Modular Buildings

Facilities seeking versatile and cost-effective methods of expanding their floor space and work area may benefit from pre-fabricated modular buildings. Modular structures are those that are designed with customization in mind, and feature a simple blueprint with expandable or collapsible features in order to make the unit fit in or complement a larger facility. For instance, if a plant gets a large-run job but needs a separate facility to handle an additional aspect of construction, instead of building a full new expansion to their facility they can institute a prefabricated modular expansion. Prefabricated modular buildings are useful for jobs that come up in production facilities as well as emergency situations for on-site medical professionals, special needs for research laboratories, and many other industries that require diversification of activities on short notice.

Modular Buildings: The Basics

Most modular buildings are designed with three main principles: ease of construction, customizability, and effectiveness. Because of the dedication to these principles, modular buildings can function for short- or long-term jobs with a strong sense of reliability, although their initial construction may last for a fraction of that of a more permanent structure. For example, take the factory that lands a job producing a large run of a particular product, but the needs of this production job are too much for the factory’s facility. The factory owners can choose to work with a modular building company to establish additional floor space in order to handle this job. The owners and the engineering and design team select a particular modular building plan and customize it based on facility needs. Height and weight restrictions, environmental considerations and equipment needs are all determined at this level. The modular building is then constructed in pieces (based on the modular design needs) in another factory. Once the pieces are constructed, they are shipped to the factory where an experienced team can assemble the parts like a jigsaw puzzle, establishing an entirely new facility in a fraction of the time it would take to fully design and construct an addition to the main building. The factory is then able to use the new facility to complete their product run.

Modular Building Factors

Because modular buildings can serve so many purposes while cutting down on construction costs, prefabricated designs are finding their way into more cutting edge architectural designs, such as the new rotating towers by Dynamic Architecture in Dubai.

When a group decides to use modular buildings to meet a construction need, they are posed with many of the same questions and challenges as standard architectural decisions. However, modular buildings are intended to reduce the impact these decisions have on both financial and construction constraints, all while serving longer term environmental benefits. As an example, consider an emergency medical scenario that requires prompt attention by authorities and medical professionals in a remote location. If there are no medical facilities in the area, it can be difficult and expensive to transport patients by helicopter to the nearest hospital. However, the medical professionals can establish a remote facility with the help of prefabricated modular medical offices. Using telescoping columns, durable polyvinyl plastic sheeting as walls and portable environmental machines such as HEPA filters, a medical grade clean facility can be transported to the location and constructed in enough time for the aid workers to establish a command center to deal with the emergency. Additionally, once the emergency has been handled or more permanent facilities have been established, the entire modular building can be dismantled with little to no impact on the surrounding environment.

Because of the techniques used in modular building, construction times are reduced and problems eliminated or quickly solved. Modular buildings can be changed depending on environmental, cost, and production restrictions.