CII Study Raises the Anchor on Modular Building Construction
It seems modular construction and prefabricated systems are once again in the forefront of the minds of the general construction industry. Right on the heels of the recent comments made at the April meeting of the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) calling for the use of more sophisticated methods of prefabrication and modular construction techniques on large-scale building projects, comes a report from the Construction Industry Institute. (more…)
- Published in Ramtech News
Commercial Modular Construction: How Best to Protect the Owner
As the economy improves and commercial construction expands, it is critical that owners are careful with their selection of both design professionals and contractors. According to BizMiner, less than 70% of the contractors in business in 2007 were still in business in 2010. To make matters worse, many of those surviving contractors are not financially sound. As a means of lowering operating costs, many contractors have reduced their insurance coverage, cut back on safety and quality procedures, and trimmed down employee benefits. Due to the decline in the financial strength of most contractors, surety companies have tightened their bonding requirements, thus making it difficult or impossible for some contractors to obtain bonding. If a contractor cannot bond a project, this should send a serious message to the owner! (more…)
- Published in Ramtech News
Modular Construction Takes Center Stage at CURT Conference
Exactly what does the construction industry at large think of modular construction today? Recent comments made at the spring meeting of the Construction Users Round Table (CURT) in Covington, Ky in April may hold a clue. As reported in an article in the Engineering News Record, the CURT has renewed a call for the use of more sophisticated methods of prefabrication and modular construction techniques. The CURT leadership wants to push designers and contractors to adopt these methods to cut the time and cost of construction as well as to complete projects with fewer workers and a higher degree of safety. (more…)
- Published in Ramtech News
Modular Buildings Proposed to Help Close Border Security Gap
With the subject of immigration reform and border security continuing to be a top issue in Washington, new legislation has been proposed that once again recognizes the benefits of modular construction and the use of permanent and temporary modular buildings for border security applications. (more…)
- Published in Ramtech News
Modular Grows Up… Literally
Modular construction has been in the news in the Big Apple recently, on the plans to construct a 34 story modular apartment building at the Atlantic Yards development in the Bronx Borough of New York City. Capsys Corporation has been selected to build the project designed by the engineering firm of Ove Arup & Partners. Much has been made in the press regarding the impact to the city’s construction unions and how these same unions initially offered support to the project as a means of generating construction jobs in a flat jobs market. Although the politics on something like this are always interesting, the technical challenges faced by the developer, designers, and builders make for fascinating reading on an ambitious project like this. (more…)
- Published in Ramtech News