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.”
About the Author: John McMullen, PCM, 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
A Huge Win for the Modular Construction Industry in Massachusetts
In early February, 2024, the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) released its proposed 10th Edition building codes. This draft included several amendments targeting modular construction that would have created an extremely difficult environment for the entire modular industry and could have eliminated the industry entirely in the state.
FEMA Announces Hawaii Housing Plan Using Modular Construction
Utah becomes the second state in the country, following Virginia, to fully adopt ICC/MBI standards 1200 and 1205. MBI will continue to work with leadership in Utah to implement the new program.
Supply and Demand: Solving Canada’s Housing Crisis One Relocatable Housing Unit at a Time
Not only do Moda Modular’s repurposed employee housing solutions cut the emissions related to construction down to nearly zero, but they also keep building materials that are often not biodegradable from slowly decaying in storage facilities.
It’s the classic environmental mantra of reduce, reuse, and recycle, scaled up and applied to building after building.
ICC/MBI Standards 1200 & 1205 Provide Foundation for Utah’s First-Ever State Modular Program
Utah becomes the second state in the country, following Virginia, to fully adopt ICC/MBI standards 1200 and 1205. MBI will continue to work with leadership in Utah to implement the new program.
Repetition, Communication, and Coordination: A QSR Case Study
This modular QSR project seemed like any another modular building on the surface. Inside, it was anything but. The rhythm, the desire to iterate and repeat, and the constant communication between all parties made it stand out.
Modular Architecture: Thinking Outside of the Box with Sara.Ann Logan
At a time when modular buildings were still seen as less than by many in the architecture and construction world, Sara.Ann Logan took the plunge and partnered to launch a design-build firm that designed, built, and constructed modular high-end single-family homes. But even though she could see the value of this kind of construction, it wasn’t universally accepted.
Colorado Developer ‘Attacks’ Attainable Housing Crisis
City, county, and state government bodies are reaching out to Fading West Development, a modular manufacturer and developer in Buena Vista, CO, to learn more about how they are using modular construction to solve the affordable housing crisis in Colorado. Governments are eager to learn how they’ve made modular development successful and profitable while meeting the growing need for affordable housing.
CES Group’s Stuart Cameron Will Convince You the Moon Is Achievable with Modularized MEP
While most people think of construction as a gradually layered process, MEP assemblies—such as the modular ones—tend to provide all-in-one installs, like a car factory. A modular MEP product helps developers, architects, and fellow modular manufacturers reach their goals through early integration and planning. MEP assemblies address all the unseen things like electrical, heating, and plumbing when looking at a finalized building. The very nature of MEP assemblies are crucial to any initial prospectus.
Automation: The Future for Offsite Modular Construction
Offsite modular construction lags far behind other industries in embracing and adopting automation. Some people believe it will decrease jobs. Others feel they’ve done okay without it, so why change? In reality, conventional construction methods simply cannot keep up. Cooper Lane of Brave Control Solutions points to the labor shortage and the housing crisis that’s rampant in Canada, the U.S., and globally.
Seizing the Modular Construction Opportunity
The CSA Public Policy Centre’s new report, Seizing the Modular Construction Opportunity, highlights how innovative modular methods can help to bring various building forms—from single unit housing to complex high-rises—online more quickly. Owing to efficient manufacturing practices and controlled factory environments, modular can achieve completion rates that are 25% to 50% faster than conventional construction approaches.