Modular construction doesn't need local manufacture

A trademark of Project FROG's energy efficient structures is an abundance of natural light.

 

Common knowledge dictates that the main advantages of modular construction is less waste associated with new construction and the ability to localize manufacture of components which reduces emissions associated with the transport of materials. But the fenestration that YKK is supplying Project FROG are all being made in Ontario, Canada by Erie Architectural Products.

 

Project FROG currently has projects in Connecticut, California and Hawaii.

 

I asked about the emissions associated with shipping products as heavy as glass windows--even ones in aluminum frames, as these are--thousands of miles across the continent and an ocean. 

 

First, Project FROG ships  building components that are panelized so they're not shipping "a lot of air," says Ash Notaney, vice president of supply chain for Project FROG. This means the company uses 25 percent of the trucks other modular companies do, he says. The company also performed "a detailed lifecycle analysis" on their designs which found that over a projected 50-year lifespan, 64 percent of emissions come from building performance and just 2 percent comes from shipping. "The tradeoff is that we want to invest in higher quality fenestration systems even if that means it has to be shipped," he says. 

 

Project FROG says its buildings are  built to perform 25 percent to 50 percent better than the requirements of California's Title 24 and that it is working on a net-zero energy building in Connecticut.