Construction Law

Why Prefabrication May Be the Future of Construction

On January 29th, North America’s leading provider of commercial construction project data and market forecasting Dodge Data & Analytics released The Prefabrication and Modular Construction 2020 Market Report — a comprehensive examination of the current state of the prefabrication and modular construction market and expectations for the future. It draws its findings from a close analysis of the critical drivers, obstacles, and benefits of these construction methods using insight from engineers, architects, and contractors already leveraging them. More importantly, this report demonstrates that prefabrication and modular construction are poised to transform several sectors of the construction industry over the next few years.

A striking 61 percent of construction professionals expect to employ modular construction in a full volumetric approach in the next three years, compared to the 44% of those doing modular construction in this manner currently. Another 58 percent of construction professionals surveyed state they will be using prefabricated multi-trade assemblies — up from just 33% using this approach. Perhaps most telling, however, is that about 90 percent of construction professionals surveyed reported that they achieve improved productivity, quality, and schedule certainty when using these methods compared to traditional stick-built construction.

These improvements will likely act as the top drivers for the increasing use of prefabrication and modular construction in the next three years. In this article, we’ll be exploring these drivers as well as other benefits of prefabrication and modular construction in greater detail. For a legal ally who can be by your side every step of the way in adopting either of these construction methods on your jobsite, get in touch with one of the Central FL contractor lawyers from Cotney Attorneys & Consultants.

Consistency and Quality Control

Since prefabricated construction occurs in a controlled manufacturing environment, follows specified standards, and uses specialized tools, the sub-assemblies of the structure can be built to a uniform quality. Construction site-built structures, on the other hand, are almost entirely dependent upon the varying skill levels of the workers and the schedules of independent contractors. This affects the craftsmanship and quality of the overall structure. While prefabricated structures are still built by workers, each sub-assembly is built by an experienced crew in a weather-controlled setting that has standard quality checks throughout the build. This means no downtime due to material shortages or weather and improved jobsite safety as a result of the streamlining of manufacturing and assembly. If your business is currently embroiled in a dispute as a result of poor quality control or a construction defect on a construction site-built structure, reach out to one of our Central FL contractor attorneys.

Flexibility

When sub-assemblies are built using prefabrication or modular construction, workers are able to disassemble and locate them to different sites with ease. This alone significantly reduces the demand for raw materials, decreases overall time spent on the project, and minimizes expended energy. The opportunities are seemingly unless because of the flexibility prefabricated and modular construct allows for in the design of the structure. The neutral aesthetics of prefabricated construction units also allows them to blend in with almost every building type.

Safety and Security

As a construction industry professional, you’re constantly seeking to implement processes that improve the safety and security of your jobsite. Given that sub-assemblies are created in a factory-controlled environment that utilizes dry materials, there’s less risk for safety problems associated with moisture, dirt, and other environmental hazards. This ensures that those working on the construction site as well as the structure’s eventual tenants are much less likely to be exposed to weather-related health risks.

Additionally, the indoor construction environment where these sub-assemblies are created presents far fewer risks for accidents and other liabilities due to strict factory procedures and processes. This is a big difference from the typical construction site, where workers are regularly exposed to any number of weather-related conditions and changing ground conditions.

Reduced Environment Impact

When compared to traditional construction, prefabricated and modular construction is often much more energy-efficient in both the short term and long term. The reason being that traditional construction requires more materials than either of these methods, leading to significantly more waste. On the other hand, since prefabricated and modular structures are constructed in a factory, extra materials can be recycled directly in-house rather than go straight to the landfill. The controlled dry environment also benefits from reduced water usage and fossil fuel use as a result of less onsite traffic and streamlined transportation. If that alone wasn’t enough, the factory’s environment allows for better air filtration and wall insulation, which directly increases energy efficiency.

Bottom Line

With the continued popularity of prefabrication and modular construction, construction companies can expect to soon increase their investment in either one or both of these construction methods. As manufacturing technology continues to improve, so will the advantages of these methods. For a legal ally who can guide you through the legal aspects of preparing your construction business for prefabrication or modular construction, get in contact with a Central FL contractor attorney from Cotney Attorneys & Consultants.

If you would like to speak with a Central FL construction lawyer, please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.