Inside the Construction of 355 Sango Court

Interestingly, Autovol also learned something from Nibbi Brothers during the project. Nibbi suggested a change in the material used to wrap the units and keep them dry while they are in transit and being installed. Murdock admits he was against it in the beginning because it was different than what they normally did and took more labor. But Nibbi was persistent, so they tried it, and now it has been implemented as the standard for all units going out of Autovol’s factory.

An important part of Autovol’s process is the design and programming for their automated assembly line. In 2016, Murdock and Autovol co-founder Curtis Fletcher started a company to provide those services to Autovol and other modular manufacturers called Prefab Logic. According to Murdock, “There’s a disconnect between developers, general contractors, and modular manufacturers because modular is not as common as we’d like it to be and it’s a different type of building. So, we started the company to help everyone understand how it works.”

A year and a half ago they added a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering group to their team. With in-house engineering they are able to be more efficient with their design process. “That’s one of the things we’re really focused on, trying to make the process better, faster, and more accurate from an engineering and architectural standpoint, so we have fewer coordination issues, improved accuracy, and better documentation for our teams,” said Fletcher.

Prefab Logic’s role in this project was to make the design viable for Autovol’s automated manufacturing, get the project through permitting, and then convert the design to programming language for the robots on the manufacturing floor. Their in-house MEP engineering team played a key part in this process.

Fletcher’s team created a digital twin of the completed structure. “We use it for our customers to preview what we’re doing and see if there’s anything that they would like to change or any comments they have,” said Murdock. All facets of the building are modeled, right down to framing, structural components, MEP locations, and every hole, screw, and nail. The model is also used by the internal manufacturing team to spot issues that might come up on the line.

Once the project is completed, a Navisworks model is then passed on to the owner for use in operations and maintenance.

The project had a pretty aggressive timeline as it needed to fit into Autovol’s production schedule, so the team worked diligently to expedite the design and programming process, which was completed in only four and a half months. Autovol has one of the fastest production lines, so the project’s 102 units took just under two and a half months to manufacture, with the entire project taking 443 days to complete.

The four-story development consists of two concrete and steel buildings connected by a series of linked courtyards, providing access to nature for all residents. On the ground floor there’s a garden entry and open-air lobby, with 102 permanent supportive homes on the floors above. The units are a mix of studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. An emphasis was placed on sustainability and energy efficiency, building to CalGreen standards, using WaterSense certified plumbing fixtures, and efficient windows. The facility is managed by Resources for Community Development, which provides rental homes for more than 5,450 people in 25 cities in the region, about one third of which are reserved for people with special needs.