Are Modular Buildings The Future Of Sustainable Offices?

Sustainability is about the maximal use of existing resources, either by minimising the amount of polluting or non-renewable materials used in construction, by recycling waste materials and ensuring they avoid landfill, or by reusing existing buildings and materials for new purposes.

For many businesses, their biggest focus for the new year will be sustainability and how it can provide significant benefits not only to the environment as a whole but also to how the company does business.

This focus on sustainable business practices is more than a quick fix, but instead is a complete re-evaluation of the importance of place and presence for a company, with portable modular offices becoming increasingly vital touchstones to unite often geographically diverse employees.

As a business that understands the benefits of modular construction and the wider benefits of prefabrication, it is unsurprising that modular offices have become a key fixture of both temporary and permanent business locations.

They have been used in the past, are increasingly used in the present, and are quite possibly the future of sustainable businesses. Here are some of the reasons why.

What Are Modular Office Buildings?

A modular, prefabricated or portable office building is where an office building is pre-made in a factory to a specified standard before being transported to a particular assembly site, where it is quickly and efficiently put together.

Alternatively, a portable office can be transported preassembled directly wherever it is needed and be ready to use incredibly quickly.

They can be supplied with power sockets, lights, carpets, heating systems, washroom facilities and even canteens depending on the needs of your business.

Modular offices, as a concept, are not necessarily new; there have been kit houses and offices for centuries, with the early-to-mid 20th century seeing a revolution in prefabricated design that has only evolved further to this day.

The biggest difference with prefabricated buildings today as compared to those of the past is that, whilst the biggest benefit of past prefabs was the fact they were quick to construct and generally relatively cheap, modern examples provide all of the comforts and amenities you need and expect without compromise. 

Why Is Scalability So Important With Modular Offices?

As a cost-effective, efficient option to increase the amount of desk space and capacity for employees, available wherever and whenever you need it, modular offices have become vitally important for businesses that intend to gradually and sustainably upscale their operations.

A common issue for startups and small businesses that want to increase their capacity to meet the needs of the market is scaling up without either over-committing resources, causing your quality standards to slip or taking so long that you miss your window of opportunity.

Whilst the speed-quality-affordability triangle typically requires businesses to pick just two of the three, modular offices allow you to have it all, either as a permanent arrangement or to give you time whilst devising a more permanent solution.

With scalability important for both ecological and business sustainability, expect more portable and modular solutions to be deployed than ever before.

Why Are Modular Office Buildings Better Than Co-Working Spaces?

On the subject of start-ups and small businesses, modular offices are an ideal alternative to co-working spaces, particularly once a business expands beyond its very early inception and requires a more self-contained, private working environment.

Whilst co-working environments have their purposes, particularly when it comes to collaborations between small businesses in those nebulous early days, it is generally more cost-effective and better for the business overall to look for a more private office space.

If the only benefit that your small business receives from having a co-working space is the fact that it exists, it may be time to look into getting a building of your own.

This is especially true if your main base of operations is somewhat distant from your co-working space, as a modular building could potentially be located far closer to you and your employees, reducing the time wasted on travel.

Why Are Modular Office Buildings So Sustainable?

On principle, modular buildings are amongst the most sustainable offices available, without even factoring in the use of recyclable and sustainable materials as well as green sources of energy.

The principle of prefabrication is based around scale; building a bespoke office requires a lot of resources, labour and materials. As much of the latter is produced and mixed on-site, there is a need for some degree of waste to allow for tolerances and potential errors during construction.

By contrast, prefabrication allows for every single piece to be measured, cut, bored and drilled with particular levels of precision and efficiency.

This means that there is very little wasted resources or wasted energy, the modular building is much simpler to assemble than a conventional build, takes far less time than conventional building techniques and requires far fewer people to assemble, set up and get ready for use. 

Is A Headquarters Building Still Needed?

The ultimate question that many business owners will ask themselves in the new year, particularly if they are in a position to divest from their property portfolio, is whether they still require a headquarters of some kind going forward.

Ultimately, most businesses will require some type of base of operations, if only to serve as a data centre, meeting room for external clients and a place where jobs that cannot be done remotely, such as IT, shop floor and fleet maintenance, can be undertaken.

Exactly what this will look like will often depend on the specific needs of the business, and many startups have survived and even thrived whilst reliant on a combination of satellite hybrid offices and remote working.

The key benefit of modular office buildings is flexibility, both in terms of location and in terms of capacity. Modular offices can often be installed next to facilities that cannot be realistically moved, such as factories, and scaled to meet the needs of staff. 

When Should You Use Modular Office Buildings?

• If you need an affordable satellite office to unite employees.
• To add capacity when a business is rapidly scaling.
• As a more private alternative to co-working spaces.
• When you need a set of offices off the beaten track.