NYC Turning To Modular Construction For New Affordable Housing Development

Photo credit: prefab
Modular Units Being Constructed.

New York City is banking modular construction will make building quicker and cheaper, and is testing out the plan on a new building in East New York.

The city is planning a 167-unit complex at 581 Grant Ave., and will use modular construction to build it, The Wall Street Journal reports.

“Doing modular is a really important, long-term strategy for the city,” now-former New York City Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen told the Journal. “We know it saves time, and as it scales up, it will start saving money.”

Developer Thorobird Cos. is partnering with nonprofit Bangladeshi American Community Development & Youth Services to develop the project. FullStack Modular will build the units at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Using modular construction is expected to cut down the construction time by up to 30%, according to the Journal.

It’s not the first time modular has been used in the city, though it is early days for the technology. The Forest City-developed 461 Dean St. is the tallest modular building in the country, reaching 32 stories. AC Hotel by Marriott at 842 Sixth Ave. is aiming to be the tallest modular hotel in the world.

FullStack Modular CEO Roger Krulak has previously told Bisnow his firm is co-developing 20 Beach St. in the Rockaways as a prefab building financed by the city's Department of Housing, Preservation and Development.

He said pushing forward with advancements in prefabricated construction is an efficient way to build housing.

“Labor is not keeping pace with demand,” he told Bisnow earlier this year. "Almost every construction project isn’t on time or on budget. All those things drive solutions."

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's New York Newsletters
Related Stories

How Long Island Projects Can Cut Through Red Tape And Community Opposition To Cross The Finish Line

Empire State Building Observation Deck Hemorrhaging Visitors, Value

Boca Raton's New Leaders Throwing 'All Kinds Of Curveballs' At Developers

Slate, Hudson Cos. Picked To Develop Massive Queens Housing Project

BXP's 343 Madison Lands $1.2B Loan, Nears Deal With Equity Partner

Mamdani Adds Millions To Program Helping Retailers Negotiate With Landlords

Canadian REIT Buys Brooklyn Medical Office For $90M: The N.Y. Deal Sheet

NYC Stops Construction On Another Office-To-Residential Conversion As Inspectors Descend On Job Sites

SL Green Cashing In On Surging Manhattan Office Market

Developers Build More Bedrooms As 99-Unit Projects Dominate

Mamdani Names Anthony Shorris CEO, Lina Khan Chair Of EDC

Landlords Sue Rental Board, Claiming 'Sham Process' Led To Rent Freeze