Fire impact on the structural safety of modular buildings

This research looks at how modular buildings (buildings made from factory-built “boxes” that are put together on-site) behave in a fire.

Scientists wanted to see:

• How long these buildings can survive in a fire,

• What parts of the building fail first,

• And what happens when fire spreads from one room to another.

They tested this using computer models and math simulations instead of burning a real full-size building (which would be way too expensive).

Key things they found

1. The strong columns help a lot 

The buildings use special columns called CFST columns (concrete-filled steel tubes).

• The steel tube on the outside heats up,

• But the concrete inside slows down the heat and keeps it strong.

• This makes the building more fire-resistant than normal steel columns.

2. Where the fire starts matters

• Corner fires are more dangerous because there are fewer other parts of the building to help carry the load.

• Lower floor fires are also worse because those floors are holding up all the weight above them.

Modular Advantage Magazine - September/October 2025

Every two months, Modular Advantage magazine takes a deep dive into a key topic in modular construction, offering interviews and expert perspectives, industry news, case studies, and updates from the Modular Building Institute and its members. This trade publication serves as an essential guide for professionals and anyone interested in the global market for commercial modular and relocatable buildings.

Highlighted features and insights include:

Homes as Essential Infrastructure – a look at government programs in Canada designed to deliver affordable housing quickly.

Building the Future, Offsite – an exploration of how the U.K. is advancing modular construction through public-private collaboration and innovative financing.

POJI and MOKO – examples from Stockholm where modular industrialization is shaping lively, mixed-use neighborhoods.

Boutique Modern – demonstrating efficient, cost-effective modular housing solutions in the U.K.

BoulderMOD – emphasizing workforce training and affordable housing initiatives in Colorado.

Guerdon – showcasing multi-project pipelines in Idaho as scalable modular strategies take shape.

Other articles tackle technical and strategic themes, from waterproofing solutions and accelerating multi-family construction timelines to developer communication strategies and New York City housing challenges.

https://www.modular.org/modular-advantage/

Modular Advantage Magazine - September/October 2025 Issue - Read Here

Sonde Transmitters for HDD: A Practical, Field-Tested Guide

Striking a live utility, wandering off the drill path, or burning hours chasing a weak signal are problems no crew wants. When maps are incomplete and GPS cannot see underground, the sonde inside your housing becomes the only trustworthy voice from the bore. It reports depth, pitch, roll (clock), temperature, and status so you can steer accurately, hold cover, and document the shot for as-builts and audits.

Casa da Mata - Sustainable Modular Home Made of Wooden Modules, Brazil

Floor Plans
About Kika Camasmie Arquitetura

Project	Casa da Mata
Architects	Kika Camasmie Arquitetura
Builder	MAN Marcenaria, Paraju Construtora
Interior Design	KikaCamasmie + Arq, Studio Sall
Area	32 m² (345 ft²) one module
Photography	Oka Fotografia
Location	Brazil
Year	2023

Sustainability at every step. This project was conceived with a focus on full-circle sustainability. The concept centers on prefabricated wooden modules built by local craftsmen, leveraging their skills and techniques to save both time and cost. By relying on a single material—wood—the construction remains clean, efficient, and quick to assemble, as each component arrives pre-made for easy on-site installation.

Drop Pod - Prefab Home by Inspiral Architecture and Design Studios, Indonesia

Nestled in the lush hills of West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, sits a structure that could be mistaken for a prop from a sci-fi blockbuster. The Drop Pod by Inspiral Architecture and Design Studios is anything but a conventional prefab box. With its sculpted curves and purposeful lines, this futuristic dwelling shows how form and function can work hand in hand. Completed in 2025, the Drop Pod takes on one of today’s biggest challenges: creating housing that can be built quickly, works in different environments, and stands up to harsh weather.

One of its most striking features is how it’s positioned. Elevated 60 centimeters on a riverstone base, the home appears to hover above the ground—a smart choice in flood-prone Indonesia. This raised platform not only shields the living space from water damage but also provides a shaded area beneath and allows the structure to sit comfortably on uneven terrain. It transforms a potential weakness into a key design advantage.

Integrated Modular Builders See Stronger Profits

A McKinsey & Company report finds that modular construction firms handling both manufacturing and on-site assembly achieve better profitability than those offering only one service.

By controlling the entire process—from factory production to installation—these integrated offsite construction companies gain greater oversight of quality, scheduling, and efficiency. Because their teams are trained across the full modular system, they can manage larger project scopes internally and rely less on subcontractors, which improves margins.

Profitability is especially strong in specialized sectors such as hospitality and healthcare facilities. Higher construction costs per square meter in these markets increase the benefits of factory-built methods, and competition is often less intense compared with residential construction.

At the same time, advances in technology and tailored solutions are helping modular construction scale up, delivering higher-quality projects and a broader range of building types. Emerging digital platforms also make it easier for companies to link customers with suppliers, while optimizing and customizing designs to suit specific sites.

Build Canada Homes - cost-efficient and modern methods of construction such as factory-built, modular, and mass timber

14.09.2025

Why create Build Canada Homes when other federal organizations exist to support housing?

What makes Build Canada Homes different is how it works:

• Unlocking multi-year pipelines of projects through the portfolio approach,
• Leveraging modern methods of construction such as factory-built housing, and
• Building on public lands to deliver more affordable homes faster.

By combining flexible financing, access to land, and development expertise under one roof, Build Canada Homes will make it simpler and faster to get big projects off the ground. Introducing early federal financing will decrease project risk and incentivize private investment.

Build Canada Homes will act as a one-stop-shop for proponents at every phase of the development process, working in close partnership with developers, investors, manufacturers, other orders of government and Indigenous partners to get housing financed and built.

What is considered affordable and deeply affordable for Build Canada Homes?

Build Canada Homes recognizes that housing should cost less than 30% of household's before-tax income and will seek to build homes at prices that reflect the realities of different regions across Canada and across the income spectrum.

Affordable Housing

Housing is considered affordable when it costs less than 30% of a household's before-tax income, based on the median household income in a given region.

This type of housing is aimed at middle-income households, such as essential workers (e.g., construction workers, care providers, teachers, nurses, etc.).

It reflects what people in the middle of the income spectrum can reasonably afford in their local area.

Deeply Affordable Housing

Housing is considered deeply affordable when it costs less than 30% of a household's before-tax income, based on the median income of low- or very-low-income households in a region.

This type of housing supports those with limited or fixed incomes, such as minimum wage earners, low-income seniors, or people receiving social assistance.

It ensures that even the most economically vulnerable can access safe and stable housing, including people experiencing homelessness through housing first approaches and supportive housing options.

Samsung Smart Modular Home: a New Generation of Living Spaces with Artificial Intelligence Support

At the international consumer electronics exhibition IFA 2025, Samsung Electronics presented the Smart Modular Home concept — an integrated solution for organizing a new format of living space using artificial intelligence technologies.

The concept combines AI functions, home appliances, energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, as well as centralized control through the SmartThings and SmartThings Pro platforms. All components operate within a single ecosystem, which provides a comprehensive approach to creating modern housing. The presentation of Smart Modular Home took place at IFA 2025. The company also announced plans to bring the solution to the global B2B market.

Berkshire House - 3 Bedrooms 2,227 sf Modular Home, West Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Floor Plans
About Resolution: 4 Architecture

Project	Berkshire House
Architects	Resolution: 4 Architecture
Manufacturer	Simplex Homes
Area	2,227 sf
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
Modules	6 modules, Butterfly Roof
Location	West Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Year	2007

Description by architects

Situated three hours north of New York City and two hours west of Boston, the Berkshire Mountains have long been a vacation destination for urban dwellers. This particular escape was designed for a Brooklyn couple and their teenage son for use primarily on the weekends throughout the year. Raised slightly above grade, the house sits in a natural clearing on the edge of a plateau, overlooking a steep drop formed by the Housatonic River.

Leaving the car behind, visitors enter the house up a gently sloping ramp, transitioning to a large outdoor covered space. Designed to accommodate a future screened porch, this entry threshold frames views of the woods, valley, and mountains beyond. The single-story main volume of the home, clad in cement board panels and glass, is placed perpendicularly to the two-story cedar volume. Similar to The Dwell Home, this 2,100-square-foot composition is also a variation of the Two-Bar Bridge in the L Series typology. Both have communal loftlike spaces that are wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glass, surrounded by trees, and flanked by decks. An upper bar of private spaces bridges over the large exterior space, forming a portal to the site.

Whereas The Dwell Home contains a carport under the bridge piece, the Berkshire House includes space for a future screened porch surrounding the house's main entrance. Similar to The Dwell Home though, this home responds to its climate and site with a roof deck, a butterfly roof to collect rainwater, and clerestory windows that face south in the Berkshire's northern climate to maximize solar heat gain. Utilizing the constant temperature of the earth, the Berkshire House is heated and cooled through the use of geothermal energy, increasing the sustainability factor beyond that of The Dwell Home.

Simplex Homes

Simplex Homes is a modern, technically advanced, nationally recognized leader in modular construction.

Simplex Homes management team is among the most experienced in the industry. Simplex Homes are among the largest modular industry employers in Pennsylvania but remain a family owned firm. Simplex Homes craftsmen are among the most skilled in prefabricated modular industry and many have been with the company almost since the founding of Simplex Homes over 5 decades ago.

Simplex Homes concentrates their efforts on building the highest possible quality modular structures. Simplex Homes build first homes and dream homes as well as architecturally significant homes and commercial buildings that range from dormitories to hotels, from professional office space to light industrial buildings.