Modular technologies have been featuring more and more prominently in various tech and construction news outlets around the world. It seems that not only in the construction industry, but across many industries, modular design has been gaining more and more favor as an alternate construction and manufacturing methodology.

Across many of these industries, modular design has become more prominent for common reasons: for system flexibility and lower construction/implementation times in an increasingly fast-paced economic world, and for cost effectiveness in a painfully protracted recessionary economy.

For example, we’ve been talking about all of the schools and businesses increasingly relying on modular construction because of time and budget constraints. Then there’s the growing use of modular construction in disaster relief programs such as for schools, medical buildings, housing, and even bridges in places like Joplin. Tech companies are increasingly using modular systems for their data centers in order to cut costs, save time, and improve efficiency among other things. Then there are the ongoing explorations into smaller, modular nuclear reactors that can be promising (of course if they are found to be safe, which with the modular designs, seems to be the case). And for you futurists out there, we are even seeing the development of modular, self-assembling foam robots (yep, that’s right) which could provide all sorts of exciting possibilities.  

What we are seeing is a broad paradigm shift in not only construction technology, but other manufacturing and data technologies as well. We are seeing an entire shift in thought towards a new, flexible, efficient mode of production. It is all very fascinating, and we will all benefit from it!

If you take a glance at the latest news headlines having to do with modular construction, you’ll find stories that show how schools all around the world are adopting modular buildings for their unique blend of efficiency and affordability along with quality and sturdiness.

You may be aware that school districts everywhere are still feeling the after-effects (or the ongoing effects, depending on your opinion) of the global recession. Districts are cutting back on expenses to cope with ever-shrinking budgets. 

Many schools are turning to modular construction for their classroom-building needs and for good reason. Modular buildings cut costs with efficient and time-saving construction methods that also minimize site disruption (which is a must for an educational environment).

How is this possible? Modular buildings are manufactured in components inside factories, where resources are used more efficiently and construction time is shortened. Most of the construction occurs offsite, leaving the build site clean and quiet so that children can continue to learn effectively, even as the new buildings are being built.

On top of these many unique advantages to the method of modular construction, finished modular buildings are sturdy, well-insulated, high-quality structures that can accomodate the ideal learning environment, and are a huge improvement over the trailer units that price-minded schools have turned to in the past.

Allied Modular itself offers modular educational classrooms that can be configured to meet the needs of any educational program. What’s more, these modular buildings can easily be altered, expanded, or relocated to account for the ever-changing student body of a given school.

As documented here on our modular building blog, this trend is not going to slow down any time soon; in fact there are signs that it is growing tremendously. It is not much of a surprise, considering the revolutionary nature of modular construction and its methods!

Last week, we talked about the utility, convenience, and efficiency of using modular buildings for disaster relief projects. Well, looks like a field hospital in Joplin is getting an upgrade.

You’ll probably remember Joplin from the news a bit ago when that city was battered with a horrific outbreak of tornadoes. It was quite a disaster and many people were hurt and killed. Luckily, the city is on its way to rebuilding, as well as installing modular buildings in certain areas to help keep things moving.

The article mentions the fact that the hospital will have a more sturdy building, thanks to modular technology, to conduct operations; added benefits include stable floors, indoor plumbing, and a more comfortable atmosphere complete with windows (the field hospital was originally sheltered with a sort of tent-type structure).  Both the staff and the patients seem to be excited about the upgrade.

These area definitely positive developments and we are happy to see that institutions in Joplin are managing their recovery so well.

Disasters can hit fast and unexpectedly, leaving victims scrambling for resources and shelter in the aftermath. Reconstruction can take time. Temporary solutions can range from flimsy tents that only offer limited protection to dehumanizing and suffocating barracks-type accomodations for mass numbers such as within recreation centers or similar large buildings. 

Luckily, construction technology is always advancing, and today’s modular construction can be used to great advantage, such as providing for a population that finds themselves in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

The great thing about modular construction is that it can provide sturdy and well-insulated buildings for a higher level of comfort all in a short amount of time.  

Modular construction can be used for all sorts of applications to address disaster-related situations, such as a modular bridge to assist with flooding.

Using flexible and efficient modular technology, we can now address even adverse conditions with better construction methods. Rebuilding an office and getting a business back online, or sheltering people affected by a disaster, or even building a bridge can be made all the easier with modular construction. Parts can be manufactured and shipped to the build site and installed much more quickly than with traditional construction methods.

Better living through technology, certainly!

One of the enduring misconceptions that the public has about the modular construction industry is that modular buildings are equal to “trailers” or mobile buildings. Of course, modular buildings can be put on trailers or made into mobile buildings, but that’s besides the point. The point is that the public often sees the term “modular building” as designating only these trailers and mobile buildings.

We see this misconception come up in a story in which President Obama is surprised that public school teachers teach in trailers, or as the article states, “modular buildings.” Now, we are not here to discuss the politics of the situation, but we do want to clarify this “modular building” term that is being used so loosely.

Many people view trailer buildings in a harsh light, seeing as how the buildings are only meant to be temporary and provisional. These buildings tend to be thin-walled and built with lower quality materials to provide cost effectiveness. It is this negative view that can occasionally overshadow the public perception of “modular buildings”.

While it is true that trailer buildings like these were once referred to as modular buildings, and some modular companies do in fact make these trailer type buildings, they no longer represent as a whole the types of buildings that modular construction produces.

Modular construction technology has advanced well beyond the trailer and the old prefabricated houses (of course modular buildings are prefabricated, but the technology and the process are different now). Modular construction is now a rapidly growing industry filled with all sorts of different construction methods and approaches.

Many of these modern modular construction approaches are attempts to streamline and make more efficient the construction of buildings that are meant to be more durable and high quality than the old prefabricated and trailer buildings. Sitting inside these new modular buildings, it is hard to tell that they aren’t traditionally constructed buildings. The walls are thick and well insulated. The construction is solid and durable. But at the same time, the buildings are flexible and easily rearrangeable. With modular buildings, you have the advantage of a sturdiness characteristic of traditionally constructed buildings and at the same time you have the advantage of a flexible, cost effective building that you can easily modify or take with you.

So a modular building is no longer simply a trailer building. It is a building that is built from a type of construction that involves factory fabricated components that can be put together in an almost infinite variety of arrangements. This is the new definition of a modular building that we hope the public will adopt.

Here is another article about the many benefits of using modular construction for your building needs. This article is about the many benefits of modular housing.

It is important to note that modular housing is actually quite different from commercial modular construction in terms of methodology and technique, but there are also many similarities, and share many of the same benefits. It is useful to compare the two fields because they both represent a new emerging pattern of thought in construction.

Modular housing usually consists of prefabricated “modules” that are manufactured in a factory. Unlike our modular building systems however, these modules are usually a complete room or facility or simply a larger piece of the building that is joined to other modules. Our building system, in contrast, consist of prefabricated universal panels and frames that eventually form buildings according to plan.

Housing modules, though different in practice, provide the same benefits that modular commercial construction provides. Housing modules are built indoors away from pesky external conditions such as weather and wear and tear, and so an entire portion of the construction process is streamlined in a factory setting, cutting down on waste, saving time, and minizing chances of damage.  

Commercial modular building systems work a bit differently, in that they are comprised of universal panels that are installed to create flexible buildings, but they offer the same benefits: a reduction in construction time, increased efficiency, waste reduction, and protection from the elements. 

We can see that the  transformation of construction is happening dramatically across industries.

Previously we’ve talked about the growing modular construction industry and how it has opened up new avenues of thinking about construction.

Ever since we have been experiencing troubles with the economy, builders and consumers alike have been looking for a more affordable, efficient alternative to traditional construction.

Modular construction has been growing exponentially in the commercial sector. Businesses have been feeling a financial pinch due to lowered demand in the markets and other unfavorable circumstances, so they’ve been trying to figure out how to cut costs and make their own processes more efficient. Modular construction is not only faster, cost effective, and efficient as compared to traditional construction, but non-invasive and less environmentally intensive due to its factory-manufactured nature.

Modular buildings are manufactured in components in a factory and then assembled on site, cutting down on business downtime. On top of that, modular buildings are highly adaptable and portable, so that businesses can save on construction costs if they need to alter their workplace or even move to another one, which is a must in this increasingly frenetic world economy.

Modular construction is taking off in the housing sector as well. Consumers, due to being strapped for cash and resources, are demanding smaller, easier to maintain, less energy intensive houses that can be built quickly and affordably by modular construction companies.

The building methodology itself is rapidly becoming the dominant mode of construction in many sectors. The construction industry can only benefit from this development. Modular buildings contribute to a faster, more efficient business atmosphere by streamlining the construction process, making it easier for businesses to invest in infrastructure.

Though the economy has been hard on many businesses and consumers, its hardships have definitely pushed innovators everywhere to adapt to a challenging environment, and we will surely be stronger in the long run.

 Everyone knows the importance of good customer service. It can make or break a sale, it can determine whether a customer makes repeat purchases in the long term, and it can be passed by word of mouth from loyal customer to customer, which generates even more sales in the future.

Good customer service is an essential aspect when it comes to crafting a lasting, impressionable brand.

The business leaders that know this experience lasting success, while the ones that ignore this generally fall behind, though some can survive.

 There are always plenty of ways to achieve great customer service. General policy can be established which constitutes part of the company’s culture. Employees can be educated about the culture and ways in which they can appeal to customers and assist.

Social media is also another great way to interact with customers and really go the extra mile that makes them remember you. This process is described nicely in this article.

The art of good customer service has expanded due to the new complexities of social media technology. There are many more opportunities now to put a personal touch to your companies interactions with customer and keep them coming back. Definitely worth a read.

Another colorful modular construction analogy is that modular components are like legos.

This is true as well, since legos are essentially universal blocks that have been designed to fit into one another. And so they can be combined in a number of ways to make whatever shape you desire.

Modular buildings are thus made out of modular components that fit into one another: modular wall panels and universal framing systems to be specific. Communicating with the client, we design plans for a layout and then manufacture the required components, and then ship it all off to the build site where they are snapped into place. Just like that.

Though the modular buildings mentioned in the article are some sort of concrete modular construction. Our modular buildings are composed of panels with polystyrene cores and vinyl facings which are joined together by aluminum framing systems and then we add whatever components are additionally needed to make the building come to life such as ceilings, flooring, roofing, HVAC, electrical, furniture, windows, you name it.

Very cool technology, but don’t just take our word for it. See for yourself! Have you ever experienced the joy of constructing your own little building out of legos? Now you can construct your own modular building out of modular components for your business needs.

Good employee morale is essential for a well-functioning business. And that’s not only because happy employees are just more pleasant. Happy employees contribute to a better functioning business as a whole, since business itself consists of relations and cooperative actions that take place between people.

If you have a bunch of workers who are constantly in bad moods, or fatigued, or they just don’t work well together, your processes are going to suffer. Think of how long it takes to get a project done when you have that “one guy” who takes forever getting you the information you need, or sending in your report, or lagging on the assembly line. Let alone if there are multiple people that are dragging their feet.

Employee emotions, motivations, perceptions, attitudes, and everything else about their person is going to dictate how quickly tasks get done, and how smoothly the overall process works. Each mini task effects all of the other tasks they relate to, and so if even one gets held up, the whole chain slows.

That’s why it is so important for business to keep their employees happy and motivated. And that’s why there are so many how to articles stressing employee morale and motivation. That’s also the reason for recreation centers and conference rooms and cafeterias and every other social facility that is useful in a workplace. It is important to integrate all of your workers into the company culture.

That said, here’s some useful articles about employee motivation, and even about midday napping that we’d like to pass on.