Plumbing and the Future of Modular Construction

Modular construction remains a booming trend across the contracting world. Modular design helps solve housing shortages, speeds up construction, and addresses rebuilding work after natural disasters. It also enables modern design thinking to ensure that modular dwellings are smart and stylish, and can come delivered with plumbing and electrics pre-installed to speed up occupancy. 

From designs based on shipping containers to HUF HAUS-style kit homes and poured concrete or 3D printing, the modular possibilities are booming. According to the Modular Building Institute’s 2024 Permanent Modular Construction Annual Report there are over 250 modular construction companies in North America, fast catching up with Europe and Asia. 

This depth of operations allows for various levels of subsystem complexity. That now includes “the design and/or method of assembly of modules for structural, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, and other systems affecting health and safety,” according to the report. 

Benefits of Modular Construction

The benefits of modular include:

• Speed of construction, measured in weeks not months

• Reduced risk of construction site accidents

• Fewer waste materials 

• A reduction in construction energy requirements 

• Reduced carbon footprint from heavy transport

• Improved affordability for buyers

• Less chance of snags across plumbing fixtures, and fit and finish in completed properties

The Growth of Modular Plumbing

In 2021, a Chinese firm erected a 10-story structure in 28 hours. In Canada, 3D-printed homes (video) take days not weeks to build. When not attempting speed records, a modular home can be built in three to five months compared to 7-8 months for typical homes. While much of the excitement around modular is the speed, there are other benefits.

WIth 3D printed buildings there’s a reduced need for labor, and lower risk of accidents. With any modular building, there are fewer moving parts to reduce the risk of damage—although if a modular part is dropped or a victim of human error, and put beyond repair, it will cost more to replace.

For practicality, modular homes or offices also speed up the installation of plumbing, electrics, hydronic systems and other features. The saving in time translates into cost savings. Plumbing contractors get a precise idea of costs and timing as most modular constructions are built to a tight set of templates and timelines.

And modular plumbing systems are increasingly designed with modular homes or business buildouts in mind to maintain the tempo of delivery. Using simple prefabricated components and fully integrated assemblies, modular plumbing systems deliver additional time and efficiency savings to a construction project. 

A Glowing Future

Beyond the construction phase, modular plumbing and modular hydronic heating/cooling systems continue to deliver benefits. Modular homes and properties will be more weatherproof with less risk of drafts and leaks, making them more effective in keeping warm or cool. 

Modular should not only be thought of in terms of low-cost and speedy housing developments. Darren Robertson, CEO of Darren Robertson Homes in North Virginia notes that “Modular housing is becoming a design choice for those looking for bespoke properties. From floor-to-ceiling glazing to cubic villas or gracefully curved architecture, there are many ways that modular homes can deliver on that creative spark.”

Around the world, modular buildings are taking over the skylines, most well ahead of their already bold schedules. Take the 220,000 sq ft Enclave: Acton where James Halstead, European CIO of developer BlackRock, said: “Reaching this milestone so rapidly underscores the programme benefits of volumetric construction.” In Canada, modular is viewed as one solution to the nation’s pressing housing shortage.

Among trends for modular in 2025 and beyond are:

• Great use of software to speed design and delivery and using AI to rapidly solve complex design problems. 

• Hybrid modular constructions that blend the best of modern and traditional approaches. 

• Modular design is expanding to meet the needs of the healthcare and education sectors.

• The value of modular will be recognized in areas like disaster reconstruction, with the California fires likely to prove a major example. 

• Increasing use of smart technology and plumbing in modular designs, using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to deliver convenient and efficient building management.

• Growth in the use of recycled materials as the base for modular homes. 

• Aiming vertical with increasingly competitive and fast-paced volumetric constructions. 

The Modular Construction "Space Race"

In the trillion-dollar construction industry, the old ways will continue to dominate. When it takes decades to get traditional and entrenched to change anything they don’t have to, and progress is slow. But, as the pace and volume of modular growth picks up, major and bespoke developers will view it as a competitive advantage, bringing along the army of trades needed to complete ambitious projects. 

By 2030 and beyond, modular building values and growth are expected at around the 8% mark in the UK and US. And as urgent green policies return to the agenda in the coming decades will help with net zero goals for the 2040s and beyond. 

With modular building lifespan estimated at between 50 and 100 years, there will be a need to refurbish or replace them at a faster pace than traditional building renewal. These programs will require new technologies, likely of the modular type, to keep them in service or to create new constructions, while recycling old materials as part of the process. 

Other future ideas include adding modular floors to traditional taller buildings, with advances in materials keeping the weight down while boosting occupancy in a cost-efficient manner. 

Finally, when it comes to building in orbit or on the moon and beyond, modular construction will be the way to go, with highly specialized plumbing solutions going up for the ride along with sizable 3D printing machines. All to deliver functional habitats for human colonists as we move from the planet into space, and based on experience and technologies tried and tested for modular buildings on Earth.