“Sustainable”, “Green”, and “LEED certified” are terms often used in the construction industry to reference buildings that are designed and constructed in an environmentally responsible way. This means building in greater energy efficiencies, using fewer natural resources during construction, and creating a healthier workplace while reducing pollution and waste. The primary challenge in achieving sustainable construction lies in its cost. During tough economic times it can be difficult for an owner to invest in the resources necessary to meet LEED or voluntary IgCC requirements. However, a recent article in the Guardian references how America’s commercial, institutional, and governmental agencies could learn a great deal from the success Europe and China are having by using a familiar, cost effective means to achieve sustainability: permanent modular construction.
According to the Modular Building Institute and the National Research Council, prefabricated modular buildings provide the following benefits:
- More controlled conditions for weather, quality control, improved supervision of labor
- Fewer job-site environmental impacts because of reductions in material waste, air and water pollution, dust and noise, and overall energy costs
- Compressed project schedules allowing for the assembly of components off-site while foundations are being poured on–site
- Fewer conflicts in work crew scheduling and better sequencing of crafts persons
- Reduced requirements for on-site materials storage, and fewer losses or misplacements of materials
- Increased workers safety through reduced exposures to inclement weather, temperature extremes, and ongoing or hazardous operations; better working conditions
Ramtech Building Systems is a full service design-build modular building manufacturer and construction company. For permanent buildings, we utilize a proprietary approach called the Accelerated Building System (ABS), a process which combines the best of both onsite and offsite construction. By using our ABS method new facilities are faster and less expensive to build than traditional site constructed buildings, while also providing for greater energy efficiency, improved air quality, and reduced material waste.
