Mr. Mark Miller, CEO of Project FROG™ Inc – which designs and manufactures high-performance, sustainable, and quick-to-deploy buildings that utilize modular construction technology – has led conceptual, strategic and architectural projects on behalf of a range of organizations including international corporations, financial institutions, non-profit organizations, and institutions of higher education. Mark also has a services partnership with Steven A. Kelley, AIA, called MKThink. Mark received his undergraduate degree from Haverford College and his Masters in Architecture from Cambridge University.



MBI: How do you see the role of off-site, factory construction changing our environment?
Miller: Simple in concept: Factory built construction offers tremendous potential for more sustainable and more affordable facilities for our schools, hospitals, workplaces, and communities. We can reduce industry energy consumption by 50% and thus improve national energy consumption by as much as 20%. We can improve student performance more than 10% and we can reduce the project cost of construction from 25% – 40%. We can improve the health of our nation’s workforce and we can create building solutions that better interact with their natural setting. Besides that I am not sure what we can do.



Pictured here: project photo of Jim Russell Racing School - Learning & Technology Center


MBI: What current cultural trends, if any, can draw architects, developers, and owners toward factory-built construction as a viable design choice?
Miller: Sustainability issues are causing many architects to re-examine fundamental assumptions about how we design and build. However the vast majority of people still seem to stick to what they know. Human nature causes us to fear what is not familiar. If we want people to be open to the advantages of prefabrication – such as building more with less - we need to make the issues and opportunities familiar. I am biased, but with the exception of very unique site conditions or extreme user needs the only remaining reason for site-built buildings may be the need for fulfillment of architects-as-artists.


MBI: How much of the market will factory-built construction capture in the next decade, 20-years from now?
Miller: At Project FROG, our target is for a shift from 5% to 40% of the non-residential construction market to be factory-built. Based upon the value equation offered by traditional site construction compared to prefabricated construction, this new balance makes sense. Consider the USGBC projection that LEED Gold or equivalent will be the norm in 20 years. Also, CHPS is becoming a national standard. Cost will continue to be an increasing driving factor. How else can the construction industry cope with these conflicting goals? There is better potential for factory-built construction than the traditional construction industry.


MBI: Besides time and cost advantages of factory-built construction (i.e. fewer delays, quicker occupancy), what are the major advantages of factory-built construction over stick-build?
Miller: Time and money are indeed the most obvious advantages of factory-built construction versus traditional construction. However, there are many other advantages to building in a controlled environment – heath and safety, handling and storage, accuracy and quality controls, etc. But to us it’s all about sustainability. Few realize the full environmental potential of prefabrication. The amount of wasted resources and materials on site and in the factory are significantly reduced – up to 90%. Other benefits include lowered transportation impacts during construction and overall better building performance.


MBI: What role do you and Project FROG hope to play in the shift in perception from traditional
construction methods to factory-built construction?
Miller: We not only accept, but embrace the challenges associated with shifting the perception from traditional construction methods to factory-built construction. We see our role as leading by example. Our focus on high performance, green building systems is receiving positive feedback from the marketplace – the beginning of a change in the perceptions of what is possible. Our continued success at competing with traditional building on schedule, quality and cost will pave the way for clients to look towards our industry to offer creative solutions. Project FROG’s unwavering commitment to green principles and our real achievements with energy performance, especially when our cradle-to-cradle resource efficiency is considered, will increase the positive perception of the potential for factory built solutions.

(c) 2008. Modular Building Institute. All rights reserved