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For healthcare facility operators, their first consideration is to create and maintain a healthy indoor environment for patients. They also want to carefully manage operating costs as well as consider the impact of their facility on the natural environment. For healthcare facility operators planning a new hospital or an addition to an existing facility, permanent modular construction (PMC) is an option that offers considerable sustainability value and benefits over conventional construction.
Furthermore, with PMC, being green cannot only benefit the planet but can also reduce costs and create a better indoor environment for patients. PMC also provides a faster return on investment, which is healthy for an administrator’s budget.
PMC is a specialized construction method relying on fabrication of modular building components in a factory. The modules are subsequently assembled on-site to deliver a high-quality, sustainable building on an accelerated schedule. A typical building module includes several rooms and most of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP); fixtures and interior finishes are completed at the manufacturing site as well (including carpet, millwork, cabinetry, tile, trim, and paint).
PMC uses the same building materials as site-built projects, including light gauge steel framing, structural steel framing, and wood framing, as well as the same interior finish materials. The result is a final product that rivals site-built construction in durability, appearance, and lifespan and is indistinguishable from a traditionally built structure. PMC produces buildings, including multistory structures up to eight stories, with quality, constructability, and predictability.
All of the benefits of PMC, including the green advantages, derive from the prefabrication of the building modules in a safe, quality-controlled manufacturing environment using Lean manufacturing practices. For example, with PMC, there is less waste to clog landfills because most of the building process occurs in a factory where all stages of construction are planned and carefully structured, and it is easier to manage and control materials.
This leads to less construction waste and facilitates the recycling or repurposing of any excess materials. The building materials are also stored indoors so they aren’t damaged by exposure to the elements, a further cause of waste during conventional projects.
