Grown Men Playing with Legos-Why Prefab Construction is on the Rise
Marriott Fairfield Inn, a New York City residential skyscraper and a boutique hotel in Portland, OR, likely aren’t the first projects that come to mind when you think of offsite, or permanent modular construction, but they are exactly where the industry is headed. In fact, the aforementioned skyscraper — the 363-unit, 32-story Pacific Park — will be the tallest modular building in the world when complete — representing a significant stride for the offsite and modular industries. Modular building, however, is only one type of offsite construction, according to Tom Hardiman, executive director of the Modular Building Institute (MBI). “Other offsite construction processes include … wall panels, MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) systems and bathroom pods,” he said. Offsite construction simply means a building’s components, while assembled on site, are built elsewhere, Hardiman noted. According to the MBI, modular construction currently makes up 3% of new commercial construction in North America, but that figure is expected to edge up to 5% over the next five years. “Our industry has been around for a...
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