Ramtech Exhibits at the 2019 TxA Design Expo in Galveston
Ramtech to Exhibit at the 2019 Texas Society of Architects Design Expo
After a long hiatus Ramtech will return to exhibit at the 80th annual Texas Society of Architects TxA Design Expo this Thursday and Friday. Jeff Ward will represent us in booth 616 at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center in Galveston. The conference promises to provide a wide range of educational sessions, tours, and professional networking events where the focus will be on ‘Immersion in Knowledge, Resilience, and Inclusion’. The scheduled events will begin with tours and educational sessions, with the first keynote address on Friday the 25th by founding principal Claire Weisz of WXY Architecture and Urban Design. Additional keynote speakers include designer, urbanist, and social innovator Liz Ogbu along with a discussion on the intersection of research and real-world practice by MIT Department of Architecture faculty member Skylar Tibbits. by providing a wide range of educational sessions, tours, and professional networking events. (more…)
- Published in Modular Building, Modular Construction, Networking, Ramtech News
Ramtech Begins Manufacturing of Multi-Use Office Building for Los Alamos National Laboratory
One of 26 Steel-Framed Modular Sections Being Constructed for the Los Alamos National Labs Office Building
Ramtech Building is now in full production for the manufacturing phase of the 26 non-combustible steel framed modular sections that will make up a 22,680 square foot permanent modular building for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, NM. The two-story facility will be built using our Slab-on-Grade Permanent Modular Construction process and will include an atrium, elevator, and two stairwells. The floor plan calls for 67 personal business offices in three sizes along with an open office plan on both floors that can accommodate 12 freestanding office spaces using custom furniture cubicles. Designated as a Multi-Use Office Building (MUOB) project, the new facility will be installed adjacent to LANL’s main headquarters located in Technical Area 3. We will complete the manufacturing part of the facility by the middle of November, and will begin the installation of the modular sections during the first quarter of 2020. (more…)
- Published in Government, Modular Construction, Permanent Construction, Ramtech News
Use of Modular Construction Continues to Grow in the Multifamily Housing Sector
Developers are Turning to Modular Construction for Multfamily Housing Projects
The use of modular construction for multifamily housing projects doubled between 2017 and 2018. The main reason? Modular construction dramatically shortens the time to complete a building which reduces the cost of financing for the projects. The Modular Building Institute’s Tom Hardiman is featured in the article and provides quotes and statistics on how the use of modular construction by multifamily developers will continue to grow. Read it here.
- Published in Ramtech News
Ramtech Returns to Exhibit at the 2019 Texas Municipal League Conference October 9-11 in San Antonio
Ramtech will exhibit our relocatable buildings and two types of permanent modular construction in booth 910 during the 2019 Texas Municipal League annual conference and exhibition at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center October 9-11 in San Antonio, Texas. The annual conference is expected to draw more than 3,000 appointed and elected government leaders that represent over 300 Texas cities. The conference will begin Wednesday, October 9th with a keynote address from digital anthropologist and futurist Brian Solis on ‘Escaping from Distractions to Live a Better Life’. The other keynote speakers include Olympic medalist and best selling author Bonnie St. John, and The Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith with El Paso Mayor Dee Margo who will both address the issue of community and resilience. (more…)
- Published in Government, Modular Building, Permanent Construction
Ramtech To Showcase our Relocatable and Permanent Modular Construction at the 2019 TASA | TASB Convention in Dallas
Booth 878 at the TASA | TASB Conference September 20-22 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas
Ramtech will be back on the trade show road this week exhibiting our relocatable modular school buildings and two types of permanent modular construction at the 2019 TASA | TASB Convention at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on Friday and Saturday September 20 and 21 in Dallas. Dubbed txEd CON19, the annual show is expected to draw more than 5,000 attendees from public school districts across the state, including 4,000 school board members and their guests, and over 1,000 school administrators including superintendents, associate superintendent, and other key school district personnel. Both Jeff Ward and Sabrina Queen will be manning Booth 878 when the show kicks off Friday at 8:30 a.m. The first general session will be Friday afternoon featuring a keynote address from best-selling author Kevin Carroll who will speak on “Unleashing Growth Through Creativity and Innovation”. (more…)
- Published in Ramtech News
Cleveland ISD Adds Additional Ramtech Modular Classroom Buildings to Meet a Surging Enrollment
Ramtech Eight Classroom Modular Building Under Construction for Cleveland ISD
Ramtech has recently received another order from Cleveland Independent School District for an additional two eight-classroom relocatable modular buildings for its Cleveland Middle School campus. This will bring the total number of Ramtech’s standard portable and multiple classroom wings installed this year at the district’s elementary, middle, and high school campuses to seven buildings. We will complete the manufacturing of the two new facilities this week, and expect to complete the installation phase by the middle of October. As with the previous facilities, the modular school buildings will utilize R-Panel metal siding for the exteriors, with vinyl covered gypsum walls and vinyl composition tile flooring in the interiors. (more…)
- Published in Education, Modular Building
Facts About Modular Construction Part Five – Unlimited Architectural Appeal
Split-faced Block Installation Using Permanent Modular Construction
Whether it’s a freestanding facility or an addition to an existing building, modular buildings can be designed to meet or exceed the architectural aesthetics of traditional site- built structures. Ramtech’s pier and beam and slab-on-grade permanent modular construction methods can accept any exterior cladding combinations, providing the same curb appeal as site-built structures. This includes brick, block, or stone masonry, an Exterior Insulation Finishing System (EIFS), various fiber-cement sidings, and all types of architectural metal panels.
Masonry Application to a Pier and Beam Permanent Modular Building
In these images, pre-finished architectural split faced block standard concrete masonry units (CMUs) were chosen to match the exterior of the adjacent main structure. They are accompanied by a wainscot row of smooth white block at the window level with additional split faced block above that rising to two additional bands of white block at the top of the building. Today’s generation of both relocatable and permanent modular buildings have a greater degree of curb appeal and functionality than ever before. This ability to compete with the aesthetics of site-built facilities has led to an increase in the number of design professionals willing to embrace modular building systems.
- Published in Modular Building, Modular Construction, Permanent Construction
Modular Construction Continues to Grow
The modular units for Carmel Place in NYC under construction. (Courtesy nARCHITECTS)
A very positive review of the current state of the modular construction industry and the future outlook for it was recently published in The Architect’s Newspaper. The article quotes the The National Real Estate Investor which showed that in the last five years the modular construction industry has doubled in size to over $8 billion. The increased productivity and lower overall design and construction costs were indicated as the most significant factors in the choice of using modular construction for commercial projects. The article also references the 2018 Commercial Construction Index economic indicator, a report jointly published by USG Corporation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that tracks trends in commercial construction. It showed that more than 70 percent of surveyed contractors see eight distinct benefits in using modular construction including increases in efficiency, productivity, safety, and quality, while reducing risk, costs, material waste, and construction times. The reduction in the overall project timeline also leads to an increase in the opportunity costs by allowing revenue-earning buildings to begin doing so faster than facilities built using other construction methods. The whole article can be viewed here.
- Published in Commercial, Modular Building, Modular Construction, Technology
Facts About Modular Construction Part Four – High Quality Materials
Installation of Plywood Sheathing at the Roof Mate Line on a Permanent Modular Building
The materials used in permanent modular construction are no different than site built structures. This includes critical features like roofing applications. For large or small parapet wall facilities with low slope roofs, Ramtech prefers to use and install TPO (Thermoplastic Polyolefin) roofing material because of its durability and flexibility. This type of roofing material will adapt to a building’s movement and setting while still remaining resistant to impact damage, tears, or punctures.
Installation of DensDeck Prime Roof Board at the Roof Mate Line on a Permanent Modular Building
TPO roofs are resistant to dirt, algae buildup, and debris and will improve a building’s energy efficiency because of it’s substantial heat-reflective properties and the able to minimize the urban heat island effect. They’re also environmentally friendly with ability to be 100% recycled at the end of their lifespan. Ramtech applies the TPO material during the construction phase in our manufacturing plant, then seams the roof at the mate lines it the jobsite. This can be done quickly by nailing in both the plywood sheathing and DensDeck prime roof board before overlaying the TPO to complete the assembly.
- Published in Modular Building, Modular Construction, Permanent Construction, Technology
A Prefab Factory in the Sky
Mace Group 47,355 Cu. Mtr. Six-story Factory in the Sky
From our friends at Building Design & Construction. There is a severe housing shortage in the UK which experts say will require cities to build an average of 10,500 new homes per month every year through 2038. That demand will require the country’s construction industry to increase its productivity by 30%, essentially requiring a shift from construction to production. The six story factory in the image moves up as each new floor is completed, on average, in 55 hours. On this project they were able to complete 18 floors in 18 weeks. Check out the video embedded in the article here to see how the process works.
- Published in Ramtech News