The power of prefab production.

• Author: Berger, Michael
• Position: Prefabricated construction industry

For Alaska contractors up against time and weather deadlines, prefab construction techniques may be the wave of the future.

Ranging from portable and modular bridges to relocatable classrooms and ready-made homes, today's prefab structures are designed to meet the challenges common to the Last Frontier. Manufacturers understand that for their buildings to function in Alaska, their structural elements must meet strict construction codes in order to provide quality and structural integrity.

One the residential scale, growth in the prefab home industry has remained stagnate in the last few years, says Sam Halterman, technical director of the Alaska Craftsman Home Program Inc.

"The problem with this type of construction is the high price," says Halterman. "Because there are no facilities (in Alaska) to manufacture the necessary plywood, everything has to be shipped up from elsewhere. The prefab companies that already exist in Alaska are small and do not produce enough to meet the demand for construction."

In contrast, the prefab's commercial sector growth in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau has allowed manufacturers to sell their products to large corporations new to the Alaska market.

Urethane Contractors Supply and Consulting's Dan Helton, who has been involved with the building industry for 24 years, claims that judging by the increase of urethane insulation sales, commercial prefab building is increasing dramatically and will eventually dominate the market.

Prefab construction gives contractors a method to augment existing facilities erected during the state's late 1970s population expansion. Instead of building new structures from scratch, prefab buildings are used to add extra square footage to schools, warehouses and private homes.

Contractors have also used precut, modular and panel-component prefab systems for rural housing, Denali National Park hotels and temporary industrial shelters. And new uses are being found all the time.

Residential Restructuring

Long before modern construction companies came to Alaska, Inupiat Eskimos built energy-conserving houses out of driftwood and whalebones covered with sod. The sold houses gave protections from the wind and cold while allowing the occupants freedom to regulate ventilation and room to cook inside. A skylight made of walrus or seal stomach faced south to let in sunlight and provide natural warmth.

Today, prefab housing manufacturing companies strive to blend this type of practicality with...