Modular Construction – The Key to Affordable Housing

For decades, modular construction has been associated with uniformity and standardised building designs. And indeed, in the 1970s and 1980s at least, much of it was reminiscent of "Plattenbau 2.0". Since then, however, the building and property industry has witnessed a renaissance in modular construction. It is now associated with lower construction costs, shorter construction times and the development of new, affordable housing. 

The latter in particular has led to a growing demand for modular styles of construction in recent years. Rents have become unaffordable for many people, especially those living in large cities. Modular construction offers a solution for affordable housing. For quite some time now, it has met all the criteria for sustainable, energy-efficient and modern real estate. With modular construction, entire room units complete with electrical installations, pipework, etc. are prefabricated in a factory and transported to the construction site in a single piece.

Once on site, it is simply a matter of connecting the modules. The modular construction method is flexible, can be modified to suit individual needs, and is suitable for a wide range of building designs and layouts. From studio apartments to multi-storey family houses to wheelchair accessible homes, anything is possible. 

The benefits of modular construction are numerous. The factory's ability to maintain consistent production conditions ensures the high quality of the prefabricated modules. Modular construction allows many processes to be completed in the factory that would normally have to be carried out on site, such as insulating the ceilings and walls, for example. 

Moreover, much of the preparatory construction work, such as excavating the foundation pit, can be carried out while the building is being made in the factory. This significantly shortens construction times and reduces the number of employees needed on the construction site. 

Also, modular construction almost completely eliminates delays caused by the weather. In contrast to conventional construction methods, modules can be produced throughout the year, regardless of the weather. In addition to faster construction times, modular construction also means lower development and manufacturing costs. Because modules can be arranged in different ways, it offers great flexibility in meeting new requirements and individual customer needs. Lower development and construction costs make lower rents possible and enable new, more affordable properties to be built. 

Sustainability also plays a major role in modular construction. The ecological impact over the building's entire lifecycle is considered right at the planning stage. It begins with emission-free prefabrication in the factory and continues through the energy-efficient utilisation phase, followed by deconstruction and recycling at some future time. The use of resource-efficient and environmentally friendly materials results in sustainable, high quality and architecturally sophisticated buildings that are by no means inferior to conventionally constructed buildings. At the end of the lifecycle, a large proportion of the building materials can be returned to the manufacturing chain. Modern, environmentally friendly technologies guarantee reduced energy and operating costs over the building's entire useful life. Thanks to the use of ecological and sustainable building materials, very little repair work is needed. By the same token, working with sustainable building materials results in significantly less waste than with conventional construction methods. 

Eyemaxx, for example, is making increased use of an innovative and resource-saving technology based on using precast concrete shells made from mould-free CSP wood fibre cement panels. The building components are prefabricated in the factory and delivered to construction sites "just in time". When they arrive, it's simply a matter of concreting the components with self-compacting concrete and assembling them. 

There are also a number of environmentally friendly and energy-saving products and technical options that can reduce the ecological footprint and avoid the need for fossil fuels. Photovoltaic systems that harness natural solar energy and green roofs that reduce rain runoff are two effective ways of operating buildings efficiently and protecting the environment.