Making the most out of modulars

Modular construction is quickly gaining traction on Vancouver Island — but what is it and why is it so popular?

Modular construction, according to modular.org, is a “process in which a building is constructed off-site, under controlled plant conditions, using the same materials and designing to the same codes and standards as conventionally built facilities — but in about half the time.” Buildings are “produced in ‘modules’ that, when put together on site, reflect the identical design intent and specifications of the most sophisticated site-built facility.”

Muchalat Group of Companies, located in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, offers construction management services for commercial and multi-family residential construction, as well as suspended slab application, seismic upgrades, and building envelope remediation. While they’re reputable on many fronts, they’re widely known for their Modular Factory, which is where we’re told the magic really happens.

The Factory, located at 2956 Ulverston Avenue in Cumberland, is where Muchalat’s modular units are constructed, painted, tiled and finished. According to Tania Formosa, co-owner of Muchalat, the Factory is a one-acre building with three bays in which modular units are constructed for various projects across the Island. Once complete, they simply need to be attached and installed to the foundation and utilities on site.

“Because we build them to transport, they can withstand movement and are very structurally sound,” says Formosa.

Once the modular units are installed, it is hard to tell that they are, in fact, modulars because they make seamless transitions into their environments, she adds.

“Our modulars are made of wood-frame construction. The exteriors can be a hardy plank or hard metal siding. It can be made of anything, but we design them so that it doesn’t look like we put it on a site and slapped it together — because we didn’t,” says Formosa.

She adds that modulars are just as good as, if not better than, traditional builds in terms of durability and process.

“Everything is built in a dry environment, which works well in our area because we live in a rainforest,” Formosa says. “Our materials never get wet so we can move forward without being delayed due to weather restrictions.”

Another reason why modular construction is being touted as an effective modern-day building method is the shorter project schedules due to the work occurring in one location — supported by the lack of weather-related delays. This also allows for less traffic disruption.

“Because we build them to transport, they can withstand movement and are very structurally sound,” says Formosa.

“Our materials never get wet so we can move forward without being delayed due to weather restrictions.”

“It eliminates a lot of the pressure on local roads. We have less people on site for a shorter duration, so we’re not interrupting the roads as much,” Formosa says. “As a result, there’s less driving around, which is more environmentally friendly.”

One of Muchalat’s recent projects, the Port Alberni Shelter, was built using modular construction methods. The shelter is a 29,500-square-foot, wood-frame construction facility with 30 supportive housing units and 20 shelter spaces. It stands three stories tall on the former site of the West Coast General Hospital. Our Home on 8th, as it is known, officially opened its doors on March 1, 2019.

Formosa says the shelter will include men’s, women’s and gender-neutral sleeping units.

“They have a commercial kitchen, dining room, multipurpose rooms and a lounge space downstairs,” Formosa adds. “There are also administration office spaces, medical treatment rooms and counselling rooms.”

The $7.4-million modular project was provincially funded and will support those in the surrounding area experiencing homelessness. The Vancouver Island Health Authority owns the land and has leased the site to BC Housing to support the supportive housing initiative, which is much-needed according to numbers released in a province-wide homeless count.

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