In a recently published article chronicling “How L.A. built homeless housing in just 4 weeks,” Fast Company gives credit where credit is due – noting that “modular construction is becoming a popular way to quickly build affordable and supportive housing.”
Despite the challenges of building new construction in a dense urban environment like Los Angeles, the article notes that “the process of constructing the housing units was fast, with the steel modules craned into place in just four weeks.”
Further supporting the case for adoption of modular building methods in California, an opinion column published by The Orange County Register, “Modular housing could be an answer to the housing crisis,” echoes a similar sentiment. The author explains how “modular construction offers a potential solution to one of the most vexing aspects of California’s housing crisis — the extremely high costs of building apartments meant to house low- and moderate-income families.”
Interestingly, despite public statements in support of modular, Bisnow notes that “modular construction is used in only about 5% of commercial and residential development projects in the United States,” in a feature titled, “Developers Still Reluctant To Go Whole-Hog With Modular Construction.”
While areas like the West Coast are benefitting from modular building techniques, what’s holding developers back as a whole? According to The Dodge Data & Analytics Prefabrication and Modular Construction 2020 report, “the top obstacle in the U.S. for the adoption of modular construction is that company owners aren’t interested in the technique — possibly the old stigma rearing its head.”
“There’s still somewhat of a stigma to it. People hear modular or off-site construction and they instantly think ‘mobile home,’ which is kind of funny, considering that we use modular construction to build very high-end luxury townhomes,” Resolute Capital Partners Managing Director Candace Powell said.
While modular and prefab building methods continue to gain momentum as an efficient, practical and cost-effective solution to challenges associated with affordable housing on the West Coast, the benefits of the building technique span much further. SurePods has been operating in the high-end and luxury development space for over a decade, with several completed hospitality, healthcare and residential projects across North America.
Check out our portfolio of stunning multifamily residential and hospitality projects and get in touch if you think modular bathroom pods sound like a match for your next project. We have a checklist of technical issues we review with the project team based on our extensive experience to make projects seamless. Contact us at [email protected].
