Category: Uncategorized

Modular (or prefabricated) construction is constantly seeking to meet the economic and functional demands of each sector. That is why it has managed to adapt to the temporary use of a building thanks to its structural versatility.

Permanent Modular Construction

Permanent Modular Construction (PMC) is an innovative and sustainable construction delivery method that uses off-site manufacturing techniques to prefabricate single or multi-story complete building solutions in deliverable module sections. PMC modules can be integrated into site-built projects or as a turnkey solution and can be delivered with installations, fixtures and interior finishes in less time, with less waste and greater quality control compared to projects using just the site built construction. Recent research has been done that supports the fact that modular construction is an efficient construction process and ready to help the growth of the construction industry.

“Off-site manufacturing of construction components provides more controlled conditions and allows for better quality and precision in component manufacturing.” – National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Research Council

Relocatable buildings

A Relocatable Building (RB) is a partially or fully assembled building that meets applicable codes or state regulations and is constructed in a building manufacturing facility using a modular construction process. Relocatable buildings are designed to be removed or reused multiple times and transported to different construction sites. They are used for schools, construction site offices, clinics, commercial spaces, and anywhere a relocatable building can meet a temporary space need. These buildings offer fast turnarounds, ease of relocation, project reconfiguration, accelerated depreciation schedules, and tremendous flexibility. Relocatable buildings are not permanently affixed to real property, but are installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s installation guidelines and local code requirements. These buildings are essential in cases where speed, temporary space and relocation capacity are necessary.

Modern and innovative modular construction technology combines “on-site” construction completion with efficient and precise “off-site” factory assembly line construction. When you consider the benefits, it makes sense:

Response speed
Budget certainty
Consistent quality
Reduced risk

While many aspects of the process are similar to site construction, modular technology provides substantially greater control over the project, as many traditional construction issues impact time and budget in one way or another.

Getting to market faster and doing it at a price that makes sense are two of the biggest frustrations in every construction project, and two of the biggest benefits of using modular technology. Gaining greater control over the quality of the project, the schedule and the final result. While the modular units for the project are being fabricated at the plant, site work and foundation construction are taking place simultaneously. Modifying traditional construction schedules that are substantially compressed.

Not only do you get a safe, high-quality building, but you can be sure that budget and schedule will be met as well.

Concrete is so integral to our communities because it is the only building material that is offered profitably. It is simply the most versatile building material in the world.

Here are more details:

The lowest carbon footprint
Concrete’s unparalleled durability, energy efficiency, and complete recyclability, combined with industry innovations such as low-carbon limestone cement, carbonated concrete, or concrete cured with CO2 instead of water, help make it the material of construction with less carbon over the life cycle of a structure or pavement.

Strong, durable and low maintenance
Concrete lasts decades longer than alternative building materials, and it actually gets stronger over time. This reduces the total cost of ownership, as well as the environmental impact associated with more frequent rehabilitation or reconstruction.

Elastic
Concrete will not burn, rust or rot. It is resistant to fire, wind, water, vibration and earthquakes, keeping people safer and reducing costs. In the wake of extreme weather events, concrete structures have proven to be the most resilient.

Energy efficiency
Concrete Buildings: Concrete’s ability to store energy (its thermal mass) helps moderate indoor temperature conditions, reducing a building’s heating and cooling use over its lifetime by up to 8%.
Concrete pavements are also energy efficient in several ways. Studies show that over a 50-year period, the primary embodied energy required to build, maintain, and rehabilitate concrete pavement is one-third that required for asphalt pavement. The rigid surface of concrete pavements helps reduce fuel consumption and related energy emissions by heavy trucks and other vehicles by up to 7%. And its light color helps reduce the heat island effect, which lowers cooling requirements, while reducing exterior lighting requirements at night by up to 24%.

No emissions
A completely inert substance when cured, concrete is literally emission free and will not emit any gases, toxic compounds or volatile organic compounds.

Versatile
While strong and functional when hardened, concrete’s plasticity when freshly mixed allows designers to adapt it to any shape, surface and texture imaginable. Innovations such as ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), photocatalytic concrete, and pervious concrete are also enabling new and creative uses, and new ways to address a host of sustainability challenges.

Ideal for adaptive reuse
Due to concrete’s strength, sound attenuation, and fire resistance, concrete buildings can be easily converted to other occupancy types during their lifetime. Reusing buildings in this way can help limit urban sprawl and further contributes to conserving our resources and preserving the environment.

Economic
Thanks to their durability, strength, low maintenance requirements, and energy efficiency, concrete structures reduce operating costs related to operational energy consumption, maintenance, and reconstruction after disasters.
Concrete pavements are also cost effective on a first cost and life cycle cost basis, requiring only one-third the maintenance that a comparable asphalt road would require over a 50-year lifespan.

100% recyclable
Concrete can be recycled as aggregate, for use as a sub-base material, for gabion walls, as ripstops for shoreline protection or in other applications, or as a granular material, thereby reducing the amount of material that goes into landfills. and Need for virgin materials in new construction.

Locally produced
Concrete is typically manufactured within 100 miles of the project site, using local resources. This greatly minimizes shipping and pollution and contributes significantly to the local economy.

More green

The factory-controlled process generates less waste, creates less site disturbance and allows for tighter construction.

Increased flexibility and reuse: Modular buildings can be disassembled and modules can be relocated or refurbished for a new use, reducing the demand for raw materials and minimizing the amount of energy spent to create a building that meets new needs.

Less Material Waste – When building in a factory, waste is eliminated by recycling materials, controlling inventory, and protecting building materials.

Improved Air Quality – Because the modular structure is substantially completed in a factory-controlled environment using dry materials, the potential for high levels of moisture trapped in new construction is eliminated.

Faster

Construction of modular buildings occurs simultaneously with site work, allowing projects to be completed in half the time of traditional construction.

Reduced Construction Hours:
Because construction of modular buildings can occur simultaneously with site and foundation work, projects can be completed 30% to 50% ahead of traditional construction.

Elimination of weather delays:
60 – 90% of construction is completed inside a factory, which mitigates the risk of weather delays. Buildings are occupied sooner, creating a quicker return on investment.

Built to code with quality materials:
Modular buildings are built to meet or exceed the same building codes and standards as site-built structures, and the same architect-specified materials used in conventionally constructed buildings are used in modular construction projects: wood, concrete and steel.

Smartest

Modular buildings are built with the
same materials and with the same building codes and architectural specifications as traditional construction. Once assembled, they are virtually indistinguishable from their site-built counterparts.

Safer Construction:
The indoor construction environment reduces accident risks and related responsibilities for workers.

Best Engineering and BIM Building:
PMC relies on advanced BIM for visualization to assess energy performance and identify the most cost-effective efficiency measures. PMC is ideal for the use of this technology where the construction process is already a collaboration of systems, materials and people, as well as the software itself.

Unlimited Design Opportunities:
The modular units can be designed to match the external aesthetics of any existing building and the modular units, once assembled, are virtually indistinguishable from their site-built counterparts.

The social infrastructure is made up of spaces dedicated to the creation, strengthening and sustainability of spaces for exchange and enrichment of communities, as meeting points for the different creators and cultural managers and places for coexistence and social inclusion. All this, based on the principle of effective decentralization and the generation and installation of local capacities, promoting the sustainability of artistic and cultural practices of the different communities.

It arises with the purpose of reducing the existing inequality in terms of cultural development, and to take advantage of or create spaces dedicated to art, culture and even promote the local economy.

Economic resources are allocated to finance cultural projects whose purpose is to rehabilitate, build, equip and provide cultural programming, spaces destined for artistic and cultural activities such as: houses of culture, cultural centers, artistic training and production centers, libraries, museums, historical archives, theaters, among others.

Within the purposes of the development and promotion of the social infrastructure, it manages to open spaces of opportunity to develop abilities and skills of children, youth and adults, through theater workshops, leisure, cultural and recreational activities, as well as the practice organization of the most popular sports disciplines in urban and rural communities.

The housing deficit in Latin America is equivalent to just over half of all current homes. However, the severity of the housing problem varies greatly within the region: between countries, within countries and within cities.

Latin American countries tend to have worse housing conditions than the rest of the continent, and living conditions are typically worse in rural areas. Also, the form of the housing problem varies from place to place. For example, levels of home ownership and availability of services vary considerably from city to city. Despite the serious problems facing the region, and despite the consensus that refugee conditions are generally deteriorating, there are some signs of hope. The home ownership rate has increased dramatically in most cities over the last four decades. An example of the progress made can be seen in Latin America and the Caribbean, the achievement of remarkable progress for millions to overcome the poverty line in the last decade. To a large extent, this decline in poverty was made possible by the economic growth that has flourished in the region.

– In Mexico, it is considered that 57.5% of inhabited dwellings have been produced or self-built.
– In terms of production, housing created by a community and with regional elements is 39% cheaper.
– Likewise, they generate 64% less CO2 emissions in the transfer of endemic materials.

The World Bank-GFDRR report “Investing in Urban Resilience” recommends that municipal governments promote local policies that foster resilience. For Latin America and the Caribbean, actions to transform urban risk into resilience is a big step towards building safer cities. The effort of the World Bank and other development partners to integrate disaster risk management in programs and projects to improve precarious neighborhoods that favor more affordable housing for all is also added. What has allowed the housing model to work, as imperfectly as it is, is a society that has adopted certain decent codes of behavior. These include a fairly honest and efficient civil service, a tax system that has fewer loopholes than most, a political system that maintains some degree of continuity both within and between administrations, and a reasonable system for identifying those living in poverty.

The greenhouse effect caused by the emission of gases, is a factor that significantly influences the climate change of the planet and thus the formation of “black holes” in the ozone layer that allow the passage of greater amount of ultraviolet rays (UV), causing problems in the body such as skin cancer and the damage of many materials that degrade by the effects of solar radiation and even more so, if we add chemical agents that cause corrosion in the materials.

The need to protect roofs and walls in industrial buildings, houses, garages, service yards, etc., has made it necessary to develop products of PVC and polycarbonates (PC) of second generation to withstand even the onslaughts of the nature like Hurricanes, hails and fire claims.

The products of “second generation” are called thus because their composition has been improved so that they are not affected by the ultraviolet rays (UV) providing an economic benefit thanks to their physical, mechanical and thermal properties.

They are designed to have a better thermal comfort and with this achieve electric energy savings by air conditioning, since these films do not absorb the solar rays, but what is done is that they reflect that heat in addition to assuring their resistance to the winds , Hurricanes and hails.

The advantage over traditional metal sheets is that, by very good coating or paint, ends rotting away, besides being very hot.

Compared to the fiberglass sheets, these are degraded by the action of UV rays, in less than a year they begin to yellow and surface the fiberglass as a sign that they already lost their properties, besides being highly flammable.
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It prevents thermal inversion, which means that in greenhouses there is always an internal temperature higher than that given outside.

The project was created via Verde with a main objective: “to convert from grey to green the city of Mexico” through the construction of vertical gardens in the columns along the peripheral. These more than 40.000 m2 Green have been a focus for countless videos in local and international media, where they emphasize the change in the priorities of the city.

There is a fear of some that with this kind of proambiental actions is limited the space in the city that is dedicated to automobiles. However, there are activist groups who argue that government support for Greenway indicates its willingness to double the car culture in a city suffocated by traffic and smog. Although some believe that the “greening” of the track is simply to make the possession of a car slightly “less culpable.”

“In Mexico City, almost all of our local pollution and mobility problems can be attributed to the excessive use of private cars,” says Sergio Andrade-Ochoa, public health coordinator for the NGO Pedestrian League. “We could simply plant trees, but there is a political fear of limiting the space in the city that is currently dedicated to cars.”

The idea of Greenway arose in 2016, when the architect Fernando Ortiz Monasterio, of the green Vertical firm, who initiated a petition through the portal of Change.org to evaluate public support. The petition described the project’s specific objectives, where it promises to: “produce enough oxygen for more than 25.000 residents, filter more than 27.000 tons of harmful gas each year, capture more than 5.000 kg of dust and process more than 10.000 kg of heavy metals “.

He also assured the project’s minimal impact: “Vertical garden technology does not jeopardize the structural integrity of a wall, while drip irrigation uses rainwater and other non-potable sources.” Actor Luis Gerardo Méndez helped spread the petition and quickly accumulated the 80.000 signatures needed to attract the attention of the Government. Greenway was approved.

“All these groups participated in this citizen proposal because it looked like something that would do well for Mexico City,” said the former head of the Government of Mexico City, Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa, in 2016. “Greenway could simultaneously change the appearance of the city and help meet today’s greatest commitment: the fight against climate change.”

As for financing, it was also based on public opinion. The organizers conducted a survey with several financing options: Government financing through taxes, citizen financing through donations to a public trust or private financing through corporations (with condition that 10% of the columns would be used for corporate advertising. The idea of private financing won, with almost 47% of the 2,440 votes. Subsequently, a group of corporations invested the 300 million pesos needed.

The green construction on the 1.038 columns of concrete began later in 2016 and, until now, the plants have prospered.

We must remember that improving air quality and combating climate change is not the same. While plants are crucial to combating climate change, using plants to mitigate air pollution through the phytoremediation process (converting carbon into oxygen) is somewhat more complex and the level of pollution every day requires Parallel actions in favor of this objective.

The ceilings of Hope Project, began on August 18 in the Community Altos de Las Torres, in the district of San Miguelito, Panama, to transform the life of 606 Panamanian families who for years have inhabited homes in precarious conditions, this sector being one of The most vulnerable in that community. In addition, this program has been a growing source of jobs for staff from the community itself.

Dignified housing for a better quality of life through actions of:

• Reconstruction: In homes that have ground floor, improvised walls and ceilings of wood and old zinc. They will be built a basic unit of 40.8 square meters, 2 bedrooms, dining room kitchen, toilet with septic tank (septic biodigestor).

• Repair: In houses that have ceilings in poor condition, unflattened walls, no internal divisions, ground floor. They will be repaired with zinc roof, flattened walls, divisions, paint and toilet with septic tank.

The improvements also contemplate the adaptations to the access roads to the sector such as sidewalks, streets and drainage. The beneficiaries were evaluated through a census that made the MIVIOT to families in areas of risk by landslide, flooding and some with possibility of relocation.

This social initiative is planned to be executed in 5 years, and with this one seeks to give a comprehensive housing response to 20000 families throughout Panama.

In Mexico 6 million of families with income less than 5 minimum wages are a potential market; The shortage of homes for low-income people represents a niche business.

The deficit of up to six million houses for the population of the so-called Pyramid base – made up of households with lower income than five minimum wages – has aroused the interest of housing developers who are betting on self-construction as Business model, they assured specialists.

The total deficit of Mexican households amounts to nine million families, of which three million can be served by government institutions such as the Institute of the National Housing Fund for Workers (INFONAVIT) or the Housing Fund of Institute of Security and Social services of state workers (Fovissste), while for the remaining six million have begun to create alternatives.

65% of the homes built in Mexico are the product of the work of the residents themselves, according to studies of organisms released this week in the country. According to private consultancy Softec, of the million units built in the country a year, only 350,000 correspond to construction works.

According to the consultancy, this fact makes that most of the residential constructions in Mexico do not comply with legal, territorial and technical requirements. Which opens up a series of legal and security risks for its residents.

To heal this problem, social organizations such as Habitat for Humanity provide advice to what is called in Mexico self-construction of homes, so as to reduce the dangers by a poorly built structure.

The self-construction averages at 62 square meters of built area, while construction firms specializing in housing produce units with an average of 39 square meters.

The manufacturer of cement Holcim says that the total of 33 million tons of cement sold per year in Mexico, between 10 and 11 million are destined to the construction works.