Don't be afraid of modular buildings

The company KOMA MODULAR CONSTRUCTION s.r.o. has announced the 4th edition of an architectural competition for students of architecture and construction in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In this year's edition, the company responds to the needs for low-cost small starter apartments. Currently, there is a shortage of small apartments on the market, and the construction of apartment buildings from spatial modules is a solution to meet the housing needs of young families or for lonely seniors. Buildings made from spatial modules offer benefits for investors mainly due to the fact that construction is up to 4 times faster compared to standard methods, the price is approximately 30% more advantageous than a similarly built standard house, and an irreplaceable advantage is that buildings made from spatial modules can be disassembled and rebuilt in a new location. For this reason, construction can also take place on plots that anticipate a different than residential use in the future, or a building can be sold to another investor without being tied to the land or can be sold off in individual modules after the need for it has ended. Modules can be added or removed as needed without disrupting operations.

The previous three editions of the architectural competition have demonstrated that construction from spatial modules appeals to young architects. The current rapid times are characterized by speed and changes, where nothing can be taken as permanent. This characteristic is precisely suited to construction from spatial modules. Young architects quickly realized that this system, with its purposeful perfection, can approach aesthetic perfection. In past editions, designs that highlighted their content through the homogeneity of their shell primarily won. Attempts to cover spatial modules with various types of cladding so that the appearance of the building was the same as buildings constructed using standard methods were not successful with the jury.

Spatial modules are manufactured similarly to automobiles on a production line. The supporting frame consists of a structure made of galvanized sheet metal, and the spatial module is gradually equipped with flooring, ceilings, walls, openings, electrical installations, sanitary equipment, and final surface finishes. 90% of the activity is carried out in a production hall, under a constant climate, and under permanent quality supervision. The remaining 10% of the construction is done on-site, where individual spatial modules are assembled on prepared foundations into the final form of the entire building by means of quick assembly.

Last year, spatial modular construction celebrated fifty years since its inception, when the first house made from spatial modules was built in the USA according to building standards. Modular construction guarantees compliance with all hygiene, thermal, fire, and structural requirements. With its thermal insulation properties, modular construction even surpasses conventional construction. The walls of spatial modules are composed of sandwich constructions, which have found application in passive house construction. KOMA MODULAR CONSTRUCTION also has a low-energy module in its production program, typified as M3. Through the development of this low-energy module, the company has combined the advantages of transportable buildings and low-energy constructions.


Key competition dates

• Announcement of the competition – November 16, 2009
• Opportunity to submit questions (via email) - until February 15, 2010
• Responses to the questions by the jury or appointed jury members (questions and answers will be posted on www.koma-modular-construction.cz) - until February 30, 2010
• Submission of competition entries - until March 15, 2010
• Jury evaluation meeting - until March 30, 2010
• Announcement of results - until April 1, 2010
• Ceremonial award presentation for the winners during the 15th International Building Fair IBF in Brno from April 13 to April 17, 2010

Prizes

• 1st prize – CZK 30,000
• 2nd prize – CZK 20,000
• 3rd prize – CZK 10,000