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The centuries-old method of prefabrication, or 鈥減refab鈥� as it鈥檚 typically called, is experiencing dramatic growth in popularity in the construction industry. While it鈥檚 still considered secondary to more traditional methods, industry trends suggest prefab is one of the fastest-growing practices in construction today. Key reasons for this include: a labor shortage, quality control, design continuity, shorter construction schedules, and reduced environmental impact and construction waste.

Some people attest that prefab also decreases the overall cost of a structure. Given that groundwork and prefab component assembly can occur at the same time, the timeline for a project is typically much shorter. So it may be more accurate to point to gains generated by faster project completion 鈥� rather than a lower or equal price tag 鈥� allowing the owner to reap the rewards of putting the new structure to work faster than if it were built completely on the job site.

To consider the future of prefab, it is important to understand what it is and how it is integrated into a structure. Prefab describes the process of manufacturing and assembling components of a structure off-site, and then transporting and assembling it on-site. Two techniques are modularization and panelization. Modularization is the assembly of entire modules, like rooms, on-site along with other modules to create the final structure. Panelization describes the process of erecting preconstructed modular walls or ceiling sections that were assembled off site.

Health care and hospitality

Hospitals and other health care structures are ideal settings for using prefab in the construction process. While a few design variations may be used for patient rooms, a nearly universal component of patient rooms is the headwall system that abuts the patient bed. Headwall systems integrate electrical and medical gas functions that connect to cords and tubing and serve as a central place for managing patient care accessories. These headwalls all need to be the same from room to room in order for a panelized system to be very effective.

Modular bathroom pods are another prefab solution ideal for health care settings, as well as for hotels, student housing and others. These factory-made turnkey units are fully fitted and plumbed, and ready to use once installed at the job site. The assembly line production of bathroom pods, in which individual parts are installed by trade specialists in a factory setting, assures production precision and eliminates the challenge of scheduling and juggling crew members in small spaces. Modular bathrooms save time on the jobsite, reduce the need for materials delivery and save on overall materials waste.

CitizenM Hotels has taken hospitality modularization to new heights by integrating modular room pods into its building designs. In 2019, Mortenson built the first full modular hotel in North America for this Netherlands-based hotel operator in the Lake Union area of Seattle. Now our firm is building another in downtown Seattle, one in Los Angeles and one in Menlo Park, California. All guest rooms in these hotels, which are between seven and 12 stories, are modular units prefabricated off-site in a European manufacturing facility before being transported to the job sites as self-contained units very similar to shipping containers.

One of these hotel shipping containers typically includes two rooms plus the section of hallway in between. Prefabricating guest rooms in a controlled factory environment improves the quality and consistency of the build-out all the way down to the furniture & bedding, and reduces construction waste by up to 60 percent. This modular approach has also shown that the duration of construction is typically reduced by three to four months when compared to a hotel built using traditional on-site methods. The result is a reduction of pollution associated with construction and acceleration of the timeline in which the hotel can begin service.

Mechanical above ceiling rack is another prefab solution gaining popularity in all types of project settings. These racks include most of the components that are above the ceiling, like electrical conduit and wiring, duct work, sprinkler lines, light fixtures, and water piping.

Creativity and precision

While the benefits of prefabrication are very compelling, it鈥檚 also important to understand its design limitations. Prefabrication must be chosen early in the design phase, when architects and engineers are challenged to design prefabricated components down to the exact location of screws. This level of detail is accessible through Building Information Modeling (BIM), an advanced 3-D virtual modeling process. Traditional two-dimensional drawings, while lending to creativity, by comparison do not adequately support prefabrication.

Prefabrication is also best suited to projects that include repetition, but repetition doesn鈥檛 mean boring. The number of styles of panels or modular pods can vary depending upon the project. At Mortenson, we have worked with architects who consider the use of prefabrication to be a good architectural challenge to design a building that is aesthetically pleasing.

Prefab and labor

Prefab is becoming more prevalent in regions of the country that have a shortage of qualified craft workers because less on-site labor is required. It must be noted that prefab may not decrease the overall number of people working on a project. It essentially shifts jobs from construction sites to off-site manufacturing facilities with controlled environments.

Building the future

Prefab is merely touching the tip of the iceberg in the world of construction and what we can do next. At Mortenson, we are very optimistic about the future of prefabrication and committed to investing in it to the extent it benefits our customers. The residential building industry historically has shown that there is an appetite for prefabricated homes, especially when the owner can have all of the amenities and benefits of a new home, but without the added cost of customization. We believe this approach can also work for the commercial building industry, and we are optimistic about how this will play out as the art and science of construction continues to evolve.

Dan Mehls is the vice president and general manager of Mortenson鈥檚 Portland office. Contact him at 971-202-4113.

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in the preceding commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Daily Journal of Commerce or its editors. Neither the author nor the 91视频 guarantees the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.