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MBI Issues Policy Position on Tariffs & Their Impact on Modular Construction. Read the statement here.

Modular Advantage Magazine

In each bi-monthly issue, Modular Advantage magazine explores a specific modular construction topic and features interviews and articles from industry experts along with news and updates from the Modular Building Institute and its members, modular building case studies, and upcoming industry events. This construction trade magazine is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the global commercial modular and relocatable buildings industry.

Printed copies are free to MBI members and include exclusive content not available anywhere else. The abridged, digital versions of each issue, available below, are available free for everyone.

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Latest Articles & Interviews

Celebrating the Winners of MBI’s 2025 Awards of Distinction

MBI’s Awards of Distinction are presented annually, traditionally on the final evening of its North American World of Modular conference and tradeshow. This year’s Awards were presented in a variety of categories, including several each for permanent modular construction projects and relocatable buildings. Excellence in “green” modular construction and marketing were also recognized.

MBI Welcomes R.I. Group Founder & President Salvatore Tafuro to the Industry’s Hall of Fame

In 1973, Salvatore Tafuro, only in his twenties and already supporting a family of three children, set out to realize his entrepreneurial dream. From a humble garage in Leverano, in the heart of Salento, he began producing metal structures and aluminum fixtures for the construction industry.

The Best-Kept Secret in Housing

What can we do to right the ship, overcome these circumstances, capitalize on the opportunity, and address this epidemic in the housing sector? It’s easier than you might think.

The Blueprint for Accountability: How Mastery, Autonomy, and Purpose Drive Performance in Construction & Manufacturing

Accountability is one of the most critical elements of a thriving organization, yet many leaders in the construction and manufacturing industries struggle to create a culture where it truly thrives. High-performance teams require more than just technical skills and efficiency—they need strong accountability, alignment with the company’s vision, and a deep sense of ownership.

Current Issue

Celebrating the industry's latest award-winning projects, this issue of Modular Advantage features in-depth modular building case studies, articles, and an interview with the newest inductee into MBI's Hall of Fame, R.I. Group founder Salvatore Tafuro.

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Featured Modular Building Case Studies

Safe Modular Construction with Aerofilm Air Caster Transport

In collaboration with Aerofilm Systems, Heijmans developed innovative skids using air caster technology for moving modules easily and safely. These pallets are equipped with an auto-flow system, making operation extremely simple.

Building the Future: Triumph Modular’s Construction Services Team and Their Summer 2024 Masterpiece

In the summer of 2024, Triumph Modular’s Construction Services team undertook one of its most ambitious projects: $306 million modular construction initiative for the Manchester Public School system in New Hampshire.

Wilmot Modular Structures, Inc. Corporate Campus

Wilmot required a modern, efficient headquarters to showcase their modular construction expertise while fostering team collaboration and innovation. The facility was designed to streamline operations, reflect the company’s commitment to sustainability, and support long-term growth under multigenerational leadership.

Castlegar Student Housing, Selkirk College

Modular construction was chosen as the ideal solution to provide high-quality, fast-track affordable housing for students, delivering a 3-storey, 30-module, 114-student bed building with a mass-timber main common
area for student amenities.

Manchester Public Schools Temporary Classroom Space

The buildings can accommodate up to 1,000 students during construction of permanent buildings, allowing education to proceed without interruption. The modern and fully equipped modular learning spaces ensure a smooth transition for both students and staff.

Oldivai on 31st – Modular Housing, Rinse and Repeat

With a “kit-of-parts” approach, Oldivai on 31st demonstrated how a predesigned layout could deliver consistent programming and rapid deployment.

Hawthorn Extended Stay by Wyndham—Jackson, WY

The plan was to build the project in two phases. This would enable the property to open sooner and start
accommodating guests while completing the second phase. The digital twin was designed to provide a complete factory-ready model for both phases upfront. That gave the factory everything it needed to bring each phase into production quickly. It also enabled everyone a way to plan both
phases ahead of time, and begin prepping the site in advance.

102-108 Westford Street

102-108 Westford was an opportunity for New England-based GreenStaxx to show how project costs could be trimmed by using a standardized, modular-ready Triple Decker design.

Geberit In-Wall Systems Makes a New Breed Luxury Room Concept a Reality for International Hotel Brand

Geberit in-wall flush toilet systems for wall-hung toilets are the classics for modern bathroom design. citizenM has specified the Geberit systems into their bathroom walls worldwide as a basis of their bathroom design. This installation is part of the over one million times building owners have installed Geberit systems in their buildings around the globe for over the past 50 years.

Panel Built Provides Custom Modular Enclosure for Major Beverage Manufacturer

The challenge was twofold. Firstly, Panel Built needed to create a spacious enclosure that could accommodate a large facility crane. This enclosure required a design that provided ample storage space and integrated seamlessly with the existing infrastructure. Secondly, the structure needed to incorporate office space that offered personnel an unimpeded, 360-degree view of the factory floor.

Fire Station 67

Fire Station 67 is designed in direct response to the climate crisis, the increasing threat of wildfires, and the needs to the Rancho Mission Viejo community. Prefabricated off-site and assembled from 10 modules, the 4,667-square-foot fire station is a modular design with the ability to reconfigure the structure into something new in the future.

Maceo May

Maceo May is a six-story, all-electric modular construction, affordable housing development located on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. The climate-responsive design provides 104 homes for formerly homeless veterans and their families with a strong focus on decarbonization, resilience and wellness. The apartment building offers 1 on-site manager’s unit, and a mix of 24 studio, 47 one-bedroom and 34 two-bedroom units.

The Sphere Made Possible with Exterior Wall Panels

This one-of-a-kind structure required one-of-a-kind building materials and exterior cladding that could accommodate the atypical geometries, project timelines, and significant daily foot traffic. Offsite construction, in the form of Dryvit’s Outsulite prefabricated panels of continuous insulation (CI), was the key method for streamlining the façade installation and ensuring quality control for the difficult building connections.

Modular Construction for Financial Viability: The Norwalk Project Case Study

The Norwalk project serves as a prime example of how Offsite Modular Construction, in collaboration with Architects, Consultants/Engineers, General Contractors (GC), and Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection (MEP/FP) Subcontractors, can make projects financially feasible by closely working with the Owner/Developer under an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) approach.

STAAT MOD Patient Bed Expansion at M Health Fairview – St. John’s Hospital

Construction firm The Boldt Company, and interdisciplinary design firm, HGA were engaged by St. John’s Hospital to deliver a 16-bed ICU patient observation wing onto the existing facility, built to over 90 percent completion offsite in Appleton, Wisc., then seamlessly transported and installed on the St. John’s campus – the first of its kind in the state of Minnesota.

Offsite Modular Construction Builds and Installs 12 New Classrooms for Westlake Academy in 100 Days

OMC utilized modular construction techniques to manufacture two brand new permanent 6,400-square-foot modular buildings, each housing six classrooms. The process included innovative design features for safety, durability, environmental sustainability, integrated technology enhancements, and health-oriented construction.

Formula 1 Race, Las Vegas, Nevada

In partnership with InProduction, Phoenix Modular Elevator (PME) designed, manufactured, and installed seven modular elevators for the F1 Grand Prix race in Las Vegas, Nevada. To minimize space, the design utilized machine roomless (MRL) hydraulic elevators, eliminating the need for separate machine rooms for each elevator. Instead, using the MRL design, the machine room equipment is built into the hoistway, and accessed via a small door on the side.

Silverking Student Housing, Selkirk College

ROC Modular was proud to deliver a much-needed new permanent modular Student Housing Residence for Selkirk College, located at the Silverking Campus in Nelson BC. The project is a 3-storey, 12-module 38-student bed building with a mass-timber main common area for student amenities.

Parkhurst Elementary School Classroom Additions

The Parkhurst Elementary School in Winchester, MA, has recently undergone an expansion of 13,074 square feet. Due to renovations at the neighboring Lynch School, students were temporarily relocated to Parkhurst. Modular construction was chosen as the preferred method to accommodate the influx of students and prepare for the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

VBC Chooses MAESTRO SMART 9 HP

Volumetric Building Companies (VBC), a global leader in the construction sector with a focus on building the future through volumetric modular techniques, choose the Maestro Smart 9 Heat Pump as their ideal comfort solution to heat and cool their modular housing project in Philadelphia, PA, consisting of 60 modular housing units.

Online Exclusives

Recent Issues

March/April 2025
January/February 2025
November/December 2024
September/October 2024
July/August 2024

Past Articles & Interviews

AeroGo air casters for modular building manufacturing

How Air Caster Technology Has Helped Improve Modular Building Manufacturing

Air casters mean flexibility, not just in terms of movement but also in terms of change. For example, one structure might be 56-feet-long and another 76-feet-long. Air casters allow manufacturers to easily accommodate a variety of shapes and sizes of boxes and then make changes on the fly.

The Building Industry Needs a Moonshot Speech

In his “Moonshot” speech in 1962, President Kennedy challenged his fellow citizens to land a man on the moon and bring him safely back to earth before 1970. He showed leadership, reimagining human potential and progress, and this famous speech has been an inspiration for many to get things done. Likewise, a “Home-shot” speech that challenges citizens to remove lengthy procedures and “carefully” remove some of the mountain of red tape required for permitting before 2030 would certainly make a huge difference.

modular house setting

How Issa Nesheiwat Conquered the Great Manufacturer/Design Divide

Born in Jordan forty years ago, Nesheiwat is something of an outsider to the modular housing world. His entrepreneurial spirit led him from a childhood growing up in Yonkers, New York, to the more provincial location of Poughkeepsie where he delved into many unique business ventures. Not one to shy away from a challenge, he took on projects that seemed impossible, often in the housing sector. His innate sense of the fundamentals in finance, corporate branding, and business expansion have led him to where he is today.

Offsight Certification Program

Offsight’s Digital Certification Program Can Accelerate Modular Industry Growth

Offsight launched its Offsight Certification Program in January 2024. Its program is designed to equip production managers, quality inspectors, plant managers, and operators with a deeper understanding of how technology and digitization can be a game-changer in driving process improvements and productivity benefits, which will ultimately allow its customers to capture the full value of modular and offsite construction.

This action item, presented at the SGC’s October 2023 meeting, details the SGC’s “Resolution to support energy-efficient factory-built housing to meet the State’s climate, housing and equity goals” and identifies its next steps to help fund further development of factory-built housing.

Building at the Intersection of Housing Affordability & Energy Conversation

Tasked with looking at how the state of California can best house its growing population while meeting its aggressive energy, housing, transportation, land use, and equity goals, the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) faces a slew of challenges. But, if the outlook of SGC Executive Director Lynn von Koch-Liebert is any indication, it’s only a matter of time before those challenges are successfully met.

Killingsworth’s research compared the raw weight of lumber removed from the job site (roll-off weight of dumpsters processed by the waste hauler) with the wood waste created at the modular plant. Those amounts were then divided by the square footage and the total wall height of each project to come up with an average amount of waste.

Study Quantifies Modular’s Wood Waste Savings

A recent study commissioned by MBI and carried out at Colorado State University shows that when it comes to optimizing the circular economics of a construction project, modular is the preferred way to build (when compared to traditional ground-up framing techniques).

True Modular Buildings

For True Modular Building, Sustainability is Part of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

For Carel van Duuren, the 71-year-old CEO of True Modular Building, sustainability is more than just his legacy—he’s thinking about the future of society at large. How do you make things infinitely repeatable and simple? How can you make sure you’re contributing to the economy without adding extra waste or using increasingly precious resources? And how can you do this, and quickly?

Wilmot Modular’s newest line of mobile storage and office buildings is set to expand the reach of modular buildings into remote locations. Their Smart Line – Hybrid Series of container offices and storage buildings provides almost instant connectivity and power in locations that are off-grid, on-grid, or anywhere in between.

Newest Line of Container Buildings Broadens Modular’s Reach

Wilmot Modular’s newest line of mobile storage and office buildings is set to expand the reach of modular buildings into remote locations. Their Smart Line – Hybrid Series of container offices and storage buildings provides almost instant connectivity and power in locations that are off-grid, on-grid, or anywhere in between.

Anirban Basu, CEO of Sage Policy Group and Chief Economist of the Modular Building Institute

Only the Future is at Stake

As the race to reverse global warming intensifies, there is little doubt that modular techniques will be adopted with far greater frequency than has been the case to date. Meanwhile, modular building continues to offer its more traditional benefits to project owners, but the issues facing society are far more pressing these days than simply helping project owners make their pro-formas pencil out.

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