Construction Forecast Issue Home

March 30, 2000

Modular can be a boon for contractor and owner

In building the Quinault Beach Resort, BFC Frontier found using ready-built components cut two months off the schedule and saved $500,000 over the estimate for building units onsite.

By RENEE GREENLEAF
BFC Frontier

The art of construction is changing. For projects with repetitive components like hotels, assisted-living centers or residential developments, it’s moving from the time consuming "build-everything-on-site mode" to using the innovative technologies of panelized wall systems or whole room modular systems. Both techniques offer unique opportunities that can streamline and shorten timelines.

So what do you get for your money and when should you choose innovative technologies over more traditional construction methods?

Schools, office parks, resorts, institutional living centers, day cares, single-family developments, condo and apartments are projects that typically lend themselves to consideration for modular or panelized techniques. But not all of these are candidates for new methods. For instance, if design decisions are not complete prior to the beginning of construction, the project may not see the benefit of time and possible cost savings.

Modular units can be delivered up to 95 percent complete, right down to the fixtures and hardware. And because they’re created in a controlled environment, production can go on even when weather extremes shut down site construction.

The Quinault Beach Resort, currently under construction by BFC Frontier near Ocean Shores, is a 176,000-square-foot complex featuring 150 modular rooms, nine suites, a casino, restaurants and other amenities. It is the largest commercial hotel project ever completed in the Pacific Northwest using modular techniques. Larry Workman

Steve Klimek, BFC's senior project manager for Quinault, says modular construction was chosen because Ocean Shores is relatively remote, making it more difficult to schedule subcontractors efficiently. Also, in cost and quality, modular construction compared well with site-built, he added.

BFC built the resort's first story concurrent with modular production. Included on this floor are the hotel restaurants and a casino area. Codes dictated that rooms above these public areas be constructed of non-combustible materials. The remaining units are wood framed.

Packaged for travel and delivered on specialized float trucks, the finished rooms arrived in pairs and were craned into place. Because the units are essentially double walled after placement, they provide superior sound abatement -- a significant distinction for a high quality resort.

"It was fun to watch them go up," Klimek said. "It reminded me of kids with Lego blocks. The erection crew just welded and bolted the units in place. "

Klimek explained that the electrical/mechanical systems connect at a vertical chase in each unit. The chase runs to the corridor ceilings. That makes for a very efficient final hookup to the building -- electrical power, plumbing and gas were supplied from the ceiling corridor so crews didn't have to enter the rooms to complete the hookups.

Factory-built and 95 percent complete, the rooms arrived in two configurations: single rooms are 14' x 33' and doubles are 14' x 67' including a corridor. The wood-framed rooms were erected first, then the steel frame and concrete units. The interiors included fireplaces with custom mantels, tiled bathrooms, berber carpets, solid surface countertops, brushed chrome and stainless fixtures. Only the wall coverings remained to be installed.

Using modulars allowed BFC to shave two months off the schedule and $500,000 over their estimate for building the units onsite. BFC began the foundation work while the factory geared up its production line and got started. The first wing of 57 modules was placed in just 20 working days this winter.

Omni Building Systems of Redmond, Ore., will soon be providing panelized walls for a 42-unit, 51,000-square-foot apartment complex in Kent. Panel construction includes the basic wood framing of individual walls, minus the electrical and sheet rock. The panels are packaged in stacked bundles of 4-8 walls. Normal delivery is two days worth of panels at a time. Panels are set in place by crane for multi-story projects or by forklift for single-story buildings.

"Speed and cost savings are the biggest reasons for large scale developers and contractors to use our panels," said Kameron Delashmutt, chief executive officer of Omni. "We can save them 25 to 35 percent on the framing time. Panelizing is fast, gives them a clean job site, and there’s no material ‘walk away’ which saves on insurance."

Both modular and panelized units are engineered to withstand the most extreme wind and seismic conditions, meeting important safety concerns here in the Pacific Northwest. And both offer another, more intangible benefit to a project, according to Delashmutt.

"When subs perceive that the project is going to move quickly," Delashmutt said, "the entire project does move faster, right from the start."

Klimek agreed.

"Having a set date the first modular units were to arrive kept the pressure on in the early phases," he said.

The Washington Association of Building Officials has taken note of the upswing in modular and panelized technology. They are including a presentation on both as part of their spring meeting. Representatives of modular and panelized manufacturers from Washington, Oregon and Canada will speak.

The Quinault Nation is pleased with their decision to use modular construction techniques. The Quinault Beach Resort opens in June.