A warehouse designed for one tenant may not exactly work for the next. Tenants tend to have many different preferences, and creating the right space long-term can be difficult. Instead of investing in permanent construction that can limit your flexibility down the line, modular construction gives warehouses the ability to adapt with their renters. In this article, we’ll cover some of the most common modular tenant improvements for warehouses, and detail the benefits of going with modular over traditional construction.
Common Warehouse Tenant Improvements and How Modular Construction Helps
Warehouses often need improvements or modifications to better suit their tenants. Here are a few of the most common improvements that warehouse owners can make with modular construction.
Office Space
Many warehouses need office space for administrative work, meetings, or for workshops and training. Instead of creating permanent structures, modular offices can be set up quickly, and more importantly, can be moved or rearranged at a later date.
The parts or “modules” of the offices arrive ready for installation, which reduces downtime and labor costs because they are made within a factory.
Break Rooms
Break rooms are another popular choice for warehouses because they are useful regardless of industry. For any workforce, a comfortable break area is important.
Partition Walls
Open warehouse layouts often need separation for different activities, especially if they have multiple tenants. Modular partition walls are an easy way to section off space without permanent construction.
They can be standard partitions or tall ones that can act as a kind of demising wall between working spaces. Tall walls may be especially important if you want to create fully private areas, or protect some parts of your warehouse from activities that may be dangerous or disruptive.
Modular partitions can be freestanding, soundproofed, and made with a variety of different materials to best fit each space. And unlike drywall, modular partitions can be reconfigured or relocated if the warehouse layout needs to change.
Mezzanines for Vertical Expansion
When warehouses are cluttered, disorganized, or lacking space, sometimes it’s best to tap into unused vertical area. Mezzanines, rather than expanding outward, allow businesses to build up.
Mezzanines can be used for things like storage, vision towers, or even platforms for equipment, retail, and more.
Main Benefits of Using Modular Construction for Warehouse Improvements
All things considered, modular construction is a better alternative to ‘stick-built’ or traditional construction. Below are some of the main advantages of going with modular.
Faster Installation
With modular construction, walls and buildings arrive pre-made, which makes them quick to assemble. Everyone knows that traditional construction can take months, but modular offices, partitions, and mezzanines can be installed within days or weeks. This can significantly reduce or eliminate downtime altogether.
Lower Costs
Since modular parts are prefabricated in a controlled environment (a factory), material waste is lowered, as well as labor. This can help you save a lot of money, both on construction and future modifications, as modular units can be adjusted or moved without the need for rebuilding.
Flexibility
Furthermore, as we hinted at above, modular construction allows warehouses to adjust their layout as needed. Whether you’re creating office space, adding partitions, or new storage areas, modular buildings can be moved or resized to fit the needs of your tenants. This flexibility gives modular structures a high return on investment (ROI).
Less Disruption
Normal renovations often require shutting down the warehouse, or at least major parts of it. Obviously, this can hurt tenants’ operations and productivity. Fortunately, modular buildings can be installed with little-to-no impact on work. Since most of the construction happens off-site, there’s less noise, dust, debris, and interference.
Eco-Friendly
Finally, modular construction is green technology. It produces far less waste than more traditional building methods. On top of that, many modular units use recycled or sustainable materials, and because they can be relocated or reconfigured, they reduce the need for demolition and construction (another type of waste!). This makes modular tenant improvements the environmentally responsible choice.
The Bottom Line
Modular construction is a fast and low-cost way to improve warehouses for new and future tenants. With it, warehouses can create flexible, non-permanent layouts that adapt to your tenants’ preferences. Whether you need to build office space, partitions, break rooms, mezzanines, or something else, modular structures are a smarter alternative to traditional construction.
Interested in using modular to make tenant improvements at your warehouse? Reach out to the experts today to get a quote on new structures:
FAQs About Warehouse Tenant Improvements & Modular Construction
1. What are the exact cost savings of using modular vs. traditional construction?
As we mentioned already, modular construction reduces labor and material costs. This often makes it 20-50% more affordable.
2. Are modular mezzanines strong enough for heavy storage?
Yes, absolutely. Modular mezzanines are engineered to support heavy loads and can be customized for specific weight requirements.
3. Do modular offices or partitions provide soundproofing?
Yes, they do. Modular walls can be designed with soundproofing materials to reduce noise from machinery, forklifts, or other happenings in warehouses.
