Ensuring the stability of modular and prefab structures for sustainable construction

Prefab is not a fad: The history of modular construction

People often have the misconception that prefabricated modular construction is an unstable and cheap quick fix. They couldn’t be more wrong.

Prefabricated construction, in pharma and beyond, is far from a passing trend. It has been part of the engineering and construction industry for decades now, albeit a small part. And it has certainly been a popular choice at different times in history for its cost efficiency.

In post-war times, when rapid reconstruction and social housing were the need of the hour, modular construction came to the rescue in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. This trend was also amplified by labour and steel shortages. Issues concerning demand and safety meant that prefab took a back seat for a while, starting in the late 1960s, but it is back and how.

An industry survey by FMI in 2016 shed light on the “silent movement” in prefabrication to build structures safer, faster, and smarter. This movement made itself felt across diverse market sectors, project types, and sizes. Though slow and steady, this evolution was much needed in the engineering and construction industry, which was plagued by efficiency and productivity issues.

Prefabricated modular construction is not new, but it is riding a new wave—one it hasn’t seen before. Evolving mindsets about sustainability, economic demands, and technological advancements in the engineering business have attracted increasing interest in the marvel that is prefab construction. A 2019 McKinsey report noted that prefab hasn’t yet taken hold, but if it does, it could be a much-needed salve to housing crises in many markets.

In the pharma industry, too, prefab is an essential and sustainable answer to many a problem. But before we dive into how pharma can make the most of modular construction…

What is modular construction anyway?

Modular construction, prefabrication, and off-site construction are all interchangeably used to refer to the same concept. A concept which involves manufacturing standardised components of a structure off-site, at a factory away from where the structure will finally stand. The components are shipped in containers to the site, where they are assembled to bring to life a building for housing, workspaces, schools, or even biopharmaceutical factories. The possibilities are endless.

If we’re being specific, prefabrication is not one thing. It is a range of different systems and approaches. This could involve putting together single elements with standard interfaces and connections. It could also involve 3D volumetric units. It could also involve fully equipped factory systems that are plug-and-play, i.e., only on-site utility connections are needed to make the structure fully compliant and functional.

What’s changed? Why the resurgence in interest in prefab?

Recent advancements in prefabrication and modular construction technologies address many earlier concerns that hindered their adoption. In fact, 77% of 150+ respondents in the FMI industry survey mentioned above said that the prefab environment in 2016 was fairly different from only three years earlier. Essentially, in the past few years, prefabrication has emerged as a kind of melting pot for the disciplines of architecture, engineering, design, construction, fabrication, and more.

Some changes are in terms of design and construction. The industry has leapt from relying on electronic drafting to high-res digital modelling, which is also referred to as Building Information Modelling, or BIM. In terms of material of construction, new, comparatively light-weight materials are also being used, with digital technologies helping to analyse and maintain the structural integrity of buildings despite changes in construction materials.

Technologically, cloud computing, IoT, 3D printing, and big data have helped prefabrication stay relevant in today’s world. McKinsey has found that digital tools have helped refine design capabilities, optimise delivery logistics, and enhance the precision and productivity in the manufacturing of the modules.

A large part of the change is also psychological. Consumer perceptions have evolved to appreciate the practicality, sustainability, aesthetics, speed, and flexibility of modular construction. CEOs of construction businesses have also altered their perspectives towards prefabrication – they see it as a potential tech disruptor in their industry, something which the engineering and construction space has not seen in a while. Interestingly, some builders are even targeting modular construction at the high end of the market, breaking through ancient notions of it being a cheap alternative.

Drivers of the demand for prefabrication

A few main factors have been found to drive the demand for modular construction – the need for improved productivity and lean construction, better technologies, and a competitive advantage. Prefabrication does, at the end of the day, affect a business’s bottom line. The FMI research found that contractors who used prefab in over half of their projects were more effective and likely to save more than 16% on field labour costs.

Given the state of the climate crisis, climate-resilient infrastructure is a non-negotiable. Given economic challenges in vulnerable parts of the world, low costs and efficient resource use are non-negotiable. And given the urgency of socioeconomic and climatic challenges, the long timelines and inflexibility of traditional construction are just not an option. Prefabricated construction is the answer, especially in critical industries like biopharma, which need to be scaled rapidly in regions with underdeveloped health sectors.

Industry analyses have already suggested that public sector entities could gain benefits in costs and productivity with modular construction for schools, housing, and other publicly-funded projects. Regardless of whether public or private sector developers are leveraging the benefits and stability of prefabrication, it is important that they plan for it as early as the design stage. Any later and unexpected challenges can hinder the progress and effectiveness of the project.

Big Pharma companies are already leveraging the benefits of prefabrication

When Pfizer and BioNTech were racing against time to develop a vaccine for the Covid-19 virus, that wasn’t their only challenge. They also had to think about how to manufacture their final vaccine candidates at scale for clinical trials as well as public rollout. Prefabricated factory systems, with their speed and adaptability, came to the rescue.

At its 1,300-acre facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA, Pfizer installed about 13,000 square feet of modular rooms. These rooms were built in Texas and then shipped to the factory site. Overall, this cut their time to production by half. From the very beginning, this showed phenomenal results—the company went from producing 3 to 4 million vaccine doses a week to 13 million weekly. This number only went up with additional improvements to their prefab facility.

Meanwhile, BioNTech shipped 6 containers to Kigali, Rwanda in March 2023. These ‘BioNTainers’ are part of the company’s plan to set up a prefabricated mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility. Largely self-sufficient, these modules will need local infrastructure only for logistics, quality control, warehousing, and cold storage. When fully operational, this facility will be able to produce up to 50 million doses annually of some types of RNA products. BioNTech is also in talks with Senegal’s Institut Pasteur de Dakar to set up a prefab small-scale manufacturing site or R&D centre.

All of these examples go to show that prefab is here to stay. They go to show that prefabricated factory systems have the stability and structural integrity needed to deliver biopharma requirements. Prefab factories like those engineered by PodTech™ are seismically designed, with double-insulated, weatherproof construction. Such design and engineering features lend portable prefab pharma factories a level of robustness that even some traditional construction may not have.

Ultimately, such plug-and-play systems aren’t just a fun new innovation in the industry. They are integral to building up health systems rapidly and taking biopharma production to the people that most need it. For anyone concerned with building health equity and fast, prefab is the way.