Three Takeaways from the 2022 Advancing Prefabrication Conference

Epsilon’s Paul Kirchhoff at the Advancing Prefabrication Conference

The Epsilon Team enjoyed several days at the recent 2022 Advancing Prefabrication Conference, including having our own Paul Kirchhoff as one of the speakers/presenters. After attending multiple sessions, speaking with attendees and listening to discussions throughout the event, here are three takeaways we brought home to share with the larger team:

1. “We need to bring the make into the design…
   rather than designing first, and then hoping it can be made”:
   This hypothesis was shared via video during the plenary session; it captured the thoughts of an architect being interviewed about the importance of engaging OSC partners early in the development of a prefab/modular project’s scope. It’s an important nuance in the process, and can be addressed in large part by having an experienced OSC manufacturer involved very early in the project planning phase.
2. “The delivery model sets the tone”:
   When we attended a panel discussion tackling the importance of selecting a delivery model (such as Design Assist), we were pleased to hear a focus on how the right delivery model impacts a project’s overall success by keeping the whole team focused on the right vision. Choosing the right delivery model enables optimization of prefab/modular approaches by establishing the right roles and target metrics early, and then holding the most appropriate parties accountable for helping to achieve them.
3. “When the goal is maximizing modular and prefab, judge your A/E by what they don’t have to draw, not how well they draw”:
   This message speaks to the behind-the-scenes aspect of modular design and construction. It’s a message to owners about flipping the script on project team roles and responsibilities – and resisting the gravitational pull of industry traditions that we’re all subject to. It’s a timely message as more owners consider OSC for upcoming projects.

These are a few of the messages that resonated with our attendees, and we enjoyed sharing these with our lager team – leading to engaging conversations about how Epsilon can continue to improve and stay on the leading edge in the OSC industry.