2009 Modular Building Awards
Every year the Modular Building Institute sponsors an awards program that recognizes the best projects in commercial modular building design and construction.
The ceremony to present the awards was held earlier this year during MBI’s annual convention and tradeshow in Las Vegas. Each entry was reviewed by a panel of industry and non-industry construction and code experts, architects and engineers, and marketing professionals.
A full list of awards and case studies are available at: www.modular.org/awards
Permanent less than 5,000 square feet
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First Place
Shoreline Elementary
Shoreline, Wash.
Size: 3,320 square feet
Company: Williams Scotsman
Affiliate: Whitley Manufacturing Co. Inc.
This modern modular design has a sleek exterior that combines a gable center section with tall single-slope roof sections on each side, pitching from the tall front side to the low side at the back. The unique site-finished front entry canopy is an extension of the factory roof but does not require site constructed footings for post supports. Structural bracing supports the angled back and attaches to the building, creating a very attractive entry. All eight sites utilize the same board and batten exterior with two paint schemes that allow the modular classrooms to blend in with the existing buildings.
Honorable Mention
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish School Classroom
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Size: 1,792 square feet
Company: Sommer’s Mobile Leasing
Affiliate: Manufactured Structures Corp.
The customer wanted to replace a dated auxiliary classroom with a structure that blended with the parish architectural surroundings. A fast-track construction process was also a requirement. A modular building was supplied with a factory hip roof and the ability to accept brick facing. Also, windows and doors were matched to the parish’s present buildings. The building needed to have five classrooms, an office and copy room within a limited footprint. Two modules were designed to maximize the available allotted courtyard space. The speed of modular construction allowed the school to increase enrollment on very short notice.
Permanent more than 10,000 square feet
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First Place
Millmont Elementary
Reading, Pa.
Size: 60,000 square feet
Company: NRB Inc.
This new 98,000-square-foot school combines elementary and magnet school programs and consists of 60,000 square feet of modular construction for classrooms, offices and media centers. It also has 38,000 square feet of site-built facilities housing the gym, cafeteria and mechanical spaces. The brick-and-concrete facade resembles a 1950s school and fits with surrounding architecture. Finishes include the original gargoyles salvaged from the old school.
Honorable Mention
Rio Salado College
Avondale, Ariz.
Size: 12,170 square feet
Company: Modular Technology Inc.
This design-build structure for an online college that offers classroom instruction, computer labs, a testing center and administrative support. The facility incorporates features of geography, landscape and surrounding architecture. Soaring front monoliths with dry-stacked stone accents frame the entry for architectural focus. Features include clerestory windows and carpeting, interior paint and fixtures that match the earth tones of the stacked stone.
Permanent 5,000 to 10,000 square feet
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First Place
Woodland School
Location: Lacey, Wash.
Size: 9,520 square feet
Company: Blazer Industries Inc.
Affiliate: Williams Scotsman
This eight-classroom addition with an internal double-loaded corridor and central restrooms was built to provide additional classroom space for an existing school going through an extensive remodeling and expansion process. The modular addition is sited off the end of a main corridor in the existing school and is connected with a covered walkway to provide shelter for the students as they walk between buildings. All of the finishes, both interior and exterior, were selected to match the finishes used in the renovation of the existing school building to tie all of the improvements together with a common theme.
Honorable Mention
Kapuskasing School Addition
Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada
Size: 5,236 square feet
Company: Provincial Partitions Ltd.
This facility will house approximately 125 teachers and students. The unit is attached to the existing school, allowing for unobstructed recreational areas. The design provides better protection against inclement weather because students are not exposed to the outdoors when accessing the main building. The building includes spacious rooms and corridors to allow for easy traffic flow throughout the building.
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Green Building
First Place
Charlottesville Waldorf School
Charlottesville, Va.
Size: 864 square feet
Company: M Space Holdings LLC
Affiliate: Miller Building Systems, Inc.
This building is equipped with large operable windows on three sides to allow natural ventilation when weather permits. When climate control is required, a high-efficiency heat pump delivers heating or cooling quietly through low-volume ducts and diffusers. Controls include a humidistat, occupancy sensor, motorized damper and two-stage compressor. Comfortable temperature and humidity are maintained with extra insulation, a moisture barrier and reflective roofing membrane. Recycled materials, including exterior siding, flooring and acoustical ceiling materials were used during construction. The building features dual glazed, Low-E glass windows and daylight harvesting with sun tunnels. The facility was sited to create minimal impact on surface water movement.
Temporary less than 5,000 square feet
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First Place
New Castle Classroom, Scott County School #2
Venna, Ind.
Size: 1,056 square feet
Company: Tyson Corp.
Affiliate: Manufactured Structures Corp.
This project consisted of one 24-foot x 44-foot modular elementary classroom building. The building was installed on concrete piers, with the threshold of the doors at 30 feet above grade. The design incorporates clean architectural lines. The beige siding, along with the brown shingles and trim on the 2:12-pitch roof, complement the tan brick elementary school building. The combination of a steel; commercial grade, 2-foot x 4-foot grid ceiling with lay-in acoustical tiles; and 26 ounce commercial-grade carpeting provides a good acoustic learning/teaching environment. Oak veneered plywood paneling creates additional aesthetic appeal.
Honorable Mention
Ehove Career Center
Milan, Ohio
Size: 1,904 square feet
Company: Innovative Modular Solutions Inc.
Affiliate: Whitley Manufacturing
This multi-county, vocational technical school was experiencing an increasing demand for its programs. The limited space resulted in a plan to install a modular building, utilizing the green space between the two permanent school buildings. This plan allowed all students to remain on campus and minimized their commute between buildings.
Temporary more than 10,000 square feet
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First Place
Montgomery Public Schools
Montgomery County, Ala.
Size: 45,000 square feet
Company: M Space Holdings LLC
Affiliate: Design Space Inc.
The Montgomery County School District was faced with several challenges. It had six schools in need of additional classroom and restroom space due to renovations and increased enrollment. Forty-four classroom buildings and three restroom buildings were manufactured and set up in 30 days to meet the immediate need of the school district. The units were designed to be portable to meet future space needs throughout the district. Type IIB clear-span construction was used for both building types.
Honorable Mention
Tarleton University Classrooms and Office
Killeen, Texas
Size: 13,320 square feet
Company: Nortex Modular Space
Affiliate: Amtex Corporation
This office and classroom building consists of 12 units that provide 13,320 square feet to serve 240 students and provide office space for 20 employees in private offices. The exterior finish is site-installed stucco with a mansard roof designed to match the adjacent existing school buildings. The ceiling height is 9 feet and all interior walls are insulated and installed full-height to the rafters to prevent sound transfer.
Temporary 5,000 to 10,000 square feet
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First Place
Full Service Schools of Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Fla.
Size: 3,456 square feet
Company: M Space Holdings LLC
Affiliate: Southeast Modular
The Full Service Schools of Jacksonville is a United Way-led collaborative approach to serve the therapeutic, health and social service needs of at-risk students and families in Duval County. The schools are set up to support neighborhoods and schools providing family and substance abuse counseling. Eight 12-foot x 36-foot modules created a building for a high school campus. A 36-foot x 96-foot building consists of 13 offices, restrooms and a reception area. Carpet and vinyl flooring is installed throughout the building, along with energy-efficient florescent lighting and suspended acoustical ceilings.
Honorable Mention
Saint Stephen’s Academy
Beaverton, Ore.
Size: 5,964 square feet
Company: Modern Building Systems Inc.
This building at the private K-12 Christian school, which features seven modules containing the school’s multi-occupant restrooms, is installed perpendicular to the other sections. The school is expecting to relocate to another site that allows for expansion in a few years when it has outgrown this building. The school’s intent is to relocate the modular building and place additional structures at that time. Modular, relocatable space was the only cost-efficient solution for the school that would meet its current and future needs.