Worcester, MA Having recently completed state certification as a modular manufacturing facility, Integrity Modular Design and Construction (IM) is committed to taking on the challenges of providing cost-effective modular multifamily housing to New England and beyond.

Led by CEO Ron Bourque, AIA, IM’s mission is to provide modular turnkey design, manufacturing and construction services for projects from affordable accessory dwelling units to mixed-use rental and condominium apartment buildings.

IM’s 42,000 s/f manufacturing facility and two-acre storage yard which is located in Worcester, provides the necessary infrastructure to manufacture and store both modular and panelized projects.

Bourque said “We have struggled with the question of why this method of construction has been so difficult to implement in our area. We certainly have the talent and resources to integrate modular construction projects without sourcing from companies in Canada or the mid-west. I believe this is a multi-layered question, from the past perception of modular within the construction industry to the financing challenges and logistical implementation from the manufacturer to the field.”

IM addresses each of these challenges by educating their clients about the benefits of modular construction and partnering with lending agencies open to resolving this important bottleneck through speed to market and aligning with state and local funding sources.

As construction costs continue to rise, modular construction provides the efficiencies and cost controls not found in conventional construction. For example, work occurs in a climate-controlled environment that is not weather or climate dependent and materials are not impacted by long durations of exterior storage. Efficiencies also allow for a significant savings in construction waste which translates into a reduction in square foot costs for a project. Escalation costs are virtually eliminated due to the speed to market for a typical project, and carrying costs are greatly reduced due to schedule efficiencies allowing for sooner investor ROI.

While IM supervises the sitework and foundation installation, module manufacturing commences in a simultaneous fashion rather than the sequential method of conventional construction. This method significantly increases the speed to market and occupancy over traditional construction methods, providing associated cost savings to the project.

Bourque said, “It is ironic that one of the major hurdles we have found to modular funding is due to the speed at which we produce our units. In a traditional stick-built project, funding is released from the lending source as pre-determined milestones are reached in the construction of the project. The modular process is different. Our units begin production as the footings are being placed and are completed in the factory in matter of weeks and stored while waiting to be placed on the foundations. This results in funding for materials and construction to occur in an entirely different timeline than traditional stick-built construction, creating a regulatory conflict with the banks since there is no collateral to secure the loan until the units are physically attached to the foundation. We have been actively working with our lending partners and suppliers over the last year to develop the formula that allows us to overcome this issue and allow funding to occur in a hybrid fashion. A similar issue applies when financing affordable housing. The state has allocated significant budgetary resources to address the housing crisis, but until the funding is adjusted in a fashion that aligns with modular construction, it will continue to be difficult to fund modular projects with the current financing model. One of our goals in developing this company is to contribute to increasing the stock of affordable units. With the increase in material and labor costs and the labor challenges facing the construction industry now and, in the future, modular construction provides the speed to market, labor savings and material efficiencies that translate into reducing square foot costs while maintaining top level quality.”

As New England continues to struggle with the challenges of providing housing, Integrity Modular has risen to the challenge and stands ready to do its part.

For more information on IM’s capabilities, visit their website at www.integritymodular.com.