What Is the Evidence Behind Claims That Modular Is Superior to Stick-Built Systems?
Modular or prefabricated design is taking hold in many industries, including commercial HVAC. Facility managers have discovered the efficiency, risk mitigation, and reliability of modular products that are built off-site, shipped in sections, and quickly installed. These facility leaders find this approach preferable to stick-built solutions, which require on-site assembly and construction.
If your facility hasn’t yet experienced the benefits of ordering and installing modular products, including air-cleaning filtration systems, consider the evidence that shows the value of this approach.
Keep reading to understand three common claims about modular products and the insights that underscore these assertions, so you can make a decision about modular commercial HVAC products for your facility.
Modular Air Filtration Systems Shorten Your Installation Timeline
For projects with a reduced timeline, modular commercial HVAC systems can help keep the work on track. Modular products are built off-site prior to your determined installation timeline. The manufacturer may already have inventory that has been partially assembled to meet future demand. A modular product can then be shipped quickly and installed almost immediately. Facility managers prefer the peace of mind that comes with knowing the products they’ve commissioned are already in the works before they decide to order.
Stick-built installations require your facility to receive components at a designated construction location, where they are then assembled on-site by the manufacturer’s team or hired contractors. A manufacturer can’t build the product and quality-check its performance until it has been ordered and shipped and skilled labor is found for the job.
Area Development, a publication that reports on facility planning and management, explains that modular products can reduce bottlenecks, including:
- Finding skilled labor that is willing to travel to the installation site.
- Slow installation processes due to assembly errors, unforeseen events on-site, and a lack of resources for construction.
- Safety issues that can occur on worksites.
Modular Air Filtration Systems Are Quality-Checked At Their Manufacturing Facility
Modular air filtration systems and other cleanroom and commercial HVAC products are preferable to stick-built because the company that engineered them takes care of assembly, too. These manufacturers adhere to strict procedures, including quality control, during the assembly of their products.
When an AEC team instead receives a shipment of components that require assembly at or near the installation site, there isn’t a guarantee that the same caliber of skilled labor is available. Weather conditions and lack of suitable space can also affect assembly.
The AIA Contract Documents website touts the benefits of quality-checking at the original manufacturing site in these two articles:
- “When Is Modular Construction Best Employed On Projects?”: “The manufacturing plant where the modules are constructed often has space for prototyping, quality control, and the ability to integrate complex systems.”
- “Modular Construction For Contractors: The Benefits and the Risks”: “Modular components are fabricated in controlled, factory-like conditions, which can reduce some of the hazards associated with working outdoors.”
Modular Air Filtration Systems Reduce Construction Dust and Debris
When systems and products are built off-site and shipped in large sections, your facility reduces its exposure to one of the biggest hazards of construction: debris, dust, and waste. Facilities that prioritize clean air certainly don’t want their air-cleaning filtration systems causing indoor air quality problems. In another article on the AIA Contract Documents website, “Environmentally Sustainable Benefits of Offsite and Modular Construction,” the author explains that modular construction “reduces energy output, noise disruption, and air pollution to the site’s environment.”
Healthcare facilities, industrial manufacturers, data centers, pharmaceutical laboratories, and other critical environments can’t afford air pollution on their sites, as contamination is the biggest risk to their operations. When these facilities have the option to mitigate risk by limiting construction debris, modular construction is the logical choice.
Find the Ideal Modular Air Filtration System Manufacturer
If your facility requires a safer and faster installation process for products that are quality-checked prior to shipping, modular construction may be an impactful solution. However, the engineering and manufacturing team behind your modular products must also have the specialization and experience that makes this approach to installation worthwhile.
A commercial HVAC manufacturer that offers modular air-cleaning filtration systems and products should also be:
- Well-versed in modular manufacturing.
- Leaders in the air filtration market.
- Experienced at serving a variety of industries.
Modular construction can ensure your project is up and running safely, effectively, and on an expedited timeline. Add this initiative to your list of strategies for meeting your facility’s goals.