible with Exterior Wall Panels
This one-of-a-kind structure required one-of-a-kind building materials and exterior cladding that could accommodate the atypical geometries, project timelines, and significant daily foot traffic. Offsite construction, in the form of Dryvit’s Outsulite prefabricated panels of continuous insulation (CI), was the key method for streamlining the façade installation and ensuring quality control for the difficult building connections.
Modular Construction for Financial Viability: The Norwalk Project Case Study
The Norwalk project serves as a prime example of how Offsite Modular Construction, in collaboration with Architects, Consultants/Engineers, General Contractors (GC), and Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection (MEP/FP) Subcontractors, can make projects financially feasible by closely working with the Owner/Developer under an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) approach.
STAAT MOD Patient Bed Expansion at M Health Fairview – St. John’s Hospital
Construction firm The Boldt Company, and interdisciplinary design firm, HGA were engaged by St. John’s Hospital to deliver a 16-bed ICU patient observation wing onto the existing facility, built to over 90 percent completion offsite in Appleton, Wisc., then seamlessly transported and installed on the St. John’s campus – the first of its kind in the state of Minnesota.
Offsite Modular Construction Builds and Installs 12 New Classrooms for Westlake Academy in 100 Days
OMC utilized modular construction techniques to manufacture two brand new permanent 6,400-square-foot modular buildings, each housing six classrooms. The process included innovative design features for safety, durability, environmental sustainability, integrated technology enhancements, and health-oriented construction.
Formula 1 Race, Las Vegas, Nevada
In partnership with InProduction, Phoenix Modular Elevator (PME) designed, manufactured, and installed seven modular elevators for the F1 Grand Prix race in Las Vegas, Nevada. To minimize space, the design utilized machine roomless (MRL) hydraulic elevators, eliminating the need for separate machine rooms for each elevator. Instead, using the MRL design, the machine room equipment is built into the hoistway, and accessed via a small door on the side.
Silverking Student Housing, Selkirk College
ROC Modular was proud to deliver a much-needed new permanent modular Student Housing Residence for Selkirk College, located at the Silverking Campus in Nelson BC. The project is a 3-storey, 12-module 38-student bed building with a mass-timber main common area for student amenities.
Parkhurst Elementary School Classroom Additions
The Parkhurst Elementary School in Winchester, MA, has recently undergone an expansion of 13,074 square feet. Due to renovations at the neighboring Lynch School, students were temporarily relocated to Parkhurst. Modular construction was chosen as the preferred method to accommodate the influx of students and prepare for the start of the 2023-2024 school year.
VBC Chooses MAESTRO SMART 9 HP
Volumetric Building Companies (VBC), a global leader in the construction sector with a focus on building the future through volumetric modular techniques, choose the Maestro Smart 9 Heat Pump as their ideal comfort solution to heat and cool their modular housing project in Philadelphia, PA, consisting of 60 modular housing units.
16’ x 37’ Welded Substation Enclosure
Instead of sourcing a new transformer, which would have taken over 100 weeks and cost several million dollars, Raytheon Technologies turned to Panel Built Inc. for a modular solution. Panel Built designed a 16’ x 37’ prefabricated enclosure that could be delivered to Guam in two pieces. Once it was put together, it was lowered over the transformer.
Temporary Visitors Center at Antietam National Battlefield Park
Antietam National Battlefield Park, a revered site listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, presented unique challenges demanding meticulous preservation efforts. The paramount goal was to ensure minimal disruption to the sacred grounds surrounding the new modular building.
Wraptite Airtightness Protection for Northampton School for Boys
The Wraptite external air barrier system from the A. Proctor Group has been chosen for its high-performance, airtight insulation for a Department for Education (DfE) funded project of the offsite construction of Northampton School for Boys Multi-Academy Trust.
University Temporary Modular Student Housing— Ettrick, VA
Modular Genius, Inc. designed and built three temporary modular dormitory complexes featuring 134 dorm rooms, totaling 49,632 sq. ft. All three modular dorms feature a shared laundry room, kitchen and lounge area, showers, and restrooms for residents.
Hage’s Badehotel — Case Study — Denmark
For this project, Forta PRO delivered 72 buildings, 144 modules, with 5,200 m2 of gross modular area. With final onsite completion in June 2023, it provides exceptional long-stay accommodation in a stunning and serene environment.
355 Sango Court Case Study
The logic-intensive preconstruction method demanded of automated modular brought extra benefits to the Sango Court project. Autovol had worked side by side with preconstruction innovator Prefab Logic to create a digital twin modeling approach and a sprint process as advanced as the Autovol factory.
Currently an MBI member? Submit your case studies for publication today!
Online Exclusives
Recent Issues
Past Articles
US Modular Capital: Revolutionizing Offsite Construction Financing
Traditional lenders have standards and practices which are not tailored to modular construction and accordingly, it has become increasingly evident that securing adequate funding is one of the key factors essential for the industry’s continued growth.
Lean Construction: A Tool to Drive Productivity
Once you know the current state and the wastes in your processes, you can start improving with the foundational tools of Lean Construction.
Modular and Off-Site Construction: Risk Questions, Scenarios, and Suggestions
Selecting a quality surety professional is of utmost importance. When researching a firm, consider their years of experience and amount of bonds written, current relationships with underwriters, and the memberships they hold to various professional
associations, as well as their overall knowledge of your unique industry. By partnering with a reputable consultant, you can ensure reliable performance that maximizes your bonding capacity.
The Cost of a Dated Education System on our Workforce
When the subject of workforce development arises there are many opinions on how our dwindling labor pool has become what it is. There is likely some truth to everyone’s response, but the real question should be: How do we help fix this mess? The reality of our labor shortage is that it’s our problem and each of us can play a part in helping to fix it. Kids need early exposure to the offsite construction industry.
The Mountains, Hills, and Valleys of Material Prices
With the global economy poised for further weakness and recession highly likely in America at some point over the next 12 months, there could be
additional downward pressure on input prices during the year ahead even as more infrastructure projects break ground.
Roland Brown Looks Back at His Story of Success in the Modular Construction Industry
Roland Brown never imagined his life would turn out this way. He retired from a nearly 50-year-long career, starting off as a draftsman in the mobile home industry to becoming the VP of Design and Development at Ramtech Building Systems, Inc., a design/build construction company in Mansfield, Texas with its own modular
manufacturing facility.
Welcoming the Industry’s Rising Stars to the World of Modular
As part of Tremco’s Rising Stars program, students from the East Career & Technical Academy attended World of Modular to learn from industry experts and meet representatives of companies from across the modular construction industry. Their instructor, Tremco’s David Hutchinson, led the morning-long program on the conference’s third day.
A Presidents’ Lunch 40 Years in the Making
At a luncheon hosted by MBI’s current executive director Tom Hardiman, CAE, and operations director Steven Williams, CAE, on the final day of the conference, nearly half of the association’s former board presidents were joined by Judy Smith, MBI’s former executive director who retired in 2004. There were warm greetings, old stories, and new insights into an
industry poised to grow like never before.
An Event to Remember: The 2023 World of Modular
MBI’s 2023 World of Modular conference and tradeshow was held in April at the luxurious Bellagio Resort & Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. World of Modular has long been the industry’s best chance to meet new contacts, learn from industry experts, and reconnect with old friends, but this year the excitement was palpable.
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