While modular construction offers many benefits—notably less construction waste, project delivery efficiencies, and factory-controlled, high-quality fabrication—school districts frequently view modular as a temporary solution, and settle for units with poor design and low-quality materials. As a result, when the “temporary” modules inevitably turn into permanent structures, they fall short in terms of aesthetics and building performance.
Today, however, school districts are starting to look at higher-quality modular construction, with the understanding that the classrooms may remain on site for a number of years and must provide a proper learning environment, says Wendy Rogers, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Design Principal with LPA Inc.
Building Teams are using incremental improvements as a strategy to create better modular solutions. For example, in a recently completed a 35,000-sf modular two-story project, LPA pushed the manufacturer to upgrade many of its standard details in order to ensure that the products met the project’s design criteria.
When executed properly, prefab construction can offer column-free interior spaces that promote flexibility and access to crawl space, open ceilings that allow for easy technology upgrades, and rainscreen building envelopes that are highly insulated and allow options and variation for exterior materials, according to Chester Bartels, Senior Designer with Baltimore design firm Hord Coplan Macht.
For example, the firm’s modular learning studios at the Barrie School in Silver Spring, Md., easily convert into large group learning spaces, multiple small group collaboration areas, and a large town hall lecture room—all supported by flexible furniture, movable wall panels, smart boards, good acoustics, and strategically designed fenestration for optimized daylighting and views.
A recent exhibition, Green Schools, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., included a green classroom called “Sprout Space,” developed by Perkins+Will. (See the time-lapse video of its construction at: http://www.nbm.org/media/video/green-schools/sprout-space-time-lapse.html.) P+W’s modular template in Sprout Space offers a healthy, sustainable, and flexible 21st-century modular classroom. The design incorporates passive and active green-building strategies and is highly customizable.
For instance, Sprout Space can incorporate sunshades, integrated rainwater collection, photovoltaic roof panels, LED lighting with lighting controls, efficient heating and cooling systems, and eco-friendly materials. “Sprout Space also features a dynamic plan that is well-suited for various teaching styles, seating configurations, and outdoor learning opportunities,” says Steven Turckes, P+W’s K-12 Education Global Market Leader. “Each classroom opens up to the outdoors through large bifold doors, encouraging experiential learning, expanding the classroom, and complementing numerous teaching methods.”
Because fabrication occurs simultaneously with foundation and site work, high-quality modular classrooms can be completed four times faster than conventional stick-built projects, says Turckes. Available in modules up to 1,500 sf in size, multiple buildings can also be linked together to create an entire school.
Another customizable modular template, called simply “sky,” comes from contractor Silver Creek Industries (silver-creek.net). This high-performance modular classroom, which has been approved by the California Division of the State Architect, offers two contemporary floor plans and a variety of interior and exterior finish options—low- and no-VOC finishes, paints, and adhesives, sound-absorbent surfaces, high-performance windows, clerestory windows, tubular skylights, and an occupancy- and photo-control dimming system.
Ryan McIntosh, LEED AP BD+C, Project Manager and Director of Design Services for Silver Creek, says that sky modules beat California’s Title 24 baseline by up to 45%. The module has been developed to meet the CHPS PreFAB rating system, a label that designates qualifying prefabricated classrooms for use in high-performance building projects. Schools and districts can apply the CHPS PreFAB rating toward CHPS Verified recognition for new classrooms.
Related Stories
| Jul 18, 2013
Top Government Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HOK, HDR top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest government sector architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 18, 2013
Do third-corridor designs actually work for healthcare environments?
A recent study of a nursing unit assessed whether the space's third corridor does what it was intended to do: reduce noise and distraction to patients and nursing staff.
| Jul 18, 2013
LEGO takes on the iconic Sydney Opera House
This September, LEGO will expand its LEGO Creator Expert series with a 2,989-brick model of the iconic Sydney Opera House.
| Jul 17, 2013
Top Multifamily Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Lend Lease, Clark Group, Balfour Beatty top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest multifamily contractors and construction management firms in the United States.
| Jul 17, 2013
Top Multifamily Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
STV, URS, AECOM top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest multifamily engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 17, 2013
Top Multifamily Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
IBI Group, Niles Bolton, Perkins Eastman top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest multifamily architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the United States.
| Jul 17, 2013
CBRE recognizes nation's best green research projects
A rating system for comparative tenant energy use and a detailed evaluation of Energy Star energy management strategies are among the green research projects to be honored by commercial real estate giant CBRE Group.
| Jul 17, 2013
Should city parking space requirements be abolished?
Some cities are deliberately discouraging construction of new parking spaces by allowing the construction of buildings with a lower ratio of parking spaces to dwellings (as low as 0.75 spaces per residence).
| Jul 17, 2013
Retail store openings at five-year high
Analysis by RBC Capital Markets shows that U.S. retailers are planning to open 42,757 stores over the next 12 months, and some 83,700 locations over the next two years, both five-year highs.
| Jul 16, 2013
As the U.S. economy sputters back to life, contractors wait for the green light on projects [2013 Giants 300 Report]
There are enough positive indictors in the economy to justify greenlighting projects, but building owners and developers remain reluctant to pull the trigger.