agchouston.org Winter 2025–2026 Cornerstone 21 face constant pressure to deliver faster without compromising quality. With the addition of complications like rising labor costs, supply chain instability and stricter environmental expectations, get- ting things right the first time becomes even more crucial. Prefabrication, however, helps solve those challenges by moving construction activities from the field into the factory, into controlled environments designed to cut waste, compress schedules and reduce reliance on hard-to-find skilled trades; frustration is replaced with convenience. While site prep is going on and foun- dations are formed on-location, the fab- rication of wall panels, bathroom pods or MEP racks happens concurrently — that overlap shortens project timelines, smooths workflows and mitigates the chaos that often plagues complex builds. “We even fabricate components to keep on our shelves, so if someone needs 20 pieces of something, we usually have it pre-cut and pre-packaged; that way, the foreman can come by and pick up whatever they need,” Alavi said. Multiple Methods Prefabrication isn’t just one sin- gle method, but rather a variety of approaches such as modular construc- tion (where sections or even entire rooms are built off-site); completely finished unit “pods”; or having panelized systems like walls, floors or MEP racks arrive on-site ready for installation. “MAREK is primarily a drywall inte- rior contractor, but in MEP, prefab has been quietly used for decades,” Alavi said. Companies like MAREK are sin- gle-trade suppliers, but there are multi- trade prefabricators that supply finished bathroom pods and complete framing, plumbing or electrical components. “The more work we do to collaborate together as multi-trades, the bigger impact we will have in the adoption of modular construction — and that’s starting to take place more often, especially with the skilled workforce shortage.” In Houston, contractors are using these strategies more and more often. For example, a recent facility built near the Texas Medical Center used mod- ular bathroom pods and prefabricated MEP assemblies which resulted in faster installation, better quality control and fewer jobsite bottlenecks, while a data center in Katy relied on pre-assembled electrical skids to speed things up. In each case, the use of off-site fabricated components resulted in cleaner sites, faster installations and quality levels that are impossible to achieve under open skies. Quality Is Key “People have a perception of modular being not quite the same quality you can get with on-site construction, but they’re amazed at the quality we can produce,” said Rame Hruska, co-founder and CEO of Aura Dwellings & Hospitality, a prefabrication company specializing in homes, offices and hospitality projects that ships its offerings nationwide. To the surprise of many, though, using standardized components doesn’t mean sacrificing aesthetics. “Modular construction can be used for high-end projects, too. In the end, that’s the point — it doesn’t look any different than site-built.” Of course, architects play a crucial role in enabling this integration. Early coor- dination between designers, engineers and fabricators is critical to ensuring every component aligns precisely once delivered. “If we change a project later on to take advantage of prefab, it may require changes to the design that result in more costs, so we want to plan as early as pos- sible,” Alavi said. Although gaining acceptance of such a front-loaded design process can be a hur- dle, as planning and collaboration needs to take place, often before a single yard of concrete is poured, it ultimately saves time and cost in the long run thanks to tighter tolerances and fewer surprises. Additionally, in Texas, prefabrication is regulated by the state and manufacturers need to have their factories certified. “The regulatory piece comes with requiring more engineering drawings and a lot of upfront work, so it makes sense to spread that work across a larger project with repeatable components,” Hruska said. A worker installs prefabricated radius coves in Brazoria County. Jobsite productivity improves with prefab and modular methods, too.
