High-Quality, Time-Saving Modularized Construction

While on-site work was proceeding at an intense pace at the University of Michigan Munger Residences project site, 10 miles away construction crews toiled inside a workshop assembling bathrooms that would soon be installed in the eight-story structure.

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A modular unit prepared for the University of Michigan’s Munger Graduate Residences.

How We Did It

  • Subcontractors actively worked at Walbridge’s modularization plant to construct 730 modular bathrooms – the new standard of excellence for the use of modularization on a single commercial construction project in the United States, according to the Modular Building Institute.
  • With tradespeople working inside this controlled environment, materials arrived pre-measured and cut to order, everything was stacked in designated areas in the plant, and waste was reduced.
  • The high-quality units were brought in on a specific timeframe, spaced between other deliveries.
  • Already in place along ceilings were modularized racks with pipes for plumbing and electricity. They meshed easily with the bathroom units.

The cost-effective, high-quality and efficient construction method yielded great results and praise from users.

Usable applications of modularization extend far beyond higher education. Other markets include healthcare, research and office buildings, hospitality and many other applications through the utilization of off-site construction of MEP racks.

Walbridge’s experience in modularization is hard to top.

As trail-blazers in the field, Walbridge built 120 bathroom units off-site in 2012-13 for the Lawyers Club at the University of Michigan.

Since then, our team has continued to lead the way in off-site manufacturing for projects in a wide range of industries.

It’s no easy task to navigate these sizeable bathroom units in such close quarters. But by utilizing Building Information Modeling to scout and select the best pathway to transport the units to their locations, Walbridge teams can thread the needle and deliver them through tight spaces, including some with less than an inch of ceiling clearance.

Modular Construction

We built 730 full-sized bathrooms at a factory located 10 miles away from the project site. How did we get them there? How did they get into the building? Was it magic? Find out.

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