One small glimmer of hope of economic recovery greeted you on the way into work this morning.
After months of looking at what looked like little more than prefabricated warehouse partitioning systems on one of the major roads to the office, you were thrilled to see an open sign on a new hotel in your part of the city. The fact that this is a hotel chain that you have only ever been able to visit when you were in other pars of the country, of course, meant that your family was excited about the addition. Waiting for the construction to be completed, however, seemed to be stalled. As soon as other parts of the economy were put on hold, however, this hotel chain managed to get the workers and the rest of the materials that they need to complete the ten story hotel.
Excited about a space that has never been used before, your family was quick to book two rooms for the weekend and enjoy a staycation not far from your actual house.
Modular Office Buildings and Prefabricated Hotels Allow Companies To Make Fast Progress
Prefabricated office walls offer a number of advantages to many industries and in many settings. And in a time when many factories and warehouses are going to have to create safer social distancing work environments to deal with the threat of Covid-19, there are some indications that these prefabricated office walls and other similar products may be in even higher demand.
Permanent and relocatable are the two main types of modular construction, and both will likely play significant roles on the road to economic recovery in the next few months, and possible years. Reports by groups like the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia have long estimated that going modular can reduce construction cost by 9% to 20%, but when you factor in the added health protections that providing easy to clean and maintain partitions you can also see that these prefabricated office walls and similar materials can help many businesses get back to work.
Consider some of these other facts and figures about the prefabricated office wall and modular office industry and the implications these products may have on the health of the entire nation going forward:
- Modular methods allow for speedier construction times while being able to maintain quality. One international modular construction company, for instance, recently built a 57-story building in just 19 days. These same technologies can be used to create more temporary classrooms so that class sizes can be reduced in an effort to meet safe gathering numbers so that schools can reopen.
- Because 60% to 90% of all prefabricated construction occurs in a warehouse or factory, projects can be completed much faster when using these methods. This means that the cleanliness and sanitation of these areas is also easier to maintain as well.
- Modular construction continues to be increasingly popular for hotels. For example, Marriott International pledged to modularly construct 13% of its North American developments in the year 2017. Some of these same modular construction principles can also be used outside the hotel industry to create necessary health facilities and testing centers.
- Nearly a decade ago in 2011, prefabricated and modular construction was particularly popular for certain commercial applications. For instance, 49% of respondents used these processes for healthcare facilities; 42% used them for dormitories and other college buildings; and 42% used these methods to construct manufacturing facilities. As many businesses, including hospitals and colleges continue to look for ways to reopen to more traditional settings, these prefabricated trends are likely to increase even further.
- In addition to its other benefits, modular constructions reduce energy consumption during the building process by as much as 67% and reduces energy costs later on for occupants.
- Modular construction can reduce waste materials from cement to bricks, from timber to concrete, from wood pallets, to shrink wrap, and from cardboard to plasterboard by as much as 90%. This statistic provided by the UK-based Waste and Resources Action Programme is a significant advantage to many environmentalists. And as many office spaces may need to be redesigned to meet newer heath codes, limiting waste will be even more essential.
If you are ready to innovate, prefabricated materials may be the best solution.