Month: February 2019

With growing dissatisfaction over the increasing inefficiency of traditional, onsite construction, thoughtful owners are exploring offsite construction alternatives that allow for a more streamlined approach to the building process. During their exploration, many will come across terms such as prefabrication, modularization, or modular vs. prefab and wonder:

“What’s the difference between prefabrication and modularization?” and “Which option is better for my building project?” Continue reading “Prefab Vs. Modular Construction”

Today’s building projects are more complex than ever with the vast majority of projects experiencing chronic cost overruns and schedule delays. A recent report published by McKinsey and Company reveals that most large construction projects “take 20 percent longer to finish than scheduled and are up to 80 percent over budget.” According to another study conducted by the “Economist” over 90% of all global infrastructure, projects are either over budget or late.

Continue reading “Modular and the U.S Construction Crisis”

In the 1600s one did not go out and hire eight design professionals, a general contractor, 12 subcontractors and a slew of consultants to build one’s building. They simply hired a Master Builder, who learned the trade by word of mouth and relied on experience, models, and rules of thumb to determine the sizes of building elements. The Master Builder was responsible for everything – designing the building, dealing with engineering issues, determining the means and methods of construction, and employing all of the workforce necessary to complete the project. The same team worked on every project, learned from prior experience and implemented improvements as they progressed. Buildings were built efficiently, at reasonable costs, and with great levels of quality.

Continue reading “How Past Masters Can Inform a Better Future”