This was supposed to be modular’s moment.
After all, modular construction offers a fast, efficient way to build structures in a controlled factory setting using fewer workers, who can more easily comply with social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) protocols than at a traditional commercial construction site.
But something unexpected happened on the way to modular and offsite construction’s sustained COVID-19 surge.
After experiencing a rapid uptick in demand for non-permanent emergency medical facilities and rapid response units when the pandemic started, manufacturers of permanent modular structures — the pods and boxes that go into hospitals, apartment buildings and hotels — say much of what they had on their books going into 2020 has now been put on hold.
