Work Away from Work: Modular buildings suppliers put roofs over remote sites.

• Date: 01 August 2022
• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Published date: 01 August 2022
• Author: Orr, Vanessa

Construction season in Alaska is short, and many sites--such as oilfields and logging camps-are extremely remote. Shipping in the materials needed to build traditional offices, workforce accommodations, repair facilities, and even military installations can be expensive and time consuming, causing delays in the construction process.

For this reason, many industries turn to modular facilities. These types of buildings are prefabricated using the same materials and designed to the same codes as conventionally built facilities. They can be shipped anywhere they are needed and assembled on-site.

"The durability, ease of setup, and the ability to quickly relocate our modular buildings has made them the perfect solution for many industries operating in cold and hot climates around the world," explains Carolyn Bishop, director of commercial programs at Alaska Structures, whose engineered fabric buildings were the first of their kind to be used by oil and gas companies operating on the North Slope. "Modular buildings can be used for any purpose for which you would use a typical building."

Saving Time and Money

Modular building construction can describe any number of prefabricated building systems, which can include metal buildings, container buildings, fabric buildings, concrete buildings, panelized wood buildings, and jobsite trailers.

According to the Modular Building institute, because construction can occur simultaneously with site and foundation work, projects can be completed 30 to 50 percent sooner than with traditional construction. This type of construction also mitigates the risk of weather delays, as 60 to 90 percent of construction is completed inside a factory. Because buildings can be occupied sooner, they also create a faster return on investment.

"Traditional construction in Alaska does offer a number of unique challenges-especially finding the right kind of labor, at the right place, at the right time. Because the building season is super short, you can have a crew on-site, but, once the snow starts falling, it's not cost-effective," says Michael Repasky, president of Summit Logistics in Fairbanks. "I can build year-round, finish a project in winter, and ship it out when the snow is gone. From a cost standpoint in rural areas, modular buildings are often more cost-effective."

Modular construction also removes approximately 80 percent of the building construction activity from the site location, reducing disruption and construction traffic and improving overall safety and security. This can be especially important in the education and healthcare industries, where on-site activity needs to be minimized.

Depending on the complexity of a project, buildings can be completed in months--or even faster.

"We work with our clients on designing what they...