5 PITFALLS TO AVOID
WHEN CONSIDERING A MODULAR PROJECT
Get a head start on your modular project...
Modular construction can deliver powerful advantages over conventional, site-built construction. However, to maximize its benefits, it's critical to avoid common pitfalls:
1. Fully completing a conventional design PRIOR to engaging with a modular design partner.
A. On the positive side, waiting to engage with a modular design partner until after a conventional design is completed will still deliver the building you envisioned at project start.
On the negative side, you’ll give up too many of the benefits of modular off-site construction—especially schedule acceleration (faster time to operations and revenue) and cost certainty (reduced or eliminated change orders). CLICK TO CONTINUE READING...
B. “You can just re-purpose the conventional design, right?” Not quite. Yes, conventional plans do provide a good basis for design development. But generating construction documents that account for the mate lines between modules and the MEP/building systems that cross them is a critical modular design requirement for proper permitting, inspection, fabrication, installation, and completion. The earlier you engage with a modular design partner, the more quickly this highly-detailed process can be completed.
C. One of the key reasons stakeholders pursue off-site modular construction is schedule acceleration. Whether it’s to open in time for a new school year, serve healthcare patients sooner, or simply generate revenue faster, you sacrifice potential schedule savings by waiting until a conventional design is completed prior to engaging a modular design partner. Why? Instead of the time needed for modular design requirements running in parallel with the conventional design schedule, that modular design time gets added to the end of the initial design cycle. But don’t despair. There are still schedule savings to be had with off-site modular construction. You’ll just save weeks...instead of the months you could have realized.
Bottom line? Adopt a mindset of “MODULAR-FIRST” to maximize the schedule and financial benefits of off-site modular construction.
