Modo, the first modular apartment building in Washington, D.C. has begun construction. In a period of only eight days 44 custom designed modular boxes shipped from Pennsylvania were lifted into place by crane to create 16 of Modo’s 17 three-bedroom apartments.
The modules arrived onsite 80% finished. Each three-bedroom Modo apartment features built-in custom closets, shelving, desks meant to facilitate remote working, and a spacious living room with a pre-installed jumbo flat-screen TV.
“We were looking for more efficient and environmentally-friendly alternatives to typical construction types,” said Grant Epstein, President of Community Three, the project’s developer, in a release. “Modular construction can reduce construction time by almost one-third, while generating far less onsite construction waste. Construction components typically exposed to the elements – such as windows and wood framing – are built with higher quality because they are assembled indoors. As a result, these modular units offer superior insulation, weather barriers, sound attenuation, and indoor finishes compared with those constructed traditionally.”
The community is designed to appeal to the twenty-somethings of Generation Z, with enough bedrooms to accommodate multiple roommates. An automated entry system will allow tenants to use a smartphone app to access both the building and their apartments.
In addition to the apartments, a concrete-and-steel podium, under construction since April, will house the building’s lobby and a 3,000-sf street-level retail space that can provide over 100 outdoor cafe seats. The lobby will be furnished with a seating area for relaxing, eating, and remote working. A green roof deck with seating and grilling areas will also be included, along with a single penthouse apartment with a private outdoor terrace that is being built on the roof level.
Urban Pace will begin pre-leasing the apartments in March, 2021. Community Three is partnering with Washington, DC-based Rooney Properties on the project. The team worked with the Modular Mobilization Coalition to select Philadelphia-based VBC Construction as modular contractor. VBC in turn partnered with Scranton, PA-based Simplex Homes as the modular fabricator. The manufacturing team worked closely with DC-based project architect Eric Colbert & Associates to ensure seamless integration of market focus and construction methodology.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Oct 9, 2018
Bjarke Ingels Group creates 66 homes for low-income citizens in Copenhagen
The building is approximately 73,000 sf.
Mixed-Use | Oct 4, 2018
Four-story hotel and adjacent affordable housing community opens in California’s Sonoma County
Axis/GFA Architecture and Design was the architect for the project.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 25, 2018
Fitness centers go for wellness
Equipment choice, room size, program offerings—a lot of thinking has to go into creating a fitness facility that pays off in resident satisfaction.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 24, 2018
Topsy-turvy: Creative use of air rights results in a model of urban luxury design
Using bold cantilevering and imaginative structural design, ODA and its project team created a 12-story building whose massing grows in width as it steps upward.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 21, 2018
A place of ‘voluntary and cheerful resort’
A project team soldiers on in the wake of a nightmarish turn of events.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 19, 2018
Multifamily market trends 2018: What the experts are saying
The growth of keyless entry solutions and demand for oversized units are among the trends and ideas shared at Marcus & Millichap’s 2018 Multifamily Forum in Chicago.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 29, 2018
Brighton Marine is the largest veterans’ development constructed in Boston since World War II
The Architectural Team designed the project.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 27, 2018
5 noteworthy multifamily projects: summer 2018 edition
The 5 buildings highlight MFDC's summer issue noteworthy projects section.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 20, 2018
$53 million Chamberlain apartments will comprise six buildings, three new and three renovated
The project’s groundbreaking was held on July 19.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 17, 2018
Sound advice on multifamily construction
Four leading experts tell how to ensure your next multifamily project achieves acoustic privacy.