News that twin 192-metre residential towers will be built in Singapore from modular components is further proof that the prospects for prefabricated construction are rising fast. The Avenue South Residences project will consist of nearly 3,000 vertically stacked concrete modules, delivered 80 per cent complete from a Malaysian manufacturing facility.
Modularized construction addresses several key issues such as precision quality and reduced material waste. There is also a COVID-related benefit of modularization — the assembly of prefabricated modules requires fewer workers in close proximity.
However, it is the measurable reduction in project time that offers the most intriguing list of ancillary benefits for owners, builders and occupants alike.
“We are now reading on a daily basis about the housing crisis and how we need urgently to address the lack of homes,” writes Alexander Gold of U.K.-based law firm Charles Russell Speechlys LLP. “Modular construction is receiving much attention at the moment and is being flaunted as a key solution to building homes at speed.”
The “need for speed” is important not only in the U.K. and North America but around the world. Giga projects in Saudi Arabia and the rapid urbanization in the Middle East also call for projects that can be ready for occupancy quickly. Of course, when it comes to commercial buildings, the faster the occupancy, the faster the return on investment can begin.
“Modular construction represents the future of building development,” write Nick Bertram, Jan Mischke, and Erik Sjödin of McKinsey Global. “The benefits over traditional construction should be huge: lower costs, accelerated schedules, greater predictability of both time and cost, and improved building quality.”
Data derived from U.S. construction companies confirm much of what McKinsey suggests. One recent survey suggested that 94 per cent of respondents had used prefabrication on some projects. Approximately 90 per cent of those claimed it had decreased both project time and budget costs versus similar projects built in stick fashion, with half citing savings of as much as 10 per cent.
However, only 38 per cent of general contractors and construction managers with modular experience reported it as a permanent part of their process. Even so, their level of positivity exceeded that expressed by architects, engineers and, surprisingly, trade contractors.
The muted response from designers and trades is explained in part by authors Kudsk, Hvam, Thuesen and Grønvold in their article titled Modularization in the Construction Industry Using a Top-Down Approach. It essentially concerns the matter of “architectural aspects such as the geometric shape, the perceived facade expression, or the look of the building.”
Perhaps more important is personal bias. Specialists may have extensive knowledge in their own fields yet a limited knowledge of other project elements, the authors say. Furthermore, “most people do not like the idea of their job being standardized or taken over by computers or employees with less experience and qualifications. They are therefore protective.”
In fact, all trades have something to gain from modularization, says Tom Hardiman, executive director of the Modular Building Institute. Writing in HPAC Engineering, he contrasts the parade of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, HVAC techs, drywallers, painters, and tilers, each working sequentially one after the other, with the modular approach.
“In a factory, all those trades are there and working together. When that box, that room, comes out of the factory, it could be 80 per cent complete. Electric, plumbing, paint, carpet, drywall, everything.”
McKinsey advocates for a change towards modularization in a top-down manner.
“Real-estate developers can be the catalysts for the transition to modular. Developers must start by rethinking their product strategy with an eye toward enabling modular design — for example, by reducing the use of bespoke floor plans. From there, they can begin to build the supply chain by signing long-term partnerships with material and product suppliers.”
The payoffs could be significant for early modular adopters, McKinsey says.
“They can pocket the cost savings over the traditional approach throughout the industry’s transition.”
John Bleasby is a Coldwater,-Ont. based freelance writer. Send comments and Inside Innovation column ideas to editor@dailycommercialnews.com.
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