Terryville, CT ~ Terryville,
CT-It's not everyday you find AIA architects touring the plants of modular manufacturers.
But, then again, president and CEO Nick Ververis would say he runs his plant a little
differently. American Modular Corporation took advantage of some AIA leads MBI posted on
its website, sending 75 architects invitations to visit their Connecticut plant. To date,
ten design firms have taken Ververis up on the offer, touring American Modular, seeing
first-hand factory-built construction, and taking away with them a better understanding of
the whole modular process. "They saw the speed and efficiency of our plant,"
Ververis said. "They saw into our walls, the frames of our floors, and how proud we
are of the buildings we produce. We stand behind our products and, quite frankly, our
industry, and we wanted the architects to know it." "Creating a better and more
diverse awareness of our industry is extremely important for all of us, we look to do
whatever we can in that regard" Ververis add.
Ververis
and his partners started American Modular in 1998 when they realized the need for
affordable housing was so great. Ververis was in the insurance business when he was
approached by one of his customers about the idea of building modular retirement
communities. They investigated the idea, purchased a former Arthur Industries factory,
hired many of the former managers and employees, and began producing homes, apartments,
classrooms, and offices. "We're fulfilling a dream of ours, providing the highest
quality of affordable space, both residential and commercial," Ververis said.
"And with the Arthur plant being available, well, everything just sort of fell into
place."
That was also the case with a recent project of theirs, when American Modular teamed up
with Schiavi Leasing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vanguard Modular Building Systems.
Schiavi, a commercial modular dealer in Oxford, Maine, approached American Modular about
building classrooms to solve an unexpected public school space need in central Maine. The
project turned out to be an entire elementary school building for 200 students, some
16,000 sq. ft. It's a pretty incredible story-a real testament to how the modular industry
can quickly meet space needs with a product that rivals or surpasses traditionally built
structures.
On April 14th, Lenora Murray, superintendent of Maine's School Administrative District No.
16, called Schiavi to initiate discussions about leasing portable classrooms for Hall-Dale
Elementary School in Farmingdale. This small school district just south of the state
capitol covers two towns, Hallowell and Farmingdale, with an elementary school in each.
Hall-Dale Elementary was overcrowded and needed about $750,000 in repairs to its
50-year-old building. There were HVAC and other mechanical failures, cracked and rotting
wood trusses and beams, and mold and asbestos that needed to be removed. Initial
discussions pointed toward a solution involving use of some sections of the old school
combined with a substantial modular addition. But in late May, results of indoor air
quality tests weren't good, and Superintendent Murray and the board decided to close the
school immediately and finish the year by distributing the students thoughout other
schools in the district. With no location for the students in the Fall, Murray now had a
crisis on her hands and embarked on four weeks of intense planning with Schiavi and state
officials.
On June 20th, Schiavi president Steve Weems submitted a final proposal for an entire new
modular school. The District's Board of Directors awarded the contract to Schiavi the very
next day. "It was fortuitous American Modular already had seven stock units built for
us designed as classroom units," Weens said. "These could be modified to
comprise one wing of a new school. They then built another 12 floors in 30 days,
consisting of a 10,890 sq. ft. main wing, to complete the project." Floors and units
are individual factory-built modules assembled at a final location to make a complete
building.
American Modular began construction of the new units on July 31st. "In addition to
our already full production schedule through the summer, we accommodated Schiavi by
working around the clock, overtime every day and through every weekend in August,"
Ververis said. On average, the company was putting out about 125 sq. ft. of completed
space each hour. "But that's the beauty of working in a controlled environment,"
said Ververis. "If construction had been onsite, instead of in a factory, there
would've been numerous delays." In many cases, conventional stick-built construction
stops when there is inclement weather or when there is no longer natural light by which to
work.
"In addition," said Weems, "Hall-Dale was completing site-work while
American Modular was building the classrooms, saving even more time." Hall-Dale has a
facilities manager, Jim Goulet, with a background in construction. So Goulet supervised
site preparation, grading, and construction of the foundation. Dealers of modular
buildings also take on these responsibilities as requested by customers.
Working in close coordination with American Modular, a trucking company, and the school
district, Schiavi's crew started setting the floors by crane on August 30th and finished
the initial set work on September 7th. An intense month of on-site building finish work
and utility connecitons ensued. The entire modular building (19 floors) was carpeted and
the siding was installed on site. All the floor, wall and roof seams were finished.
Electrical, plumbing, fire alarm, intercom, and computer connections were made, and a
complete sprinkler system was installed throughout the building. An enclosed connector was
built to an adjacent school. At the end of all this Hall-Dale teachers had access to their
classrooms on October 4th and students were greeted with new classrooms on October 10th.
Hall-Dale Elementary isn't located in Farmingdale anymore. It's now adjacent to the
Hallowell Primary School, six miles away. While the schools share a cafeteria and
gymnasium, Hall-Dale Elementary has its own offices for the assistant principal, guidance
counselors, and secretaries as well as its own faculty lounge and restroom, multiple boys
and girls restrooms, and 17 classrooms.
Engineers at Schiavi and American Modular worked with Superintendent Murray and her staff
to design the building. Each module of the wood-framed building is built on a steel I-beam
perimeter frame undercarriage with steel I-beam cross-members throughout. It has a 60-lb.
live-load roof that is R-38 insulated and EPDM covered. The walls and floors are insulated
at R-21, the windows are 4'x5', its ceiling height is 8', and it is sprinkled throughout.
Though the classrooms can be disassembled and relocated, they sit on a permanent full
frost wall foundation. And on the outside, the new school fits in harmoniously in design,
scale and layout with the old.
The new Hall-Dale Elementary is L-shaped and is connected to the existing Hall-Dale
Primary School by an enclosed, heated connector. One wing is made up of seven 12'x60'
modules, the stock units American Modular had built. The second wing is twelve
13'9"x66' modules and the site-built connector is 10'x24'. It took 111 days total
elapsed time from the date of contract award to student use to complete the school.
Hall-Dale Elementary now totals 16,170 sq. ft.
American Modular continues to manufacture classrooms for Schiavi; its parent, Vanguard
Modular Building Systems; and for many other dealers throughout the region. "We
enjoyed working with American Modular," Weems said. "This was my first
experience working directly with Nick and his team. They are top-of-the-line professionals
and rose to the challenge on this critical project. Working together, we were able to
provide a high quality building to solve this crisis, on time and on budget."
Ververis and his partners plan to open a second factory sometime next year, primarily
dedicated to residential manufacturing. "Each year, we've experienced 60 to 70
percent growth in sales of mostly commercial buildings," said Ververis.
"Although our dealers and the commercial industry will remain our primary focus here
at American Modular, we have not lost sight of the driving force behind the genesis of
American Modular," he said, emphasizing the word "affordable." The new
division will operate under the name Clearvision Housing and will be the affordable
housing arm of American Modular Corporation. Until the new production facility is up and
running, American Modular will be manufacturing the homes in its Terryville, Connecticut
facility.
Last year, Ververis met Fred Ohrn, owner of Fred Ohrn and Associates, a builder of
high-end modular homes. Ohrn had also seen a need for affordable housing and, as a result,
founded the New Canaan, Connecticut-based Affordable Housing Institute. The two men
discussed their similar interests, and agreed on a collaboration. The parties have agreed
on five prototype home sizes and styles, and will begin marketing their new product line
throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts by the end of the year. The homes range in size
from about 1,000 sq. ft. to just under 3,000 sq. ft.
American Modular's current factory employs about 65 people. The company runs three
production lines in the 68,000 sq. ft. plant during one shift. Last year, they produced
some 225 floors and expect sales to close to triple by the end of 2001.
Copyright ©
Modular Building Institute, November 2000..
