To some developers, modular construction may look like a dead end. Those mired in legacy practices might see the risks inherent in transitioning to the building process; others may fear an inability to capture in prefabrication the design features that are essential to their brand image.

But new processes and technologies are reshaping modular construction to provide more design options than typically associated with the method, as well as the greater productivity that modular is already known for. In this interview, Rich Rozycki, senior vice president at Z Modular, speaks to both benefits.

Rozycki describes the innovative design steps modular firms can take in the factory, such as installing façades and building complete roof structures with parapets. And as for productivity, the bottom line is that, now, companies like Z Modular can build nearly 90% of an apartment building off-site, in the factory, says Rozycki. That adds up to a time savings of four to eight months, which, in turn, equates to significant dollar savings from reduced labor and the shortened time line. And, if the project can be repeated, additional savings can be realized.

Other industry professionals, such as Craig Curtis, president of Katerra Architecture, based in Menlo Park, Calif., look forward to the ongoing integration of building services into structural components that will continue to reduce field labor. Curtis says he's also excited about the potential of 3-D printing of components and the design advancements cross-laminated timber can offer.

Some developers and their teams that prefer to be more cautious in adopting prefab construction are considering using smaller modular elements that can be incorporated into the overall project. This approach is especially helpful for atypical apartment developments, which, architect Rohit Anand notes, are pretty much the norm.

Speaking at the 2017 NMHC Spring Board of Directors Meeting, the KTGY principal said that, “At the design/development level, there are very few projects that are ‘typical.’ Everything is crazy one-offs. So it’s difficult to do modular."

But, Anand added, that difficulty presents opportunities of another kind; chiefly, modular's productivity benefits. "If you break [the project] up into components—beds, baths, kitchens—that’s where I see some efficiencies," he said.

Construction advances aren’t coming from the factory alone, however. Architect Curtis, for example, says there will be more improvements in the way components are assembled in the field, not just the factory. 

“We see the trucks that are delivering components to a project site as conveyor belts in an assembly line,” Curtis says. “The fieldwork needs to take on the same sense of urgency for efficiency as the factory [does].”