Kim-Mai Cutler@kimmaicutler
Why has modular construction failed in the United States?
"Sweden has used prefabrication to deliver mid- and high-rise housing at competitive cost and high quality for decades, and the explanation has nothing to do with engineering. Sweden has a standardized national building code and, more consequentially, a Public Housing authority that has committed to enough repeat volume to give factories a reason to invest, improve, and stay in business."
"In our experience, the building code is as much to blame as land use policy. The U.S. has delegated code development to more than 20,000 local jurisdictions, each with its own byzantine requirements, making it nearly impossible to develop a standard product that can be sold at scale across state lines."