To meet the growing demand for centrally located housing in Cambridge, Mass., Alexandria Real Estate Equities partnered with Consigli Construction and Boston-based architecture firm DiMella Shaffer to develop Prism Apartments at 50 Rogers Street. With limited inventory for new construction, complicated transportation logistics and a tight skilled trade labor market, cost certainty, accelerating construction timelines and optimizing trade labor resources were top priorities for the design and construction teams.
After analyzing key schedule drivers for the multifamily residential project, Consigli Construction enlisted SurePods to prefabricate Prism’s bathrooms offsite. To learn more about how SurePods saved the project team valuable time and resources, we sat down with Dave Curry, preconstruction director, Consigli Construction, to get the inside scoop.
SurePods: When did Prism’s project team decide to engage SurePods and why?
Curry: In 2017, we engaged SurePods early in the pre-con phase and gathered substantial data. Our findings proved that SurePods could deliver exactly what we were looking for: a high-quality, finished bathroom unit efficiently designed to our exact project specifications.
SurePods: What was the design process like?
Curry: The design process was very collaborative; SurePods proactively offered ideas to bring the project architects’ design goals to life and presented solutions to address challenges during the pre-con phase. The streamlined communication and lean manufacturing methods also made it easier to stay on budget and on schedule. The pods arrived on time and in perfect condition.
SurePods: How did working with SurePods help Prism’s project team accomplish its goals?
Curry: SurePods helped us accomplish what would traditionally require 100 hours of labor per bathroom in 10 minutes. Our estimates show that prefabricating bathroom pods offsite saved $2,500 per bathroom compared to built-in-place bathrooms and also eliminated 10 days of on-site labor per bathroom.
SurePods: Any other advantages of working with SurePods come to mind that you’d like to share?
Curry: Even though we knew SurePods would accelerate our construction schedule from the pre-con phase, we couldn’t have imagined the unusual circumstances brought on by the pandemic. Because the bathrooms were manufactured offsite, tradespeople had safer, more efficient working conditions onsite. This also made it easier to adhere to health and safety regulations without having to sacrifice valuable time.
If you’re a developer, designer or construction industry pro working in the multifamily residential space, let’s talk. Contact us at [email protected].