Stantec illustrates the benefits of prefab multi-trade racking.

Contractors expect to spend more time on prefabrication, according to FMI study

Get ready for a surge in prefabrication activity by contractors. FMI, the consulting and investment banking firm, recently polled contractors about how much time they were spending, in craft labor hours, on prefabrication for construction projects. More than 250 contractors participated in the survey, and the average response to that question was 18%. More revealing, however, was the participants’ anticipation that craft hours dedicated to prefab would essentially double, to 34%, within the next five years.

Building Tech

In a world first, load-bearing concrete walls built with a 3D printer

A Germany-based construction engineering company says it has constructed the world’s first load-bearing concrete walls built with a 3D printer. Züblin built a new warehouse from a single 3D print for Strabag Baumaschinentechnik International in Stuttgart, Germany using a Putzmeister 3D printer.

Adaptive Reuse

Modular adaptive reuse of parking structure grants future flexibility

The shift away from excessive parking requirements aligns with a broader movement, encouraging development of more sustainable and affordable housing.

Healthcare Facilities

A modular construction solution to the mental healthcare crisis

Maria Ionescu, Senior Medical Planner, Stantec, shares a tested solution for the overburdened emergency department: Modular hub-and-spoke design.

Modular Building

Modular building is the growing trend of assembling structures from prefabricated, interchangeable components. After being constructed in a controlled environment away from the building site—such as a factory—the components are then transported to the final location and assembled on-site.

This growing collection of news, trends, case studies, white papers, and innovative projects bring you the latest in modular design and construction.

May 30, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: An AEC giant’s roadmap for integrating design, manufacturing, and construction

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), Skender CEO Mark Skender and Chief Design Officer Tim Swanson present the construction giant’s vision for creating a manufacturing-minded, vertically-integrated design-manufacturing-build business model.

May 30, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: From micro schools to tiny houses: What’s driving the downsizing economy?

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), micro-buildings design expert Aeron Hodges, AIA, explores the key drivers of the micro-buildings movement, and how the trend is spreading into a wide variety of building typologies.

Modular Building | Jan 12, 2017

The largest modular construction hotel project in New York City is starting to get pieced together

The hotel’s 300 rooms are made from 210 prefabricated pods from Polcom Modular.

Building Materials | Jan 9, 2017

Architects and researchers are developing new techniques for building in space

As setting foot on Mars becomes a more realistic goal, the search for how to best develop Architecture for the Red Planet is heating up.

Modular Building | Jul 22, 2016

PNC Bank’s 'Tiny Branch' opens on West Virginia University campus

The new branch doesn’t need much space for its ATM and new accounts and personal loans services.

Transit Facilities | Jun 12, 2016

Philippines’ oldest city getting its first public bus system

New York-based CAZA designed the modular bus stops with the city’s extreme weather conditions in mind.

Modular Building | May 17, 2016

Oklahoma’s first modular hotel will begin construction next month

Guerdon Modular Buildings will produce 81 modules for this project.

Modular Building | Feb 26, 2016

CHPS releases new program, first model for prefab modular classrooms

Provides standards for indoor air quality, energy efficiency, materials, and waste management.

Game Changers | Feb 5, 2016

Asia’s modular miracle

A prefab construction company in China built a 57-story tower in 19 days. Here’s how they did it.

Game Changers | Feb 4, 2016

GAME CHANGERS: 6 projects that rewrite the rules of commercial design and construction

BD+C’s inaugural Game Changers report highlights today’s pacesetting projects, from a prefab high-rise in China to a breakthrough research lab in the Midwest.