World's Tallest Modular Building

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101 George Street

38-Storey & 44-Storey Residential Modular Buildings

Parties:

Client: Greystar Real Estate & Henderson Park
Contractors: Tide Construction
Architecture Firm: HTA Design

Overview

Construction is rolling in the Greater London Area to construct the world’s tallest modular buildings in the world. Currently, the world’s tallest modular building is located in Brooklyn, New York. Built in 2016, the building referred to as 461 Dean consists of 363 residential units and spans 32-storey. Once the buildings at 101 George St in Croydon, London is completed, it will replace the building in Brooklyn’s building. It will be at least 6-storey taller and feature roof gardens at the top of each tower, a podium-level sun lounge, panoramic viewing galleries, and fully equipped gyms. At of the time of this article, the construction of the structure’s skeleton has been completed and its module fittings have started.

For more information on the project, please visit the architect’s website at: http://www.hta.co.uk/projects/101-george-street

Modular construction

Modular construction is the process of fabricating components assembled in a factory and are transported onto a site entirely or mostly completed. This process is the exact opposite of the traditional method of construction as it limits the amount of labor on-site. Modular construction is known for its short duration and excellent quality as everything is built in a controlled environment. To put things into perspective, Troy Tomasik, Managing Director of Investment for the project at 101 George St stated that the project will be finished within two years and this short duration is in large part due to the use to modular construction. He had stated that if the project had used the traditional construction method, the duration of the project would have been extended to at least four years.

It is important to note that modular construction is not perfect and does have its fair share of disadvantages. Some of the disadvantages include:

  • Extended duration needed during the planning process to plan logistics and ensure the site is accessible for modules of different sizes

  • Traditional construction allows for design changes later on in the project, modular construction does not. Once designed is agreed and signed, the design is finalized.

  • Logistics and planning of individual module assembly will need rigorous planning