Most advocates for offsite modular construction are quick to point out that the idea isn’t new. Yet, what is new is the investment and the technology capabilities that are making modular construction a better possibility with much improved results.
What are those results?
McKinsey & Company released a report in June that shows that modular construction can speed construction by as much as 50%. The research says that in some cases it could also cut costs by up to 20%. It projects that modular construction could claim $130 billion of the market in US and Europe by 2030 and fill a $1.6 trillion productivity gap.
With that kind of data, it’s no wonder that so many groups are focused on it. New modular construction companies are attacking both labor and affordability challenges full steam. The controlled factory environment that modular uses is also helping companies achieve higher sustainability and resiliency standards.
In this episode of the HIVE Re:Think podcast, host Philip Beere, speaks with Chris Krager, founder and principal at KRDB and founding principal at Ma Modular. Krager saw the evolution of opportunity for modular construction as an architect and started his firm Ma Modular. In this podcast he shares his history and his success.
Other organizations are able to achieve similar construction wonders. For instance, a current project in Bristol by developer Urban Creation and Go Modular Technologies is putting together a student housing project estimated at only half the time of onsite.
Katerra, a technology company focused on applying texted systems approaches from other industries to design and construction, has developed another project called K90 in Las Vegas as a concept to focus on how to optimize delivery of a single building to its maximum potential. Through the project, Katerra was able to reduce the construction schedule by more than 40%, finishing the 24-unit garden style project in less than 90 days, from framing to completion.
Krager is bringing his insights and expertise on modular to the HIVE Conference. There will be a physical tour of the MLK Mixed Use project on Tuesday, December 3 as part of HIVE’s first pre-conference Austin Day Tours. The project is 24,000 square feet of mixed use, using modular, wood frame technology for the first time in Austin to provide an affordable, infill housing solution. The modules were delivered to the site 70% complete to allow this proof-of-concept project to be completed in just five days.
Plus, Krager will be presenting the session, “The Weight of Design” to discuss how the housing industry can redefine design to meet cost, policy and consumer demands.
Register now to see these innovative concepts and be part of how they will be imagined in the future.
This article appears as it was originally published on our sister site, www.hiveforhousing.com.
