Preference for prefab.

• Author: Collins, Gloria
• Position: Arctic Camps and Equipment's prefabricated buildings are preferred by contractors for the harsh Alaskan climate

Preference For Prefab

Modules, panels and precut kits can make building a snap.

Imagine you're a foreman at a remote construction site in rural Alaska. You and your crew are trying to erect a building, but you're battling a wind that's gusting at 40 or 50 miles per hour. Compound that problem with the frustrations of a harsh climate and geographic distance, and you'll begin to understand why prefabricated buildings are advocated in Alaska's building industry.

Once viewed with disdain as ticky-tacky structures, prefab homes and buildings are now sought as practical alternatives to traditional construction. In many cases, Alaskan contractors can eliminate on-site construction by opting for ready-to-go modules, can reduce sky-high heating bills by specifying highly insulated prefab panels, or can fast-forward a tight construction schedule by ordering and assembling a bundled set of building panels.

We all know Rome wasn't built in a day, but according to Harry Purcell, owner and president of Arctic Camps and Equipment of Anchorage, a supplier of prefabricated structures, some panel homes can be built almost that quickly. Building contractors can choose from a variety of prefab options that meet standard building codes.

A familiar type of prefab is the packaged, do-it-yourself, precut building. Many log and cedar homes are made from such kits, which contain factory-cut materials packaged for specific designs.

Panel buildings offer a prefab alternative to conventional stud-frame construction. The large panels, commonly with built-in insulation, are used as exterior walls, roofs, and flooring. Panels may be purchased unfinished or with a range of interior and exterior finishes.

Contractors often use the prefabricated panels for selected building components, such as the roof or the walls, while using conventional construction methods on the rest of the building. Prefinished and insulated sandwich panels may be attached to the building's structural framework, usually a steel frame in commercial or industrial building projects.

Panel-component and other kinds of partially prefab buildings also are known as pre-engineered structures. According to Bob McCormack, operations manager of Western Alaska Contractors of Anchorage, the largest pre-engineered building in Alaska was erected at the remote Red Dog Mine near Kotzebue. The structure, which is 1,500 feet by 275 feet, serves as the mine's ore concentrate shed.

Yet another prefab type is the module. Modular units are completely finished and assembled before being transported to their sites. Sometimes individual...