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Posted by usm-admin on Dec 29, 2016 in Blog |

Modular Design in the Anarctica

The most remote settlement on earth isn’t on the windswept shelves of Antarctica or the barren tundra of the Arctic. It’s actually Tristan da Cunha, an island in the middle of the South Atlantic. Visiting takes roughly 40 days of travel from London, where the architect Hugh Broughton—who recently designed a health center on Tristan—is based. “Rather bizarrely, I think it may be the first project that we’ve designed and will be completed—because it’s under construction at the moment—[but that] we may not yet get to visit,” he says. It’s bizarre because Broughton’s work as an architect has taken him to some of the most inhospitable, difficult-to-access landscapes on earth. The small U.K. firm first rose to international prominence in 2004, when it won a competition to design the sixth Halley Research Station, an Antarctic science base on the Brunt Ice Shelf—a thick wedge of ice on the edge of the continent. To understand just how tough it is to build on this floating patch of ice, consider that...

Posted by usm-admin on Dec 6, 2016 in Blog, Featured |

Building with Modular Construction in California

An easy construction process reduces any drama for a couple in California. Bill and Abbie Burton have experienced their share of construction drama. The Solana Beach, California–based landscape architects have been working together for 25 years, overhauling landscapes and buildings alike. So when the time came to build a vacation house on the 330-acre oak-speckled woodland they purchased in Mendocino County, nine-and-a-half hours north of their main residence, they opted for the easy way out: a custom prefab house. “We weren’t able to make lots of trips up here, so we couldn’t babysit the process,” says Bill. “Stick-built construction requires a lot of hand-holding. Going prefab made it pretty seamless.” When Abbie and Bill Burton hired to design their prefab weekend home, their two requests were “simple-simple, replaceable materials,” says Abbie—such as concrete floors and metal panel siding—and “the ability to be indoors or outdoors with ease.” Deep overhangs provide shade and protection from rain, so the Burtons can leave their doors open year-round and hang out on their...

Posted by usm-admin on Nov 30, 2016 in Blog |

Taking Prefab Construction to the Next Level

New York—Less than two months ago, Full Stack Modular announced the purchase of FC Modular’s core assets from Forest City Ratner Cos. (FCRC). Roger Krulak, CEO & Founder at Full Stack and former senior VP of prefab construction at FCRC, explained at the time that he planned to build upon the original mission of the company he worked for, known for the rise of 461 Dean St., the tallest modular building in the world. The tower, located in Brooklyn, New York, is now ready to receive its tenants. Krulak discussed with Multi-Housing News the details of the acquisition, his new company’s goals and the perks and challenges on creating buildings from prefabricated components. MHN: What details can you give us on the purchase of Forest City Ratner Companies’ core assets? Roger Krulak: Full Stack Modular purchased all of the assets of FC Modular (from Forest City Ratner Cos.) including a lease for 100,000 square feet of space in the Brooklyn Navy Yard plus 85,000 square feet of storage. All of...

Posted by usm-admin on Nov 14, 2016 in Blog |

Developers Discover Greener Features Using Prefab Construction

The Greene Town Center (The Greene) in Beavercreek, Ohio is a mixed-use town center, featuring upscale retail, restaurants and apartments. Completed in the fall of 2008, this $40 million, 360,000sf expansion of the town center may look like others in the Steiner + Associates portfolio, but there is one unique difference. The Greene incorporates modular construction technology that makes the building process not only greener, but more profitable. Recently The Modular Building Institute (MBI) talked with Bob da Silva, Senior Vice President of Construction for Steiner + Associates as well as Matt Canterbury, Director of Business Development for M+A Architects (architect of record) about the unique advantages of modular construction. Modular Delivers Profit Advantages For Steiner + Associates (Steiner), this was the first town center in which they incorporated modular construction techniques. According to Bob da Silva, the modular process was considered specifically because of both labor shortages and materials cost escalation. Steiner’s owner and CEO, Yaromir Steiner, wanted to investigate modular construction as a solution to these problems....

Posted by usm-admin on Nov 8, 2016 in Blog |

Prefab Pods Can Add a Granny Flat Just About Anywhere

British company Pod Space’s prefab pop-up pods add garden offices and studio escapes just about anywhere you can imagine. The sustainable modular pods are completely customizable, allowing clients to create an eco-space for an extra room, a quiet respite in the yard, or even a full service home. With options like energy saving glass, low energy heating and renewable energies like solar roofs, each Pod Space has the potential to be a personal, sustainable oasis. Streamlined and with a small footprint, Pod Space’s modular structures were designed to meet planning policy, meaning in most cases do not require a building permit when installing. With most of the construction occurring off-site, the pods are installed quickly and easily, and can be relocated easily as well. Related: Innovative Modular Eco Pods Operate Off-Grid in Any Locale Each pod is fitted with floor to ceiling Scandinavian windows and doors, which are highly insulated and meant to connect the inside to the landscape outside. The windows also flood the pods with light, in...

Posted by usm-admin on Oct 31, 2016 in Blog |

How Solar Lanterns are Giving Power to the People

Prashant Mandal flips on a candy-bar-size LED light in the hut he shares with his wife and four children. Instantly hues of canary yellow and ocean blue—reflecting off the plastic tarps that serve as the family’s roof and walls—fill the cramped space where they sleep. Mandal, a wiry 42-year-old with a thick black beard and a lazy eye, gestures with a long finger across his possessions: a torn page from a dated Hindu calendar, a set of tin plates, a wooden box used as a chair. He shuts down the solar unit that powers the light and unplugs it piece by piece, then carries it to a tent some 20 yards away, where he works as a chai wallah, selling sweet, milky tea to travelers on the desolate road in Madhotanda, a forested town near the northern border of India. “My life is sad, but I have my mind to help me through it,” Mandal says, tapping the fraying cloth of his orange turban. “And this solar light helps...