In this special edition of Modular Advantage, the Modular Building Institute interviewed over 20 member companies around the world to see how the industry has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic
From modular triage units and testing facilities to housing to PPE, MBI’s members have overcome challenges and delivered a wide range of solutions.
This issue details many of them, including:
- Field hospitals in Italy – In March, MBI member R.I. SpA in Lecce, Italy, won a tender with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency to manufacture fully-equipped field hospitals. Delivery had been planned for early 2021, with manufacturing to begin this summer. But, with the arrival of the pandemic, those plans were accelerated. “These field hospitals include interconnected containerised shelters, as well as tents,” says Giovanni Violante, Managing Director of R.I. SpA. “They have a triage area, first aid, X-ray and ultrasound laboratories, a surgical preparatory room, operation and hospitalisation areas, and a pharmacy.”
- Modular hospitals in France – Aiming to be in time for a second wave of Covid-19 patients, LECO will begin construction on two hospitals in October. They will be operational 6 weeks later. A challenge LECO has faced with building hospitals quickly is currently unreliable supply chains. “We designed the hospitals only with components that we know are in stock,” says Xavier Jaffray, the Chief Executive Officer of LECO.
- Fast-tracked modular housing in Canada – “The City of Toronto is proceeding with two supportive housing projects to help people who are currently homeless,” says Co-Chief Executive Officer of Horizon North Logistics, Rod Graham. “These projects were in the pipeline already, but Covid-19 has been the catalyst for finalising them. They will be on the ground at the end of September to mid-October.”
This issue of ‘Modular Advantage‘ also details the new research report from Canada’s CSA Group, ‘High-Rise Modular Construction: A review of the regulatory landscape and considerations for growth’.
Lastly, this issue includes a preview of MBI’s 2020 annual reports. These reports have become the leading source of information on the commercial modular construction industry.
