Are Architects and Owners Missing the Boat by Not Considering Modular Construction?

According to the Modular Building Institute, Permanent Modular Construction (wherein most/all of the component parts of a project are constructed off site) accounts for only about 3% of new construction starts.

For many who have experience in this methodology, 3% seems like an inexplicably low percentage of market share considering the speed, flexibility and efficiency that modular offers.

One such modular advocate is Joe Mastromatteo, a seasoned Construction Manager who has overseen hundreds of millions of dollars in traditional stick built construction as Vice President of Delphi Construction. Mastromatteo admits as an old school CM, he was a bit skeptical of modular construction at the start, but his experience building a $50 million, entirely modular project made him a believer in the approach and the benefit it can bring to architects, owners and developers.

What is Delphi’s experience with Modular Construction?
The bulk of our work is traditional on-site construction, but we recently completed our first significant modular project. It was a large affordable housing project in Greenfield Massachusetts for our client The Community Builders. It consisted of the demolition of an existing housing development and the new construction of 49 replacement buildings with 200 units spread across 8 separate courts on 42 acres. Our partners were Davis Square Architects and Simplex Modular of Scranton, PA.

Aerial view of  Leyden Woods, Delphi Construction’s $50m Modular Project in Greenfield, MA

Why did the client choose modular for this $50m Project?
Interestingly, the project was initially designed as a traditional site built project. The decision to go modular was largely driven by extraordinary time pressures, the need to minimize displacement of current residents during construction and the associated costs. Traditional construction would have caused each court to take 8 months to complete with an overall duration of 36 months. Taking a modular approach allowed us to go from foundation to closed envelope for each building in just 5 days, court completions averaged  3-4 months and the project was delivered in 21 months, saving 15 months for the Owner over the projected schedule for traditional construction. This approach allowed the Owner to move residents out of their units and then re-occupy the new units in as little as 3 months. For the 200 residents of the project this was a significant benefit.

View of single court featuring entirely modular buildings

What are the main benefits of a Modular approach?
One of the biggest benefits is speed. Since manufacturing and site work occur simultaneously projects can be completed in up to half the time as traditional construction. With units being constructed in a climate controlled environment weather delays are also not a factor. Efficient manufacturing means less waste and a smaller carbon footprint overall. Despite the rapid completion of buildings, faster does not mean lower quality. Modular buildings are built to meet or exceed the same building codes and standards as site-built structures, and use the same architect-specified materials as conventionally constructed buildings, like wood, concrete and steel.

What is the biggest difference with building modular vs. on-site construction?

Every construction project lives or dies by its schedule. We are very accustomed to developing and managing highly detailed and precise construction schedules on all of our jobs but modular takes that to a whole other level. Its more akin to supply chain management. You have buildings being designed in one state, permitted and built to order in another, and shipped in by truck exactly when needed. This requires a tremendous amount of coordination between the architect, the manufacturer, our project development team, and our crews in the field throughout all phases of construction. Above all, it is critical to work out every detail of the plan from the beginning. Many of these activities are being executed months in advance, so the discovery of any needed changes may affect something that already happened months ago.

A closer view of modular units in place.

Do you think there are still misperceptions around modular?

There are definitely some persistent myths in our industry with regard to Modular. I’ve held some of them myself. Like Modular is of lesser quality, it’s boxy or boring, it’s limited in application, etc. In reality these are based on outdated notions that really do not apply to modern modular construction.

In terms of design, there are certain inherent design limitations when working with what is essentially just a series of boxes but skilled architects with creative vision can utilize these components to create a space that leverages economies of material and scale while being highly functional and aesthetically pleasing. As far as quality is concerned, our manufacturing partner was able to deliver well built, energy efficient units of the absolute highest quality. I would hold the finished product up against any other delivery method and find it to be equal or superior.  With regard to potential market applications, multi-family housing is a perfect fit but modular is also a great option to consider in virtually all markets such as Healthcare, Assisted Living, Education, Hospitality and on and on.

We have seen some really impressive examples of modular buildings recently that you would never guess were produced off site: from very innovative and open plan high end residential homes to innovative educational lab and classroom space and the obvious multifamily residential and student housing, modular is starting to become a much more frequent building solution.

There really does not have to be any trade off in terms of built quality, design flexibility, aesthetics or applications. The speed and cost savings are the result of efficiently managing the supply chain and carefully planning the construction process, not by cutting corners.

Joe Mastromatteo, Vice President of Delphi Construction.

What Advice would you give to owners?

First, I would encourage owners to consider a modular approach even if it’s not the most obvious solution. A little creativity in the design phase that leverages modular can deliver real benefits to the project.

But most importantly, they must choose the right partners and get them working together from the very beginning. It is absolutely vital with modular that the architect, manufacturer and construction manager work closely together from the earliest phases and throughout the entire project. The success of the project will hinge on the strength and experience of the team.

I learned quite a few important lessons going up the learning curve on this large scale project. I would be happy to be a resource and willing to share what I’ve learned with any owner or architect considering a modular approach on their next project.