"THE BUSINESS CASE FOR OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION IN EDUCATION"

“This was worth the price of admission,” said one attendee about Gilbert Architects and MODLOGIQ’s presentation re: off-site modular construction at ASBO.

“Stop Building Planes on the Tarmac: The Business Case for Off-Site Construction in K–12,” presented by Greg Oniskey, Director of Sales at MODLOGIQ, and Rod Frey, Jr., AIA, NCARB, ALEP​, and Principal at Gilbert Architects, posed a striking metaphor about school construction:

“Imagine building a commercial airplane on a busy tarmac, out in the rain and snow, with workers coming and going for months on end, interfering with flights taking off and landing.

Now imagine building under controlled factory conditions, far away from the busy airport, where you can test every system, then bring it to the airport ready to fly—months sooner.

That’s the advantage of off-site construction in Education.”

The two representatives of the architectural and modular manufacturer team behind numerous award-winning modular Education projects highlighted key benefits for schools while addressing head-on the (wrong) Perception that modular for education means downscale, cramped double-wide trailers.

Instead, the two showcased modular education projects that exemplify the Reality: permanent, code-compliant, high-quality facilities essentially indistinguishable from conventional construction. Most importantly, they highlighted the benefits of building under controlled factory conditions (instead of "out on the tarmac, in the rain and snow, with workers coming and going for months on end, interfering with flights taking off and landing.")

• Schedule Acceleration—classrooms and facilities ready for students in half the time

• Least Site Impact—85% of construction activity takes place far away from the site, avoiding disruption to students, teachers, staff, and parents

• Cost Certainty—one question got a reaction from the crowd of construction professionals: "How many of you have had a construction project that went exactly as planned—on time, on budget, zero surprises?"

• Manufacturing Precision—leads to higher quality which results in lower lifetime maintenance costs

• Predictable Procurement—upfront planning and sourcing prevent contingencies and change orders from impacting projects

• Most Sustainable Way to Build—conventional construction generates about a 25% general waste. Off-site manufacturing reduces that to only 1%-2%. And off-site modular construction can deliver to any LEED standard

If you're a developer of private/public educational facilities or a facility, construction, or capital planning executive for a K-12/higher ed institution or a professional in Education finance & operations, contact us to see how off-site modular construction can benefit your next project.