Lita Khazaka of Studio LK Limited recounts her experience at this year’s World of Modular Madrid, from the Modular Building Institute
Leaving behind a typical English grey and cold October day, it was a pleasure to arrive into sunny warm Madrid, feeling like the summer days of two months ago at home in the UK. As well as looking forward to soaking up a few of the last rays of summer, I was excited to learn about the latest in modular construction at the Modular Building Institute’s World of Modular European conference exhibition held in Madrid. Swapping my autumn attire for something a little more summery, I headed off to the Novotel in the Salamanca district for the next couple of days to find out.
I was greeted by some of the organisers of the event, from the Modular Building Institute who are based in the US, and who offered a warm American welcome. The organisers had mixed backgrounds and varying experiences within the modular word, ranging from technical expertise, management, R&D, and sales, and this diverseness was also visible through the conference – from the speakers, to the exhibitors as well as the attendees. It was helpful to be able to learn about not just some of the modular systems that are currently being used, but also the about the processes, and the lessons learned from the processes and from the field of R&D.
Hearing industry insights
The World of Modular Madrid conference was opened with a talk from Carlos Casado, who is a civil engineer and a partner in Kearney’s strategic operations practice, based in Dubai. He discussed how innovation and modular technology are helping to shape future communities, in particular his current project which is a futuristic city. Carlos viewed modular as having a particularly important role to play globally, given the challenges most countries are facing to ensure sustainable futures.
Helena Lidelow’s presentation was next on my list, and I realised, as I was advised by one of the seasoned modular conference goers, that she was indeed one of the stars of the World of Modular Madrid conference. Helena is the chief technology officer at Volumetric Building Companies, and a structural engineer with specialised knowledge in timber engineering. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience that she was keen to share, which she gained from her extensive time working in both academia and practice. Part of her presentation focussed on how small-scale producers of modular systems could successfully scale up their operations, and the pitfalls they should avoid. She explained that it was important to have real end users when operating in a competitive market, and to not lose sight of what the client required and to keep abreast of how the market was evolving. She explained that automation was key, and to achieve this, there must be a commitment to a specific building system with a high degree of repetition between the projects, with a pipeline of at least nine months of backlog.
Helena also discussed the importance of setting strict design freezes, with related progress payments to ensure cash flow, in particular when scaling up operations. Having a client attempt to change the design after an agreed stage in the modular process leads to serious knock-on effects, much more so than in a non-modular standard construction process, and she explained that it was therefore essential that the project contract reflects this design freeze imperative.
Also when scaling up, Helena explained the importance of DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly) to continuously decrease internal costs and increase automation. What was interesting though was her explanation regarding standardised design layouts, and how these were not specifically necessary, although they of course lent towards the nature of automation.
As I am an architect, who has worked mainly in the field of non-modular construction, and is concerned about architectural quality and placemaking in the urban environment, I asked Helena if she gave much consideration to generating buildings and places that were reflective of the local architectural and urban character, as I had attended a previous presentation in the UK about modular housing (given by someone with a background in car automation who moved into the modular house building sector) where their automated process of producing the houses was impeccably efficient but the resulting architecture was very ugly. I was pleased to hear that Helena works with local architects in the various areas in which she has projects, and the architects help to design the exteriors of the modular buildings, while Helena and her team focussed on producing what is within the building envelopes.
Collaborating to deliver a coherent construction project
What was also impressive to learn was Helena’s approach to creating team effectiveness, by discouraging the ‘silo’ culture of the various disciplines within the team and instead actively encouraging the team members to understand the entire business rather than just their specific specialisations; for example, linking the commercial team to the operations team, procurement people with the sales people, the project managers with the preconstruction people, and so on.
From my experience with non-modular construction and urban design, a cross-disciplinary approach allows for all team members to gain an understanding of the other team members’ ambitions, issues and sub-processes, so that each team member can then see not just where they ‘fit in’, but also how their actions can make the overall process more coherent, and not divorced from the end ‘product’. In my view, the resulting buildings and spaces, whether created from automated modular systems or non-modular standard construction, are cherished by the end users, when the process and outcome of the process are synergised and holistic, amongst other factors.
Helena then explained the differences between supplier-driven platforms and centrally-driven platforms. The supplier-driven platform is for proprietary technical solutions that are developed and nurtured by the supplier. It is the most common model applied with proven success in several countries, and suits more complex products with flexibility in design. The centrally-driven platform is for non-proprietary technical solutions that are developed and nurtured by a developer or central body. It is a more unusual model with several failed attempts over the years. This platform suits simpler products, where demand can be controlled.
Several interesting discussions about how modular systems relate to the various regional and international building regulations were raised during the question times after a number of the presentations at World of Modular Madrid, and were compared to the relationship between these regulations and standard non-modular constructions. Some attendees and speakers were of the view that it would be preferable to have an international modular code that would apply globally in all countries, while others felt they would be comfortable working with either. I made the point during the conference that building regulations were also written with local context and constraints in mind, such as climate differences and seismic activity. This was acknowledged and the conversation evolved to the future possibility of some parts of modular buildings possibly being exempt from the local standard building regulations, and for other elements of buildings, such as the building envelopes, being required to adhere to the standard regulations.
The importance of fire safety also appeared to have been given more weight recently in the modular world, following the likes of the Building Safety Act being introduced in the UK, and other fire related regulations elsewhere.
Modular construction is not just a modern concept- it has a rich history
An important theme coming out of World of Modular Madrid was the public perception that modular housing is ‘new’. I was advised over a coffee in one of the breaks by Jackie Maginnis, who is Chief Executive of the Modular and Portable Building Association in the UK, that modular construction has been around since the early 1900s. Indeed a quick search online shows that the earliest recorded modular house in the UK was built in 1837 by Henry Manning, who built a house for his son. The house was constructed in pieces in London and then shipped to Australia for assembly, where his son eventually lived, in this house.
Automation in construction has been operating in Japan, Sweden, the former Eastern Block and Germany for over 50 years. Walter Gropius’s modular houses were built across different periods, including early concepts in the 1920s, the Dessau-Törten Housing Estate (1926-1928), and the “Packaged House” system developed with Konrad Wachsmann in the 1940s. Performance based codes have been operating in Europe for 30 years. There is therefore much precedent from which to learn, and from which to innovate further, in particular at a time when many countries have a housing shortage and need to conserve energy.
Stack’s global sales director, Stuart Marshall, reinforced this point about a global housing shortage in his presentation, where he confirmed that the volume of buildings on earth will double between the years 2020 – 2060, and that by 2060, the world is expected to build 230bn square metres in new construction. However, he explained that there were a number of key hurdles to overcome on their international projects, including complex logistics and transportation paired with often inadequate local infrastructure, dealing with the various national building regulations, skilled labour and management shortages, supply chain vulnerability, on-site quality control, cultural and communicational differences and financial/geopolitical instability.
Utilising digital innovation in density and design
Stuart proposed a number of solutions to the above challenges, which Stack are utilizing on their projects, such as securing early local expertise integration and partnering with local design team professionals. Other solutions include using BIM and parametric design in order to be able to quickly adapt designs, respond to local building regulations and ensure financial parameters and certainty. Further solutions include designing standardised cores with flexible shells that can respond to regional building regulations, and engaging early with local experts and authorities. Stuart emphasised that coordination was one of the most important steps in modular construction and must be thoroughly considered through the entire process. Quality control, especially for the factory work, was critical to have in place in order to achieve a successful outcome.
These solutions are all the more important when considering high density buildings such as those that Stack are in the process of delivering to meet the current housing shortages globally. Stack have found that a hybrid of modular and standard building construction is an optimal approach for tall buildings. The hybrid comprises the integration of traditional steel and concrete structure along with steel frame modules. The constructability includes transportation and lifting of modules. Stuart explained that the core of the building needs to be in place prior to the modules arriving and good connections are integral for good modular construction. Stack has found that modular is faster, not just during the design phase of a project, but can reduce the time period of what would be the traditional construction period by half, and even more than half in some cases. These time savings lead to earlier occupancy and revenue generation.
These benefits, amongst others, were what led Sobha to grow their modular arm of their company, Sobha Modular Industries (SMI). Raj Rajamoni, CEO of SMI, presented a number of the company’s recent projects in Dubai. SMI is one of the companies in Dubai that is currently leading the way in modular. Raj, however, explained the challenges that his company has had to face to change the set perceptions of professionals, who are used to dealing with standard construction. He said that the positive tangible outcomes resulting from their modular projects have helped them to secure buy-in from stakeholders and to prove that modular is a viable alternative. SMI seems to have finally made the cultural breakthrough, which will help them to deliver quality homes quickly and efficiently in a city that continues to grow.
The final breakout session I attended at World of Modular Madrid was chaired by Alan Milne, who is one of the MBI European directors, and was focussed around powering modular construction through resilient supply chains. Much of the discussion confirmed and summarised many of the ideas that had been raised throughout the conference, such as the need for excellent communications between all parties working together to deliver a modular solution, and to continue exploring the relationship of modular with local building regulations and the potential to have a modular version of building code that could become global, working alongside the regional codes.
Leading on from building regulations, Alan steered the discussion onto the benefits of unified testing and certification of materials, and how inter-material testing could be an area that suppliers and officials could improve upon through collaboration. It was clear that this approach would help with project speed, quality and cost efficiency. Early engagement with suppliers, so that the suppliers may be able to offer for example ‘just in time’ requests, could continue to be improved, and more advice from the client and design team to the suppliers at this early stage would help to secure optimal outcomes.
World of Modular is at the forefront of a sector going from strength to strength
The conference ended with an awards lunch, with the highlight being the signing up of a new MBI chapter in Italy.
It was clear, from this short but energising conference, that modular is no longer at the fringes of the construction industry but quietly leading it, as it offers solutions that have the potential to help, and in some cases are already helping to, resolve many of the challenges that are being experienced on a global scale, which include labour and skills scarceness, rising building costs, housing shortages and more complex site and wider environmental constraints.
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