Enthusiasm for Modular Construction Grows in Ukraine as Rebuilding Efforts Take Shape
The future of Ukraine may be uncertain, but one thing isn’t: rebuilding will be a monumental task.
Bruce Talley, Chief Operating Officer at MBI member company OFC Incorporated, is trying ensure that Ukraine’s eventual rebuilding efforts are based in a technology known for its speed and adaptability: modular construction.
During his most recent visit to Ukraine, Talley was invited to share his knowledge of the industry at several building conferences. His first stop: KyivBuilds.



Bruce Talley, chief financial officer at OFC Inc., speaks at KyivBuilds in May, 2023.
Hosted in Ukraine’s capitol May 16-17, the KyivBuilds conference was attended by over 7,300 people with 161 companies exhibiting. There Talley spoke to a group of Ukrainian mayors, developers, and architects about modular housing. Talley then traveled to Irpin and Zhytomyr to talk about modular building applications in those cities.
“The quality of modular building and the uses are much greater than I realized. Modular building will be in great demand in Ukraine to solve housing,” said Oleksandr Markushin, Mayor of Irpin.
“I learned a lot from Bruce's presentation. I think modular building will be very important for Ukraine's rebuilding,” said Artem Shira, director of Nerex, a water treatment and purification company.


Bruce also presented at the UNation conference in Odesa on May 20, 2023.
Following his talks in Kyiv, Irpin, and Zhytomyr, Talley attended the UNation conference on May 20th in Odesa. Topics included rebuilding, tech incubators, and the reforms that Ukraine needs to instate to attract foreign investment, as well as regional issues affecting Odesa. Also discussed were several large business parks to be developed in Ukraine, with retail, housing, Olympic training, medical, offices, and redevelopment of an airport.
Related Listening:
Rebuilding Ukraine: What Modular Manufacturers, Dealers, and Developers Need to Know w/ OFC, Inc
Bruce Talley, chief operating officer of OFC Inc., discusses the current conditions inside Ukraine, including the state of its infrastructure and housing, and recounts his personal experience and observations from recent visits. Bruce also shares important information for modular companies looking to help in the relief and rebuilding efforts.
The opportunities for modular construction in Ukraine, it seems, are boundless. But for the industry to make an impact, inroads will need to be made.
“In general,” said Talley, “I’m in Ukraine to meet with people, look at potential production sites (especially in western Ukraine, but not limited to there), and discuss modular housing and container conversion applications for apartments, homes, retail, offices, schools, and hospitals. Everyone is interested in solutions that will save time and money and control costs and outcome. Clearly, employment is driving a lot of thought. However, at each event I have attended that has been a lot of discussion around Smart Cities and sustainable development. So much has been damaged in some areas, that instead of rebuilding like it was, cities will look and work differently with new infrastructure.”
It's early yet to make predictions on when rebuilding efforts can be made in earnest, but Talley sees an opportunity for the global industry to get involved when the time is right. That said, it won’t be a cake walk.
“When we're talking about getting involved in Ukraine, there is a steep learning curve," says Talley. "There are cultural and legal barriers that will be new to many, especially to North American companies. So, it's possible. But if a manufacturer or builder wants to acquire our abilities, our knowledge, our culture, cultural understanding and language skills, and ability to bridge that gap, I think we can do that very well.”
Author: John McMullen is the marketing director for the Modular Building Institute. You can reach him directly at mcmullen@modular.org or on LinkedIn.
More from Modular Advantage
Hage’s Badehotel — Case Study — Denmark
For this project, Forta PRO delivered 72 buildings, 144 modules, with 5,200 m2 of gross modular area. With final onsite completion in June 2023, it provides exceptional long-stay accommodation in a stunning and serene environment.
Customized & Complex: Inside the Construction of the Nation’s Largest Modular Hospital
With about 100,000 square feet of space on four levels, MODLOGIQ is producing 100% of the hospital’s space off-site in their factory. That includes everything from mechanical, electrical, and plumbing to interior finishes and casework to about an 85% level of completion.
Revisiting Remo Home and Its Modular Housing Revolution
ReMo Homes founder Vamsi Kumar Kotla has an ambitious goal: assemble a net zero, single-family home with a minimized carbon footprint in just one hour. Surprisingly, his team is close to making his goal a reality. They recently assembled a 400 square foot net zero model home on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Assembly took ten days.
FullStack Modular’s Bicoastal Moves Are Making Waves
FullStack Modular’s dedication to sustainability and process yielded their
latest project for its new Portland, OR, factory: a sustainable Treehouse Hotel for Starwood Capital Group in Sunnyvale, California. The six-story Treehouse Hotel features 200 modules and 143 rooms.
Dynamic Automation Helps Company Create “Snowflakes”
House of Design, located in Nampa, Idaho, provides a unique solution to building trusses, walls, and other building assemblies: they call it dynamic automation. Shane Dittrich, CEO, explained the term as “the robots have no idea what they’re building today.”
ModCribs Are A Better Way
Matt Mitchell and Scott Bridger took note of the cribbing other people were using. “We said, it doesn’t seem like anybody’s really working on a better solution to try to fix this,” Bridger said. Then, about four years ago, they decided to see what they could come up with. “That’s when we really in earnest decided to see if we can design and manufacture something that’s just better,” Mitchell said.
Former Modular Owner, Now Principal Insurance Executive, Helps Modular Company Owners Navigate Insurance
Ververis doesn’t just work for anybody in the modular industry. “I need to know that they’re fully committed and willing to use best practices. I can assist with putting together a great risk management program and make them close to bulletproof, but they have to be willing to implement and manage the procedures.”
RainStick: The Art of Sustainable Showering
A recently developed product promises to provide homeowners with major savings in both energy and water. It’s called RainStick, and one of its founders says users can reduce their water consumption by almost a swimming pool’s worth over the course of a year. With a payback period of just over five years, modular builders focused on sustainability are taking note.
Now for 2024, by Anirban Basu
Anirban Basu, Chairman & CEO of Sage Policy Group and Chief Economist of the Modular Building Institute, looks back at the financial trends of 2023 and forward to 2024
A Case for Prioritizing Human Capital
Nadler Modular discusses the loyalty and value/service to their employees and customers, that has led to their continued growth and success.