For the last several years, the Modular Building Institute (MBI) has attempted to address the inequalities of the International Green Construction Code when applied to small commercial construction projects, as these are the heart of the commercial modular industry. MBI promotes the fact that modular buildings are one of the best platforms for sustainable building construction today for the following reasons:
- Factory construction means greater waste diversion from landfills
- Factory controlled construction means greater use of recycling practices
- Off-site construction means less site disruption
- Ability of modular buildings to be relocated and repurposed means fewer buildings being demolished and ultimately less waste
As we have stated before, sustainable construction practices make sense when applied in scale to the overall project. Small projects bear an inordinate amount of costs to attain certain levels of sustainable construction when compared to large public and private sector work; however, there may be more to question when it comes to green construction. (more…)
Ramtech’s Permanent Modular Construction and Design-Build – A Better Approach to School Construction
Historically, most public school districts in Texas utilize either a competitive sealed bid or a construction manager contract when they engage in a school construction project. However, Ramtech encourages schools to consider taking a different approach – one that we believe is a superior method and uses our specific approach to the design-build delivery system and permanent modular construction. (more…)
Bringing quality healthcare to rural areas is always a challenge, especially when it comes to developing new facilities where commercial builders and subcontractors are in short supply. For years Ramtech has met just these types of needs by providing temporary and permanent modular buildings to rural and remote locations throughout the Southwest. Recently we went up to the North-central Arkansas area to visit one of our two-physician modular medical clinics we constructed and installed for Dr. Adam Gray.
Located in Izard County in the small community of Melbourne, Ramtech used traditional permanent modular construction to build this 2,600 square foot building featuring six exam rooms, procedure room, lab area, and business office. Once again we took along our video equipment to record the thoughts and comments of Dr. Gray on how he found Ramtech and what it was like to work with us.
Ramtech recently went back to visit our first Accelerated Building System permanent modular construction project for the healthcare market located adjacent to the main hospital at Limestone Medical Center in the central Texas community of Groesbeck. We took along our video gear to record the thoughts and comments of Penny Gray, administrator and CEO at Limestone, as she reflected on how the 12,000 square foot modular building project was originally developed and what it was like to work with the Ramtech team.
The interview took place inside the rural modular medical clinic that provides accommodations for seven physicians and an optometrist, including 20 exam rooms, four procedure rooms, medical records area, offices and retail space.
Here is what Penny had to say in her own words:
Ramtech, using its permanent modular building system, has been completing medical facilities throughout the southwest for over 30 years and never have we seen the wide variety of opinions on the future growth of the healthcare construction market as we do now. While Obamacare may significantly increase the number of medically insured individuals, the concern becomes what will be the resulting strain on the existing healthcare infrastructure and how must we physically grow our healthcare facilities to address this increase? (more…)