Experts today estimate that virtually every American has been inside a modern modular building - and few realize it. This is a testament to the enormous strides made by the modular building industry over the past 25 years. The untutored eye can no longer tell "stick-built" from modular construction. But it wasn't always so.
The impetus from the 1950s boom in residential applications carried the industry into 20 years of slow but steady expansion into commercial markets. Modular buildings of this period showed little hint of the sophistication that would develop later. Designs were still very simple, choice of materials was still limited, and modular buildings had to earn the trust of other potential users. It was the education field that provided the first major breakthrough.
Rapidly growing enrollments and crowded classrooms were an urgent nationwide problem, compounded by the time and cost of building new "stick-built" facilities. Educators sought a quick, inexpensive solution, and the portable classroom was soon a familiar fixture in schoolyards and campuses coast to coast.
During this period, modular buildings were also finding a market as temporary accommodation for field crews or for the military.
The pace of modular building evolution accelerated with the start of the 1980s. Much had been learned. New manufacturing efficiencies, new materials, and advances in on-site assembly enabled designers to create more sophisticated floor plans, and allowed shipping of larger prefabricated modules.
Over the past 25 years, this ability to customize size, configuration, external and internal finish and other options has developed to the point where modular buildings are virtually indistinguishable from stick-built.
Meanwhile, the historical advantages of prefab construction - rapid occupancy, low cost, and relocatability - have established modular buildings as a better business decision in virtually every field from education to industry, from modular church buildings or hospitals to modular sales offices, sports facilities, and more.
Today, modular construction is used in applications as diverse as McDonald's restaurants and the VIP staterooms aboard the world's largest, most expensive new ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2.
Where now for the industry? In their 2007 predictions, Reed Business Information forecasts three areas for strong growth.
In the Education sector, modular buildings are providing the solution to growing K12 enrollments, school district initiatives to reduce class sizes, and the increasing cost/sq.ft. of traditional construction.
In the commercial retail and general office sector, the primary influence in choosing a modular building, according to Reed Business Information, is "The reduced time frame... because speed-to-occupancy translates into profitability".
Reed cites Healthcare as the third major sector of predicted growth, in response to "An aging population causing hospitals and outpatient care clinics to expand services... with space at a premium".
In our next post, we'll look at the custom features and options available in a modern modular building.