Modular Construction at UVa Means Faster, Safer, and Greener Buildings

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Updated: 3:49 PM Oct 14, 2009

A new building at the University of Virginia Medical Center is being assembled just as a child would create a tower of blocks. The process is called Modular Construction, and CBS19 got an up-close view of the process Monday afternoon.

Posted: 5:39 PM Oct 12, 2009
Reporter: Jennifer Black
Email Address: jennifer.black@newsplex.com

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October 12, 2009

Faster, safer, and greener are just a few of the words builders say describe Modular Construction. You can see it with your own eyes in the building going up right next to the Primary Care Center at the UVa. Medical Center sandwiched between Lee Street and Lane Road.

Modular buildings, like the one going up at UVa., will soon serve as offices for employees at the medical center. The units are built at factories off-site, and then they are transported to be set in place to being the next phases of construction. The Modular Building Institute says there are several key advantages to this type of construction.

"This project will be done probably 50 percent faster than if it were site build. The other big advantage is the environmental impact; it has a reduced environmental impact," said Tom Hardiman, of the Modular Building Institute.

Hardiman says one of the biggest ways modular building reduces environmental impact is by limiting construction waste, meaning less material will end up in local landfills.

Just how speedy is the process? Officials at the medical center say the entire building should be up by the end of the week. Employees are expected to be hard at work in those new offices come December of this year.

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