Whether you need office space in a remote location with limited access to building materials and skilled laborers, or you are right in the middle of a large metropolitan area, a prefabricated office building provides high-quality results in half the time at a fraction of the cost of a site-built building.

What Is Prefabricated?

The terms used to describe modular buildings can be confusing, and most people don’t understand the advantages of these prefabricated buildings.

1. A modular building is “prefabricated” in a factory in sections and then transported to the construction site on flat-bed trucks to be placed on a foundation and assembled into a whole building.

2. Modular buildings are designed for permanent placement but can be disassembled, relocated and reassembled over and over again in new locations while maintaining the same structural integrity as new buildings.

3. Prefabricated buildings must adhere to state and federal building codes and undergo regular inspections, just like any site-built building.

4. Prefab buildings are at least as safe as their site-built counterparts.  Factory fabrication enables the manufacturer to use superior quality building materials, and the modules are built in a controlled environment and undergo factory-quality inspections.

5. Delivery via the highway to the building site exposes prefabricated modules to high winds and vibrations, which means they need to be extremely structurally sound.

6. When a building is constructed on site, it’s exposed to the elements during construction, and the materials used to build it are also stored outside. This exposes the building to moisture from rain and snow, and may cause construction delays due to poor weather. With their components built and stored indoors, modular buildings don’t face these issues.

7. Today’s prefab buildings are as easily customizable as site-built buildings. While most manufacturers have a portfolio of plans to choose from, computer-assisted design (CAD) allows an unlimited amount of customization when planning your new modular office.

8. Modular buildings exceed most energy-code requirements and can satisfy your environmental requirements. Theyare LEED-certified, fire-resistant and mold-resistant. And factory construction reduces waste, noise, pollution, dust, and construction-related traffic on the construction site and significantly reduces overall construction time.

9. Factory construction decreases the fabrication time. Once the modules are completed and transported to the building site, the structure takes just one or two days to assemble on site.

10. Modular construction costs about 10 percent to 15 percent less than stick-built construction. Base prices typically start at $150 to $200 per square foot, plus the cost of planning, delivery, assembly and utility connection. Modular builders such as Modular Genius, which provides services across the nation, deliver high-quality modular projects to fit a wide variety of budgets.

An example of an innovative relocatable office building is the Christina Lake Office in Alberta, Canada, which earned a first place Award of Distinction in 2014 from the Modular Building Institute. The high-end building is three stories tall and features a unique flat deck overhang roofing system which incorporates a storm water collection system.

Prefabricated office buildings are designed to meet the needs of virtually any public or private industry or use – commercial, industrial, institutional, healthcare, hospitality, assembly, government, and more. They can be simple or elaborate, and can be designed with exterior finishes such as wood, brick, stucco and siding, and even custom architectural features.

Modular buildings are fabricated in a factory in sections and then transported to the construction site on flat-bed trucks, placed on a foundation and assembled into a whole building. There are modular portable offices for sale that will solve your growing space needs.

Portable modular offices are useful for a wide variety of applications, such as real estate offices, law offices, church and school administrative offices, customer service offices, bank branches, medical/dental offices, rehab centers and more.

Nearly any custom design can be achieved – from single-story buildings to contemporary multi-story modular building office complexes. Permanent and mobile buildings can be adapted to complement surrounding structures, with exterior finishes such as brick, stucco, siding and other architectural surfaces. Once assembled, a prefab office building is virtually indistinguishable from a stick-built office building.

Here are five winning modular projects that caught our eye:

The Barrie School in Silver Spring, MD – Modular Genius won the first place Award of Distinction from the Modular Building Institute in 2014 for this beautiful LEED-qualified project which features tall ceilings, movable walls and plenty of windows. It was also the judges’ highest scoring entry. The buildings were constructed on a highly accelerated time schedule. Built from many reclaimed materials, 20% of the building materials contain recycled post consumer products, 2.5% of the project cost utilized rapidly renewable materials and 50% of the project cost used FSC Certified Wood. It maximized the use of the existing building footprint, minimized ground disturbance, and was completed in 121 days.

Atlantic Power Office in Squamish, B.C. – Another first place Award of Distinction in 2014 in the Permanent Office Under 10,000 SF category went to the innovative Atlantic Power Office. It was designed as an addition to an existing power plant at a hydroelectric power-generating station. Architectural features reflect the surrounding mountain region and natural surroundings. Special challenges at the construction site included access from a logging road, overhead power lines and a critical lift requiring custom engineering. The building was designed and constructed to fit onto a site-built steel support structure and meet stringent seismic requirements.

Tsuu T’ina Child and Family Services Office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada – This unusual project won an honorable mention from the Modular Building Institute for a modular facility of 11 offices, boardroom, sky lit corridor, kitchen and service rooms that highlight the traditional cultural elements of the First Nation who commissioned this project. The low slope of the roof made construction more complex. About three months of construction time was saved by utilizing modular construction, allowing the customer to meet the needs of its community sooner.

Frelinghuysen Middle School in Morris Township, NJ – In the Relocatable Office category, Modular Genius won first place for two modular buildings at Frelinghuysen Middle School that are joined together by a structural steel decking system. The complex consists of eight offices, two conference rooms, reception and waiting areas, work rooms, storage rooms, and restrooms. Electric, water, sewer, gas and foundations were constructed while the building was manufactured offsite. The construction site was a small parcel of grass at the corner of the ball fields which was transformed in less than 60 business days.

Christina Lake Office in Christina Lake, Alberta, Canada – This three-story high-end office complex provides executive style offices and architecturally enhanced features with the cost effectiveness and advantages of modular construction. The construction site for the Christina Lake Office was in a remote location with limited access to material suppliers and sub trades within a four hour drive. The modular method of construction provided the owner with great results in less than half the time, and with significant savings.

If your budget won’t permit you to build a new structure, whether stick-built or modular, don’t overlook the portable offices for sale nationwide. They come in a wide variety of dimensions and innovative designs, and are priced for substantial savings.

A portable construction office is the ideal solution when your company needs office space that can be easily moved to a new location once it’s no longer needed. They are appropriate for virtually any public or private industry or use and are suitable for many purposes, including:

• Field sales offices
• Hiring and training offices
• Construction jobsite offices
• Field labs
• Portable crew cabins
• Security guard booths
• Truck scale houses
• Equipment shelters
• First aid stations
• Portable restrooms
• Portable canteens and kitchens

Portable modular buildings can meet the needs of virtually any public or private industry or use – commercial, industrial, institutional, healthcare, hospitality, assembly, government, and so on.

They can be simple or elaborate, climate-controlled and/or handicapped accessible. They can have single or multiple rooms and are available with and without restrooms. If you need the structure to blend in with the surrounding environment, portable offices can be designed with exterior finishes such as wood, brick, stucco and siding, and even custom architectural features.

Portable Building Advantages

One of the best features of portable buildings is speed. They provide a fast solution at a fraction of the cost of traditional construction. They are built off-site in a quality-controlled manufacturing facility and installed at your location 40% faster than constructing stick-built buildings.

Another huge benefit is the low cost. While cost is affected by building site limitations and the intended use of the structure, base prices typically start at $150 to $200 per square foot, plus the cost of planning, delivery, assembly and utility connection. Modular builders such as Modular Genius, which provides services across the nation, deliver high-quality modular projects to fit a wide variety of budgets.

Once completed to your specifications, the modular building is delivered in sections, traveling over the road from the production plant to the site in 1-2 days of travel. They are positioned onto a foundation with a crane or truck, and sections are seamed together. Telecommunications and utilities are connected, furniture, OSHA stairs, landscaping and signage are installed, and your team is ready to work in minutes.

Portable construction office cabins are eco-friendly, durable, high-quality, low maintenance, and are built to the same state, local or regional building codes as site-built structures. They are LEED-certified, fire-resistant and mold-resistant. Energy-conscious customers can opt for enhancements that include triple-glazed windows, energy-efficient utilities, eco-friendly insulation, and no-VOC or low-VOC interior wall and floor treatments.

Innovation

You may be pleasantly surprised at the innovative ways that modular construction can solve a wide range of residential, commercial and industrial needs, both temporary and permanent. The integration of 3D and 4D design software, modern state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies, and mechanized quality control make it possible.

One such example of an innovative relocatable office building is the Christina Lake Office in Alberta, Canada, which earned a first place Award of Distinction in 2014 from the Modular Building Institute. The high-end relocatable office building is three stories tall and features a unique flat deck overhang roofing system which incorporates a storm water collection system.

If you don’t have enough in your budget to build what you want in the conventional way, don’t overlook a portable construction office. It can be designed in a wide variety of dimensions, square footage of under 1,000 square feet to more than 20,000 square feet, is ready to roll to a new location at any time, and is priced for substantial savings.