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 | Jun 13, 2018
Multifamily visionaries: KTGY’s extraordinary expectations
KTGY Architecture + Planning keeps pushing the boundaries of multifamily housing design in the U.S., Asia, and the Middle East.
| 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.
Codes and Standards | May 30, 2018
Silicon Valley cities considering taxes aimed at large employers
The aim is to offset the impact on housing costs and homelessness by tech companies.
Multifamily Housing | May 30, 2018
Concentrated redevelopment: Apartment complex takes mixed use to the next level
An “intergenerational” mixed-use apartment complex may be a prototype for reenergizing neglected neighborhoods in America’s largest county.
| May 24, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Security and the built environment: Insights from an embassy designer
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), embassy designer Tom Jacobs explores ways that provide the needed protection while keeping intact the representational and inspirational qualities of a design.
BD+C University Course | May 24, 2018
Building passively [AIA course]
17 tips from our experts on the best way to carry out passive house design and construction for your next multifamily project. This AIA CES course is worth 1.0 AIA LU/HSW.
Multifamily Housing | May 23, 2018
Yankee Dandies: Century-old New England mills become multifamily residences
Having long outlived their original uses, two century-old New England mills have become valuable community assets once again—as multifamily residences.
Multifamily Housing | May 16, 2018
Pampering the pups: Why dog-washing stations are a must-have in multifamily developments
Self-serve dog-washing stations are reinforcing strong bonds between multifamily residents and their beloved canines.
Mixed-Use | May 16, 2018
Los Angeles mixed-use building uses prefabricated wood frame to reduce costs
SPF:architects designed the building.