Sign In or Register Here


5 minus three

Please enter your e-mail address below. We will email you a link to reset your password.

5 plus four

To complete your registration, please verify your email address.

2 plus five

We have sent an email to the address you provided. Please click the link in the email to confirm your email address.

Your account has been marked for password reset. Please change your password.

5 minus zero

Only registered ICC members have access to this article at this time.

Explore all the benefits that ICC Membership has to offer and become a member today to gain access to this exciting content.

If you're already an ICC member Sign In Now.


Can We Help?
  • Reset My Password
  • I Need More Help
ICC Homepage
  • Family of Solutions
  • ICCSafe
  • myICC
  • Digital Codes
  • cdpACCESS
  • Store
  • Support
  • Journal
Skip to Main Content
  • ICC Main
  • myICC
  • BSJ
  • Journal
  • Store
  • Store
  • cdpACCESS
  • cdpACCESS
  • Digital Codes
  • Help
  • Help
    • Family of Solutions
    • ICCSafe
    • myICC
    • Digital Codes
    • cdpACCESS
    • Store
    • Support
    • Journal
Building Safety Journal Homepage Building Safety Journal Homepage
Building Safety Journal Homepage Building Safety Journal Homepage
  • Archive
    • April, 2022 Articles
    • March, 2022 Articles
    • Febuary, 2022 Articles
    • January, 2022 Articles
    • December, 2021 Articles
    • November, 2021 Articles
    • 2022 Articles
    • 2021 Articles
  • Browse by Category
    • Deep Dives
    • Member News
    • Personal Perspectives
    • Quick Hits
    • Technical Topics
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
    • View All
  • Browse by Topic
    • Buildings, Construction, Architecture/Design
    • Fire, Wildland-Urban Interface
    • Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Pools/Spas
    • Energy, Solar, Green, Sustainability
    • Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation, Resiliency
  • Subscribe
    • Family of Solutions
    • ICCSafe
    • myICC
    • Digital Codes
    • cdpACCESS
    • Store
    • Support
    • Journal

Join today!

Keep up-to-date on crucial industry news, innovative training and expert technical advice with a free subscription to the award-winning Building Safety Journal.

Subscribe
  • Archive
    • April, 2022 Articles
    • March, 2022 Articles
    • Febuary, 2022 Articles
    • January, 2022 Articles
    • December, 2021 Articles
    • November, 2021 Articles
    • 2022 Articles
    • 2021 Articles
  • Browse by Category
    • Deep Dives
    • Member News
    • Personal Perspectives
    • Quick Hits
    • Technical Topics
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
    • View All
  • Browse by Topic
    • Buildings, Construction, Architecture/Design
    • Fire, Wildland-Urban Interface
    • Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Pools/Spas
    • Energy, Solar, Green, Sustainability
    • Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation, Resiliency
  • Subscribe
  • Archive
    • April, 2022 Articles
    • March, 2022 Articles
    • Febuary, 2022 Articles
    • January, 2022 Articles
    • December, 2021 Articles
    • November, 2021 Articles
    • 2022 Articles
    • 2021 Articles
  • Browse by Category
    • Deep Dives
    • Member News
    • Personal Perspectives
    • Quick Hits
    • Technical Topics
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
    • View All
  • Browse by Topic
    • Buildings, Construction, Architecture/Design
    • Fire, Wildland-Urban Interface
    • Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Pools/Spas
    • Energy, Solar, Green, Sustainability
    • Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation, Resiliency
  • Subscribe

Shortages of construction materials fuel growth in modular homebuilding

June 9th, 2021
by Building Safety Journal staff
  • Quick Hits

Modular and prefabricated construction has gained popularity in recent years and construction materials shortages are further poised to elevate the sector.

Startups in the construction space have raised nearly $1.5 billion so far this year, more than the nearly $1.2 billion the sector raised in all of 2020. Companies focused on building materials specifically have raised more than $430 million this year. The main reason for these new ways of building is clear: There’s a very real housing shortage in the United States, and it’s only gotten worse since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, disrupting supply chains and impacting the construction industry as some projects were paused. To add to the problem, many homes in the U.S. were built 70-some years ago, and are due to be rebuilt for one reason or another. Additionally, there’s a shortage of skilled labor, with only so many people who are able to build homes the way they’ve traditionally been built.

That’s prompted a lot of new startups in the homebuilding space to spring up, including some that use alternative materials to build homes and others that use tech to streamline the building process. While they’ve been more in the spotlight recently as the construction industry has faced a materials shortage and the lumber shortage has received the most attention, there’s also been shortages in other areas such as copper and windows.

The price of construction commodities including lumber and gypsum are the latest pressure point on the industry, which has been trying to find new ways to increase productivity, decrease cost and increase sustainability. Lumber prices spiked at the beginning of the pandemic. Although those prices finally dipped somewhat last week, they’re still up 300 percent year over year, and a record number of builders reported material shortages last month.

Prefabricated home building involves manufacturing the parts of the structure offsite, while modular construction is a form of prefab construction involving the assembly of whole sections offsite and assembling them onsite. A person’s home is the largest, most expensive and most-used consumer product. There’s always been a bit of curiosity in alternative materials in the construction industry, but there’s been a renewed interest as people look at how technology can make the construction industry more efficient.

 

Source: Crunchbase News

About the Author
Building Safety Journal staff
The Building Safety Journal — the International Code Council’s award-winning online magazine — covers the latest building safety, fire prevention, sustainability, and resiliency news and events. It features technical articles relevant to current trends and hot topics within the industry.
Submissions
Check out upcoming BSJ topics and send us articles for consideration:
Or send by email

Want to advertise in the BSJ?
Click Here

Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

  • Cannabis Facilities
    Purchase Now
  • I-Code Essentials
    Purchase Now
  • Spanish I-Codes
    Purchase Now
  • 2021 I-Codes
    Purchase Now
  • Building Resilience General Code
  • Special Inspector Exam
ICC ICC
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe

Connect With Us

    

ICC Family of Solutions

  • Quick Links
    • Member resources
    • Discussions
    • Become a member
    • Get involved in code development
    • Get certified
    • Find a job
    • Careers at ICC
    • Get a code opinion
    • Get a plan review
    • Shop ICC
    • Privacy Policy
    • License Agreement
    • User Agreement
COPYRIGHT © 2022 INTERNATIONAL CODE COUNCIL, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • cdpACCESS
  • Live Chat
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
AJZH5eL3Jo3cdA6Ck9IgYQfwVsMr1ZiOUP7y9oZVFnY=.html