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Modular Buildings: what are they and why use them?

June 10th, 2009 | Author: Assistant

The construction industry is massive and regular site-construction is a well tried and tested method of making long-lasting and high quality buildings. Why then is there a popular market for modular buildings; what are they and why do people use them? In this I shall explain the nature of modular buildings, clarify the differences between portable buildings and mobile homes and detail the reasons why off-site construction is a popular alternative to the conventional construction method.
Modular buildings are factory-constructed structures, made of multiple sections that are transported to the site of use before being assembled into a single building. They are available for lease or purchase and have a wide variety of uses as both temporary and permanent structures, including schools, housing, churches, retails offices and restaurants. They are also used for temporary industrial and construction facilities, as well as emergency structures.

Possibility the biggest advantage of modular buildings and is the price. Due to their factory-constructed nature, modular buildings are much cheaper that their site-built counterparts; normally around 30-40% less overall! This is due to the fact that the large-scale manufactures of modular buildings get discounts on building materials, reducing the construction costs and hence the price. Furthermore, there is 10-20% more lumber used in the construction of modular buildings, to provide a sturdy frame that can nevertheless be easily transported to the site of assembly.
The other huge advantage to using modular buildings is the vastly reduced construction time when compared to site-built structures. The mass-produced nature of many modular buildings means that they can be constructed very quickly, with very little wasted time or material. Furthermore, being constructed within an enclosed factory means that weather-related delays and damages are eliminated, as are problems caused by theft of building materials for construction sites. Since all the necessary materials are in the factory, delivery times and costs are also eliminated from the construction process completely. Temporary buildings and leased structures are also available and can be deployed extremely quickly for emergencies and situations when buildings are required at short notice.

A further advantage of using portable buildings is the fact that they can be assembled in remote locations, where regular construction would take a lot of time and money. Modular structures can be easily manufactured in the nearest town or city and driven out to even the most isolated locations, where they are assembled using cranes or lorries.

Despite often being of equivalent quality to site-built buildings, modular houses nevertheless have a negative public image, due to assumed similarities between portable buildings and mobile-homes. Portable and modular houses are, however, an entirely separate category of structure from mobile homes both physically and legally; not only are they constructed from different materials but they are also treated differently with regards to postal codes and bank appraisals. Modular houses are often designed to fit permanent perimeter foundations and hence are considered equivalent to regular buildings by banks and lending institutions; mobile homes, however, are generally considered to be of lower quality and often require special lenders.

To summarise; modular buildings are high-quality structures, constructed quickly and cheaply in factories and assembled at short-notice at the site of use, even in remote locations. They can be used to a wide range of purposes, as both temporary and permanent buildings and are considered equivalent to regular, site-built structures. They are of a much higher quality to mobile homes and hence many manufactures prefer to refer to their structures as “off-site constructs” in an attempt to break the stereotype that the two are in any way similar.

Hopefully this article has provided some insight modular buildings and maybe even inspired some people consider using them in the future.

Miles Ericsson is a leading expert on construction and the use of portable buildings. For more information, please visit http://www.module-ar.co.uk/case-studies.php

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