COVID-19 will fundamentally reshape the global economy, particularly how and where we work. While some industries can comfortably accommodate working remotely, others don’t have that luxury. A great example: construction.

Working in construction means working in close proximity to others. There’s simply no getting around it. Any opportunity to shift toward a model that provides more flexibility, control and safety for those on the front line is well worth considering. It’s time to reevaluate modular construction.

Modular construction means the offsite manufacturing of prefabricated units that then get assembled onsite. More simply put, boxes are made somewhere else, transported, and assembled onsite like Lego. These prefab units come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. You can get full 3-D units, an entire room or part of a room, made and shipped to the location to get stacked together. There are 2-D panels that ship to the site flat and put together at the destination, with relevant components like plumbing, electrical, and HVAC via standard connectors. As with Lego, the combinations are endless. When you’re staying in a Marriott it’s more likely than not the room was built offsite. Rapid hospital construction in response to COVID-19 has used modular construction techniques. Universities are building dorms quickly with prefabricated units. This approach has a few common benefits for developers and manufacturers alike.  Up to 80% of the modular construction process can take place away from the construction site, resulting in a potential 60% cost savings, not to mention the ability to manage worker health and safety more tightly given the manufacturing is done in a contained, factory environment. It also opens up a construction site to new labor pools – a Bay Area construction site can get fitted in Bloomington, IN – which offers additional cost savings. In addition to cost, modular construction saves time. According to one report by McKinsey, “modular construction can cut schedule by 20–50 percent and construction costs by 20 percent.”

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