The Commercial Modular Building Blog

Voith Siemens, or Voith Hydro, an international hydroelectric equipment manufacturing company, needed a very unique building. Voith had to have an inplant assembly enclosure where they could wire hydroelectric turbines in a contained environment and then load them up on flat beds to be shipped out. This would prove interesting, as these turbines were 30 feet in diameter and 6 feet tall. A special design was needed so that the turbines could be easily removed from the enclosure in one piece and then shipped out. These turbines were very large and it was apparent that a simple bay door wouldn’t do, so what sort of solution would work?

Voith had a solution in mind and so came to Allied Modular Building Systems with their concept and decided our product was a good fit. Voith chose modular technology because of the speed of the manufacturing and install process. They were impressed by the capabilities of modular technology and Allied Modular’s ability to manufacture a project away from the build site quickly without construction hassle, and then have the project installed fast so that the client is ready for business. And so Allied Modular worked with Voith through every step of the process to ensure that Voith’s vision was brought to completion.

So what was the solution? The modular building could be classified as a specialized assembly enclosure, utilizing Allied Modular’s Tall Wall. The enclosure was ultimately designed to feature an entire section of wall that was on tracks; this moving section of wall was attached to a movable section of ceiling so that an entire cross-section of the building could be moved to the side. In this way, an entire turbine could be carried out of the enclosure in one piece by crane and put on a flat bed for transport. Remarkable! This entire structure was built with an ingenious combination of universal modular panels and steel framing.

Was Voith Hydro happy with the result? They certainly were. In fact, they were blown away by the outcome; its functionality fit exactly what they were looking for. And they were able to install the enclosure quickly and efficiently with their own qualified installers with no construction mess necessary. In fact, Voith was so impressed with the product that they ended up ordering another modular building from Allied Modular: a modular lunchroom. Yet another satisfied customer!

Check out this video of the custom Voith enclosure below:

Patrick Gutman receives a donation from Allied President Kevin Peithman

Allied Modular Building Systems is proud to announce a large contribution to support  Chapman University’s Alpha Phi with a donation to their Mr. University philanthropic event. Pictured is Patrick Gutman, representative for Alpha Phi and one of the candidates for this year’s Mr. University event, receiving a donation check from Allied Modular President Kevin Peithman.   

The Alpha Phi Foundation is an international philanthropic organization that promotes issues like women’s cardiovascular health and other similar causes. The organization also works with local charities such as the Orange County Make a Wish Foundation, the well known organization that grants wishes to ill children. 

In fact, the Mr. University event at Chapman University is going to feature proceeds that go to the Make a Wish Foundation. The Mr. University event is going to consist of a male mock beauty pageant where 14 young men will compete in evening wear, beach wear, and talent events in order to raise money for charity. It should be a fun event and it is all for a great cause. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the area. 

We are proud to be able to donate to the organizations and charities that give so much to our communities. We wish the best for Alpha Phi and Make a Wish and look forward to seeing how this year’s Mr. University turns out! 

We believe that through better technologies in construction we can join others in industry in bettering the day to day lives of those around us. In addition to better technologies, we hope to better the lives of our customers and the community around us through customer service and positive community interaction.

Allied Modular Building Systems is pleased to announce the acquisition of the UL Canada listing. This UL listing allows us to provide UL listed wall systems with electrical throughout North America. This acquisition represents a significant milestone in Allied Modular industry leadership, effectively making us the only current holder of a UL listed system in all of North America.

So what exactly does UL listing entail? The Underwriters Laboratory is a highly rigorous safety testing organization that thoroughly tests many types of products around the world to determine their safety.

From the UL site:

“Using our knowledge garnered from more than 100 years in certifying products, our product safety evaluations involve a comprehensive review of important safety issues such as electrical shock, fire hazards, and even performance when it’s inherent to a product operating safely.

We actively participate in national and international standards development and our own technical experts have developed more than 1,000 safety standards. Plus, our industry-leading team of primary designated engineers drives consistency, integrity and engineering quality in establishing and applying our certification requirements.

But UL’s involvement with product safety doesn’t end when a product leaves our laboratories. We continue to assess product safety at manufacturing facilities around the world throughout the life of a product. This, along with our investment in anti-counterfeiting efforts, helps protect the integrity of the product safety work we do.”

As you can see, a product with a UL listing is seen around the world as a dependable product, thus making the UL seal a highly coveted certification. The seal not only says a lot about the product it covers, it also helps businesses “navigate compliance, regulatory, and trade challenges to gain marketplace access and offer safer products around the globe.”

We are pleased to offer UL listed products (composite panels in accordance with C.E.C. 2010 and N.E.C 2011). Our cutting edge modular construction process involves the manufacture of modular building components (including UL listed composite panel systems), where they are shipped to a build site and quickly installed, providing a clean, efficient solution that results in a quality product. Our UL listed wall systems can be prewired for your convenience, making it possible to offer affordable turnkey solutions for your business needs. Once the building is installed, it is ready to go. With UL listing, your building will pass more easily through the permitting process if required, and in the end you can be sure your components are of quality construction and safe for the workplace.

And thanks to our recent UL Canada listing, you can get a quality UL listed modular building anywhere in Northern America!

When promoting the green qualities of our modular walls, we often mention that modular construction contributes to a better overall air quality where the construction is taking place.

We all want good air quality. We want to be able to breathe easy and we want our lungs to be healthy. We’ve all seen those images of black smoker’s lungs, images that have probably been ingrained in our minds for generations to come, and we often act in opposition to that fate.

This claim of better air quality in our modular construction method raises several questions. How does modular construction improve air quality? Why is better air quality (usually situated indoors) considered green? And what effects does bad air quality have on human beings?

To answer the first question, air quality on the build site is improved due to better control. Modular walls are manufactured in controlled factory conditions, instead of cut and sanded and painted and patched in a variable environment. With previous iterations of construction, crews had to do all the shaping and fine tuning on the actual build site, which can lead to large quantities of particulate matter being released into the air and dispersed throughout, possibly posing a threat to workers and future occupants.

So why is indoor air quality considered green? Our modern understanding of the green movement is that there is an effort to save the environment by means of using less resources, using sustainable resources, and doing work that does less harm as opposed to benefit when it comes to the general environment. Isn’t indoor air pollution a solely human matter, seeing as how only humans are going to be inhabiting the space? Well, if you didn’t know already, you’ll be happy to know that the green movement is also concerned with human well being, and not just the narrow interest in the environment itself. The ideology of the eco friendly persuasion encompasses not only a concern for the environment, but a concern for the effect the environment has on Earth’s inhabitants, including humans!

In that respect, how do airborne particulates effect human beings? We know about the coughing, the difficulty breathing, and the lung irritation, but what is really going on?  

As it happens, particulates are classified by their size. Particles that are 10 micrometers (one-millionth of a meter) or more in diameter are considered coarse and are less dangerous than finer particles. Coarser particles end up in our throat and nose, which eventually get ejected via mucus and saliva and other such mechanisms. At less than 10 micrometers however, particles become more troublesome.  

As particles become finer, they become more dangerous. Particles at 2.5 micrometers and less start to become even more worrisome. Particles at 10 nanometers (on billionth of a meter) and less are extremely fine and even more dangerous.

The more fine the particles, the further they can enter the body. Finer particles reach deeper areas in the lungs and even finer particles can even enter the bloodstream and reach other organs. Particulate contamination and build-up can result in a number of disorders in disease, such as asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular problems, and even death.

So the less particulates we have in the air, the cleaner the air, the less of a risk we have of developing certain diseases. Cutting down in particulates is one aspect of the green endeavor, and necessary to continue the betterment of the human experience.

We here at Allied Modular have always championed the flexibility and universality of our modular systems. We are proud of the diversity of applications that can be derived out of a simpler, universal modular system.

With a modular system, universal, self-sufficient wall panels and frames can be combined in an endless array of configurations, lending to a huge variety of possible building types and functions.

We have talked about the advantage of this universality: through universality comes flexibility. If you build a complex system out of simpler elements and deliberately make those simpler elements independent and interchangeable, you give that complex system the inherent potential to be reduced back to those simpler elements, thus allowing you to build another complex system out of those original elements.

 lexibility allows businesses to implement change quickly and effectively to meet the rapidly changing conditions of the modern market.

Universality also promotes reusability, which in turn promotes sustainability. Instead of the wasteful process of creating, destroying, and creating again, we have the process of creating and then reusing that creation over and over again for years to come, greatly reducing waste and resource use. This has the added benefit of cutting costs as well.  

Now universality and flexibility are great things. But what do we have to say about custom applications? Sure there are applications that are so unique and atypical that it is difficult to account for the variation in a universal system, so what do we do about this?

The answer is we are fully capable of creating custom solutions that will fit the most unique needs.

For example, this application:

Here at Allied Modular, we are capable of building unique applications as well as universal ones.

This is an enclosure for a large-scale compressor that will be used on an oil rig. The compressor had a special shape and the machinery was situated in such a way that a specific region of the compressor had to be covered in order to protect it from interference from the environment.

We solved this problem by creating a custom enclosure to be fitted on the compressor which includes latching doors that can be opened for machinery inspection and cleaning.

We were given a unique problem, which we solved with a custom application realized by our talented architectural/engineering departments.

It is argued by some sociologists and historians that civilizations are built upon the primary driving principle of problem solving.

A group is formed when individuals with similar needs band together and cooperate in order to solve more and more complex problems. We have basic needs such as the need for sustenance (food, water) and the need for shelter which are easier to fulfill when we cooperate with others. Once we can fulfill these basic needs we begin to develop further needs, such as the need for companionship (this could fall under a basic need), social order, equality, and intellectual fulfillment, which creates problems of their own to be further solved by a cooperative group.

 As this cooperative group grows (since the individuals are solving problems of survival and are living and reproducing), the problems become more difficult and complex, thus necessitating increasingly complex solutions. As a group bonds throughout this process, a society is formed, and eventually, a civilization.

This process of a group of individuals solving problems, which eventually amounts to civilization, generates technology, which serves as the solution to increasingly complex problems.

In this post, I will go over some of the different problems and solutions that we see in today’s age. Why? Well because I want to show you how complex things have gotten, because it is interesting to think about, and because I can boast that Allied Modular seeks to be part of the solution of course!

The problem of Interdependency

The problem of interdependency arises when we have a system that features highly interconnected elements, be it the closely interconnected relationship of society, the economy, and the environment, or simply the interrelated parts in a car that work together to make the car run.

Interdependency problems emerge when we make changes to a certain element in a system and that element is connected to other parts of the system, resulting in undesirable effects or even a failure of the overall system. For example, if we make technological changes to society, those changes will have an effect on the environment, which can be negative if we aren’t careful. Also, if we change out parts of a car, the car might not function properly if it requires certain parts.

The problem of interdependency can be solved by making elements more self-sufficient. Self-sufficient elements are elements that can exist on their own, such as modular walls in a modular building. Modular walls can be switched out of a building because they are designed to exist on their own without being an inseparable part of the building. Self-sufficiency translates to sustainability when it comes to environmental relationships and modularity when it comes to manmade systems like buildings and cars.

By advancing technologies that are sustainable, we are designing the technologies to exist on their own without adversely affecting the environment. That’s how sustainability works in a sense. Furthermore, by creating objects that are modular, we are making each one of the interrelated parts within that object self-sufficient. What this means is we can switch out different parts and still have the system work without having to destroy the entire system and make a new one.

The problem of Progressive Corruption

The problem of progressive corruption arises when we progress too much in a certain direction without considering the effects of the progress we are making. This can make progress which was once beneficial become undesirable and even destructive. 

For example, in the 1970s we began to realize that our careless technological/industrial expansion was hurting the environment. Without taking the environment into consideration, it looked like we were progressing as a technological society in leaps and bounds; but really, all the waste we were generating was causing measurable climate changes and ecological problems such as polluted air and water.

We can solve the problem of progressive corruption by engaging in intelligent, conscientious progression. This translates to the green movement of today.

Today companies around the world are designing ingenious products that not only solve problems of sustenance, transportation, shelter, and etc, but it does so in a manner that makes the product itself friendly with the environment and sustainable. This is an incredibly complex, challenging task, but completely necessary to the further survival of the human race. 

The problem of Space

The problem of space arises simply because there are so many of us and a limited space for us to expand in. This problem is solved in several ways.

We are constantly engaged in shrinking technology and living spaces, while maximizing functionality and livability at the same time. Housing units are cramming more and more living accommodations into a decreasing space to make room for more people, and this process has effects that trickle down from the top: as living spaces get smaller, appliances get smaller, rooms are designed in a more efficient manner, living spaces now have multiple functionalities, and etc.

Modularity comes into play here as well. If you have modular living arrangements, you can switch elements out to suit different functionalities instead of requiring multiple rooms that serve multiple purposes.

For example, in an extreme case, a single room can serve the following functions: a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom. Tables can be switched out, appliances can tucked into walls, beds can be removed or extended out, all because these objects are modular and can be easily separated from their environments.

Conclusion

The notion of increasingly complex problems and solutions can be seen in this very post. Because I had to explain an idea that is pretty complex, I had to incorporate more and more concepts that unfolded in all sorts of strange, complex sentences and wordings. I hope you are still following me, as I barely even know what I’m talking about anymore (just kidding)!

It is important to understand the monumental task of problem solving that our modern civilizations face. Oftentimes we are tempted to call a lot of people idiots, especially out on the road, but just remember, there are a lot of ingenious people out there with great ideas. Sometimes it seems like our society sees some pretty complex problems, but our ways of handling those problems are growing more complex as well. Something to be excited about for sure.

We here at Allied Modular hope that our solutions can help in this great struggle of ours.

Have you ever wondered where the term “modular” comes from? Why are modular buildings called “modular” buildings?

Modularity is a broad term that applies to a certain system wherein a combination of universal parts is put together to make a whole. These individual parts are generally self-contained, isolated units that can be rearranged into various configurations to carry out a variety of functions.

Modularity as a concept can be seen in but not limited to: technology, art, music, biology, and of course, manufacturing and building.

In technology, certain aspects of computers and software can be seen to be modular. Computers contain chips, microprocessors, power supplies, and various other components that can be configured in a variety of casings to create different types of computer systems to carry out different roles. Operating systems like Windows support a huge variety of programs that can be integrated in the operating system but stand on their own as a functioning program, like Word or a computer game.

There are forms of art that can be rearranged to create new artistic expressions. Digital art especially can be manipulated by a variety of users and rearranged to create new statements.

In Jazz, musicians are considered modular entities that stand on their own as individuals, yet combine to form a unique sound. These musicians can combine in whatever arrangement they feel and create different sounds.

In biology, certain organisms, especially plant life, consist of various components that can be combined in a variety of configurations: a tree can consist of branches, twigs, and leaves that can be arranged in whatever configuration the tree happens to grow in.

In manufacturing, modern assault rifles and other weapons systems are usually modular in nature. These weapons can be broken down and reassembled with various riflings, receivers, and bodies to accommodate different ammunition types and combat roles.

In construction our own modular buildings consist of individual parts that can be put together and organized to suit a variety of applications. People often marvel at how many different types of products we sell: clean rooms, offices, media rooms, partitions, press boxes, machine enclosures, guard houses, restrooms and more. But really, all of these products are variations born out of a configuration of universal wall and rail systems, with different function-specific furnishings such as HVAC systems, faucets, and TVs. 

A modular system is generally a sign of maturation in the specific discipline it is used in. In manufacturing and technology, it is the result of the efforts on the part of a creator to build a product with more ease of use, versatility, and lower cost. A modular system has the benefits of being more affordable and flexible than its fixed-structure counterparts.

That is why we are so proud of our modular buildings!

One of the major tasks of our marketing department and probably other modular companies’ marketing departments is creating a favorable image to be associated with the word “modular”.

Two decades ago, maybe more, the word “modular” was associated with prefabricated homes, mobile homes, and portable trailer buildings. The word began to acquire negative connotations. When people thought of modular, they thought of the cheap, quickly thrown together buildings that could be traced to the beginnings of modular construction after WW2. You walk through a building like that and you feel like you are stepping through a cardboard box. It’s no wonder the term began to gather negative connotations.

However, in the past 20 years, modular construction has seen incredible advances in technology and method, where today’s modular building is a completely different species of building altogether.

Modular construction is quickly becoming the new definitive “construction”, and represents an exciting new way of thinking about construction itself. The trouble is, the word still carries those old negative connotations and a lot of people don’t realize what is going on in the industry. This is a problem, considering how energy efficient, waste efficient, flexible, and intuitive modular construction has become. 

People see the modular products that Allied Modular puts out and some of them are genuinely surprised. They marvel at how nice the buildings are and how solid they look and feel.

Realizing the true image and connotations to be associated with today’s meaning of the word “modular” on a mass scale would really usher in the modular method as the new definitive type of construction, and I think that is slowly happening to some extent.

It makes me think of today’s 3D technology in digital entertainment, oddly enough.

But I suppose you can draw the analogy without too much difficulty. 3D technology has been around for a while; I believe they first started showing 3D movies in the 1950’s, and then the technology grew more popular in the 80’s and 90’s, but it was still only limited to a smaller niche then. Finally, the technology caught up with the idea and we see releases such as Avatar that are hugely popular and then the floodgates open and now everything is becoming 3D. We will see more advanced forms of the technology and 3D will become the standard delivery of digital media.

I see a lot similarities with that and modular construction.

An idea will often begin as a gimmick and as technology catches up and the gimmick becomes more and more useful and wholesale, the gimmick can solidify into something useful, and eventually a standard if the idea is powerful and universal enough.

I think modular construction is one of those ideas, an idea that will become a standard.

So we come back to the question of how we deliver the image of modular construction as the new standard of construction into the global consciousness.

Do we do it simply by demonstration? I think that is already underway at this point. Can we help to move it along with a cartoon character? A funny commercial? An icon? I don’t know at this point.

Time will tell, as it always does.

So in my previous post I went a bit philosophical on you and hopefully I didn’t bore you in the process. I wanted to talk about the benefits of modular flexibility in an age where change is necessary. Well, now I’d like to talk about the necessity of change in a more concrete fashion.

First I’d like to throw a couple of statistics at you:

•   A full 1/3 of the companies listed in the 1970 Fortune 500 vanished by 1983

So what we can infer from that statistic is that these companies vanished as technology and culture changed. Their leadership did not prepare the companies for change, so when the world changed around them, they had to go out of business.

• 67% of companies did not know the financial cost of IT downtime to their business.

This statistic is surprising considering the losses that are possible because of IT downtime. Losses could be estimated from $10,000 – $1,000,000 dollars an hour for some companies due to IT downtime. How does downtime happen? And how does it wreak so much havoc?

Well, downtime usually occurs when change happens upon a company that is not poised for change. The company scrambles to make the changes with a huge loss in efficiency, and day to day business processes stop and employees become unproductive. When your business processes stop and your productiveness goes down, your business hurts! No wonder downtime tallies up so many losses.

Change is a necessary condition for existence. Even for so much as a second to pass, change is needed. So if the nature of the world is that of change, then the nature of your business must be change, in order to continue to prosper.

Always have a plan for change to follow for your company. If you are faced with a sudden change and your company isn’t prepared for it, you’re going to scramble around trying to implement  the change and your company is going to experience costly downtime.

Imagine for a moment two planks of plywood. If that plywood is struck by a sudden force, which piece is going to remain whole: a rigid, brittle piece of plywood, or a flexible, bendable piece of plywood? The same principle holds for a company. The flexible, bendable company is going to remain whole when it is struck by a sudden, new force.

How do you plan for change? Well, there are many facets of a company that can be made change-ready but I do not have enough expertise to advise you on everything. I do have enough expertise to advise you on one facet: the buildings that a company conduct their business in. Allow me to explain.

The nice thing about modular building systems is that they are flexible by their very nature. Modular wall systems are designed to be removed, added, and rearranged to meet an endless number of applications.

When it all comes down to it, if you construct buildings for your company and you use modular construction to do it, you are already planning for change on the building side. Modular construction is based on change. When you build a modular building, you are giving that building the capacity to be just about anything you need it to be for your changing business.

Now that’s some smart and easy planning right there.

We live in an age of widespread ideological relativism. We understand that there are individuals with their own individual perspectives in this life, and more and more we have come to appreciate the many different kinds of thoughts and opinions from different people of different backgrounds, especially being so easily exposed to these perspectives on the internet.

We see cultural relativism everywhere. We constantly remind ourselves not to judge the behaviors and practices of individuals from another culture because these behaviors and practices can come from motives that we might not understand from our own perspectives.

We see the evidence of a highly distilled form of relativism in marketing: gum that changes flavor over a period of time and works differently with different people, body deodorant that changes scent over a period of time, removable faceplates for cell phones and video game consoles to allow individuals to express themselves through their gadgets in colors, designs, and more.

Future architectural designs reflect these underlying conceptions as well. Eventually we will see skyscrapers that consist of pillars of rotating units that allow the occupants on each story to change their respective views whenever they want.

Glimpses of relativist thought can be seen in the growing modular industry’s recognition of the benefits of flexibility and change in commercial construction especially. Continue reading…