In this issue of its bi-monthly Modular Advantage magazine, the Modular Building Institute (MBI) explores the bleeding edge of modular construction with articles and interviews from around the industry
ReMo Homes: Building futuristic homes for the present
What if your home could predict your mood when you got home based on how you shut your car door? Let’s say you’ve had a bad day and need to relax. You open your front door to find tranquil music playing and the smell of lavender in the air. Your home knows what food is in your fridge and what’s more, it knows what you like to eat when you’re in this mood and suggests that you make that meal.
What if your home had automatic temperature control and humidity monitoring? And we’re not talking about a Ring Doorbell – we’re talking about sensors inside the walls of your home that could also tell you the difference between the temperature inside and outside so you can verify your thermal insulation and double as sensors for a security system.
What if your home could notify you of an issue, like a leak, in your home before it became a problem? Or, what If your home could detect where you spend most of your time and adjust to accommodate your habits and maximize energy efficiencies? What if your home could improve your mental health and wellness with lighting that mimics daylight and features technology that can bring more in?
There’s a new home on the market that can do all of this and more, signaling that we have arrived in the future. ReMo Homes is not just building homes, but homes that aim to solve the biggest problems in the world today: climate change and affordable housing. Vamsi Kumar Kotla and Ryan Blowers co-founded ReMo Homes at the beginning of 2022.
Ingenious system assembles buildings with concrete superstructure in weeks
New technology being implemented by Andrew Neill Construction (ANC), a construction company in Canada, allows multi-story housing developments to be completed in weeks instead of months. Imagine housing developments being completed with only two weeks of on-site construction. With ANC’s Void Form System, it’s possible.
The ingenious system uses stackable modules to provide the forms for the concrete superstructure. The concrete is poured into the voids between the modules, and another layer of modules can be immediately stacked on top, without waiting for the concrete to cure.
The fully finished modules are built off-site while the overall project is being reviewed and approved for permits. In Canada, modular units of this type do not fall under standard building codes. Therefore, they can be constructed while the plans for the building are being reviewed.
Once permits are issued, the modular units are ready to be shipped and stacked. Here’s where the magic happens: After the units have been stacked, concrete is poured into the voids, creating a strong structural frame for the building. Additional module layers can be stacked on top of existing units before the concrete cures because of the structural steel elements in each unit.
This patent-pending system provides an opportunity for quick construction of concrete formed mid-rises and high-rises. Andrew Neill, the President and CEO of ANC, thinks the design could be useful for hurricane ravaged areas, earthquake-prone regions, as well as areas rocked by war, such as the Ukraine.
Affordable housing reimagined
Blokable was started by partners Aaron Holm and Nelson Del Rio, who both experienced housing insecurity when they were young. The pair came together to solve the problems of housing and housing development. The company brings together their collective experience with product and technology development, manufacturing, finance, and law, and sees product development and manufacturing as a way to drive down the cost of housing development.
Holm says their purpose is to “change development and the way housing is built.” They believe the real issue with housing, and affordable housing in particular, is the development model. “Construction is sort of an input into the development process, the real issue that needs to be addressed is development. If you take that perspective, it changes everything because it all serves the development process, not construction per se.”
Holm believes that driving down the cost of housing development is the “holy grail” for affordable housing. Blokable set out to prove this with their flagship development, Phoenix Rising, in Washington.
And much more!
The latest “Innovation Edition” of MBI’s Modular Advantage magazine contains these stories and many more. Don’t miss an issue! Subscribe at modular.org today.
