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Modular Advantage Magazine

In each bi-monthly issue, Modular Advantage magazine 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 the global commercial modular and relocatable buildings industry.

Printed copies are free to MBI members and include exclusive content not available anywhere else. The abridged, digital versions of each issue, available below, are available free for everyone.

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Latest Articles & Interviews

An Insider’s Guide to the 2025 World of Modular

The Modular Building Institute is bringing its global World of Modular (WOM) event back to Las Vegas, and with it comes some of the industry’s best opportunities for networking, business development, and education. Over the course of the conference’s four days, there will be numerous opportunities for attendees to connect, learn, and leverage event resources to get the most out of the conference.

Affordable Housing Now: The Industry’s Best Bring New Solutions to World of Modular

While the modular building industry has long known that it can be an effective solution to increase affordable housing, the word is slowly spreading to more mainstream audiences. Three presentations at this year’s World of Modular in Las Vegas hope to provide insight and direction for those seeking a real solution to the crisis.

Opportunities for Innovation in Modular Offsite Construction

Modular Offsite Construction has already shattered the myth that it only produces uninspired, box-like designs. Architectural innovations in module geometry, configurations, materials, and products make it possible to create visually stunning buildings without sacrificing functionality or efficiency.

Miles, Modules, and Memes: Building a Modular Network One Flight at a Time

At the end of the day, social media is just another tool for building connections, and like any other tool, needs to be used skillfully to work properly. Use social media thoughtfully, and it will open doors to real opportunities and relationships you didn’t even see coming.

Current Issue

World of Modular is the modular construction industry's BIGGEST event! With this year's event promising to be better than ever, this issue of Modular Advantage dives into what attendees can expect. Featuring dozens of speaker profiles, advice from MBI staff on how to best leverage the event, and products that are sure to be on display, this is a can't-miss preview of the 2025 World of Modular.

Featured Modular Building Case Studies

Safe Modular Construction with Aerofilm Air Caster Transport

In collaboration with Aerofilm Systems, Heijmans developed innovative skids using air caster technology for moving modules easily and safely. These pallets are equipped with an auto-flow system, making operation extremely simple.

Building the Future: Triumph Modular’s Construction Services Team and Their Summer 2024 Masterpiece

In the summer of 2024, Triumph Modular’s Construction Services team undertook one of its most ambitious projects: $306 million modular construction initiative for the Manchester Public School system in New Hampshire.

Wilmot Modular Structures, Inc. Corporate Campus

Wilmot required a modern, efficient headquarters to showcase their modular construction expertise while fostering team collaboration and innovation. The facility was designed to streamline operations, reflect the company’s commitment to sustainability, and support long-term growth under multigenerational leadership.

Castlegar Student Housing, Selkirk College

Modular construction was chosen as the ideal solution to provide high-quality, fast-track affordable housing for students, delivering a 3-storey, 30-module, 114-student bed building with a mass-timber main common
area for student amenities.

Manchester Public Schools Temporary Classroom Space

The buildings can accommodate up to 1,000 students during construction of permanent buildings, allowing education to proceed without interruption. The modern and fully equipped modular learning spaces ensure a smooth transition for both students and staff.

Oldivai on 31st – Modular Housing, Rinse and Repeat

With a “kit-of-parts” approach, Oldivai on 31st demonstrated how a predesigned layout could deliver consistent programming and rapid deployment.

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.

Online Exclusives

Recent Issues

January/February 2025
November/December 2024
September/October 2024
July/August 2024
May/June 2024

Past Articles

Maximixing Efficiencies is the Key to Affordable Housing

A look inside the making of The Farm, the brand-new modular housing community in Buena Vista, Colorado.

Maximizing Modular Design and Construction to Create Affordable Housing

Volumetric modular design and construction can save time and money and create affordable, healthy housing. However, there are many ways this delivery method can go awry.

When Value Exceeds Price

When Value Exceeds Price About the Author: Ewelina Woźniak- Szpakiewicz is the CEO at DMD Modular Ltd. Currently serving also a role of the Vice-Chairman of the MBI’s European Council. With a PhD in Technical Sciences, she is part of the Faculty of Architecture at Cracow University of Technology (Poland). Her main focus is attaining…

Modular Multi-family Case Study: The Graphic

Modular Multi-Family Case Study: The Graphic About the Author: Kendra Halliwell, AIA, LEED-H AP is an Associate Principal, Practice + Design Team Leader, at ICON Architecture, Inc., a women-owned, Boston-based firm with award-winning work focused on innovative, sustainable mixed-use projects. Recently Project Manager for The Graphic, the largest modular construction project in the City of…

Modular Design: The Process, The Software, The Future

Anthony Gude emphasizes the familiar advice to bring all the key players on a project together early in the design process. “Everyone says this — because it’s true!” Gude says. “Nobody has all the necessary information at the start, especially on innovative or large-scale projects. A conference call with 20 or 30 people giving input at the pre-design stage is not uncommon.

Modular vs. Prefab: What’s the Difference?

Although the terms ‘modular’ and ‘prefab’ are sometimes used interchangeably, it’s helpful — and sometimes necessary — to draw a distinction between them.

Modular Commercial Buildings: Greener and Faster

Find out why modular construction is greener and faster than conventional construction.

The (Surprisingly Long) History of Modular Construction

How long has modular construction been around? You may be surprised to find out!

Looking Back at World of Modular 2020

Featuring 50+ speakers and over 130 exhibits, World of Modular 2020 was a fantastic success.

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