Over the past three decades, Off-site construction has evolved from a niche approach into a powerful solution for today’s building challenges. Whether it is called modular, volumetric, panelized, prefabricated, or Off-site construction, the idea is the same: building portions of a structure in a controlled environment before transporting them to the final site. While the concept itself is not new, the industry has advanced dramatically in recent years, and its potential has never been more relevant.

A Legacy of Innovation

Off-site construction is nothing new in the United States, but it has gained widespread acceptance is recent times. In colonial times colonists were known to have prebuilt European style homes in England and shipped them as panels and components to the US by ship. In the 19th Century housing for the Gold Rush was built in New York and other locations then shipped west by wagon or train. In 1861 builders Skilling and Flint began selling “Sectional Portable Houses” and in 1915 Sears, Roebuck and Company started selling kit homes that could be drop shipped to your site by truck. The concept has continued to grow and today is equal to and often superior to traditional construction in speed to completion, quality, and cost.

Early in his career, the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright embraced the concept of Off-site construction. In his 1901 speech titled “The Art and Craft of the Machine” Wright said, “…the home would have to go to the factory, instead of the skilled labor coming to the building site.” For most of his career he played with the concepts. From “The American System-built Homes” to the “Usonian Automatic Homes” he used Off-site precut and prebuilt components in an effort to create beautiful but cost-effective housing. In the late 50’s he partnered with Marshall Erdman to build “Prefab Houses”. Frank Lloyd Wright was an innovator of architecture and recognized the potential of Off-site construction when most architects and consumers had never heard of it.

Dismantling the Stigma

Despite this rich history, the mid-to-late 20th century burdened Off-site construction with an unfortunate stigma. For decades, many architects and builders dismissed Off-site construction as cheaply manufactured, “architecture-like” substitutes reserved for those who could not afford “real housing.”

Most did not stop to consider that many commonly used components today were in fact Off-site construction. Roof trusses, floor joists, doors, windows, and cabinetry are all components built Off-site today. Few would consider building these components on the job site, but 60 to 70 years ago it was normal practice. The use of larger components or true volumetric construction was and is the next natural step.

So why the hesitation to embrace it? Many saw this form of construction as a low-cost, cheaply built product. Others viewed it as a threat, taking business from the traditional way of doing things. The truth is, just like traditional construction you can find high quality builders and manufacturers. As for taking business from the traditional market, both site built and Off-site construction are struggling to keep up with demand. Everyone can exponentially increase market share before we even start to meet the current demand.

Designing for the Controlled Environment

While Off-site construction must adhere to the same codes and standard as traditional site-built projects and it uses the same materials, there are some differences that builders and designers must understand. For instance, the timeline is compacted. This will shorten your build time, saving dollars on construction loans and shorten the time to occupancy. However, it also means your window for making changes to the design can be significantly shortened as well. For most this means you will need to have all of your design choices and materials finalized and to the factory before production starts. This has proven to be difficult for those that are used to the world of change orders and last-minute decisions.

As design professionals and builders work with modular products, they have pushed the envelope of what is possible. The good news is that the envelope is being pushed every day because the industry is being accepted as a legitimate method of construction that can provide impressive results. The fear and false narratives are being swept away as people are exposed to the possibilities and Off-site construction becomes accepted as a standard. As people start to understand it is not a matter of one or the other, good design and cost-effective construction will need a combination of both Off-site and site-built construction if we are to satisfy the housing needs of the country.
Architects, engineers, and design professionals also have to “design differently.” Rather than thinking about complete plans, they have to understand how the individual modules will interact and be built in the factory. Things like set sequence, stack tolerances, and weather forecasts become critical to the process. Most design professionals are just now starting to understand the process, but it will take time and it will take further innovation to perfect it.

Unbound Potential

In the last 30 plus years Off-site construction has gone from simply two box ranches to massive mansions and high-rise structures, from simple job trailers to data centers. There simply are no limitations to Off-site construction other than the laws of physics and one’s own imagination.

Contact us to get more information on our inspection and certification services for off-site construction!