October was a busy month in the world of residential modular construction. The residential offsite construction industry’s two largest associations held their annual events, and each of those associations celebrated the best in design for the offsite construction industry.
The Jerry Rouleau Awards for Excellence in Home Design, which are given by the National Association of Home Builders Building Systems Councils, are highlighted in this month’s issue of Offsite Builder. We are excited to share with you 11 entries from that design competition.
The Building Systems Council is made up of manufacturers and builders who utilize modular construction, panelized construction, prefabricated concrete construction, and log and timber construction. Many award entries also used hybrid construction, meaning several different methods were combined to assemble the final project at the site.
I would encourage you to take a few minutes to check out these examples of great homes produced by our industry.
This is the second year we have featured the Jerry Rouleau Awards as our cover story, and for good reason. The availability of beautiful systems-built homes is a message we are committed to spreading.
But while we are celebrating these homes as the best in offsite construction, really, they are beautiful homes regardless of the construction method used. When a homebuyer walks into any of the homes featured in this month’s awards issue, they won’t walk in and say, “This is a beautiful modular home,” they will just note that it is a beautiful home.
These award winners challenge the dated view held by many outside of the industry. As more and more architects and designers increase their knowledge of the discipline of offsite construction, their creativity will surge. BSC’s awards program aims to show what a creative designer can accomplish using this discipline.
The awards also recognize the constant evolution of building technology. Materials are being developed to make offsite construction more cost-effective than ever, while at the same time making modules and components easier to transport, and easier to finish on-site.
In fact, I would submit that the only reason to distinguish between offsite and site-built homes with a client/homebuyer is to describe what they can’t see — what’s behind the walls. That is where the true difference lies. Today’s offsite construction factories can design and build homes that are not only beautiful on the outside, but are also beautiful on the inside!
Many of today’s offsite-built homes are models of efficiency. Zero Energy Ready will be the standard building code before too long, with rising interest in reduced carbon/zero carbon homes. What better way to meet these code requirements than by designing these features into the home from the beginning and installing them in the factory? That approach would guarantee consistent results.
If you liked this article, you can follow Ken Semler on LinkedIn, where he offers daily insights and commentary about offsite construction.
