Built to last: Rethinking sustainability through steel and modular construction

The most sustainable building might be the one you never replace.

Most sustainability conversations in construction are about using less: less material, less waste, less embodied carbon. That's the right instinct. But there's a question that gets skipped in the process: how long will the building actually stay in service?

At VITALSpace, a family of companies that design and manufacture steel and modular buildings for healthcare, industrial, justice and mission-critical use, we think that question deserves equal weight. A building with a low carbon footprint on delivery day isn't much of a win if it needs to be replaced in fifteen years.

Durability is a sustainability strategy, not just a spec

Steel might seem like an unusual pick initially, but it is actually the most recycled material in the world. 92% of steel is recycled. It is also a particularly unique product in that it boasts no quality loss in the recycling process. When combined with the fact that steel is such a strong material and holds up to harsh conditions, the decision to use steel for sustainability doesn't seem so unusual after all.

SteelCell, one of our companies, builds prefabricated housing units for correctional facilities out of A60 Galvanneal, a corrosion-resistant coated steel that doesn't crack the way painted finishes do over time. In a justice facility that runs at full occupancy around the clock, that translates into less maintenance and fewer replacement cycles. It also means the people living and working inside the facility benefit from a space that stays clean and structurally sound instead of one that deteriorates around them. That fact rarely makes it into a lifecycle assessment, but it is worth noting.

Why reuse goes further than recycling

Longevity doesn't require a building to stay put.

Portable Solutions Group, another VITALSpace company, specializes in shipping container modifications for job-site infrastructure: offices, sanitation units, access-control points, whatever a construction or industrial site needs. When a project wraps, the unit doesn't get demolished. It is relocated to the next site.

Recycling can only recover some of the raw materials originally used in construction. Reuse allows the entire asset to stay in service, needing only minor repairs from time to time. Every year a container unit spends working somewhere new is a year nobody had to spend manufacturing its replacement.

Prefabrication reduces waste

Most construction happens outdoors, exposed to weather and changing site conditions. Modular construction moves that work into a plant, where the same crew builds every unit in a single facility. That consistency is what makes waste reduction possible. Leftover material gets saved and reused instead of thrown away.

Building modular units in a factory also has a scheduling benefit separate from the waste story. Teams can build modular units in parallel with site prep and permitting, instead of waiting for the site to be ready first.

One manufacturing process, different end products

The usual critique of modular is that it produces the same box regardless of use case. With the right modular provider, the output is completely adjustable. Across SteelCell, CareAffirm, Portable Solutions Group, BIG Enterprises and Connexure, VITALSpace combines 165+ years of experience across virtually every market to meet your exact needs.

We understand that projects like healthcare rooms and detention cells at first glance have little in common. However, the steel that frames them and the manufacturing process that we use are quite similar for both use cases. And that's exactly why we are trusted by so many industries to build for their specific needs. We understand the details that separate each room from the next and where there is operational efficiency in their overlap.

So if the question is no longer “how” you will build your next project, then it becomes “why” your next project couldn’t be modular. VITALSpace adds efficiency, safety, and sustainability that is gained through repeatable processes of modular manufacturing.

Judge the building at year twenty, not on delivery day

Most buildings get evaluated at handoff:

• Does it meet the spec of the project?
• Is it on budget?
• Does it look as promised?

The more meaningful test comes later.

• Is it still performing?
• Has it adapted, relocated, or found a second use?
• And when it finally reaches end of life, does the steel go back into the recycling stream or into a landfill?

Steel gives us durability and recyclability. Modular manufacturing gives us efficiency, flexibility and opportunities for reuse. Industry expertise gives us the ability to apply those advantages where they can make a meaningful difference.

At VITALSpace, we believe bringing those ideas together gives us more than a faster way to build.

It gives us a smarter way to think about the entire lifecycle of the essential spaces we provide.

Explore how steel and modular construction extend building lifecycles and reduce waste with VITALSpace at booth #1555 during Greenbuild, or visit VITALSpace's website to learn more.