Military accommodation projects often involve solving a difficult combination of requirements: a large number of people must be housed within a limited timeframe, the buildings must be practical and durable, and the construction activities must be coordinated with the overall project schedule.
Modular military accommodation and flat-pack buildings provide an alternative to traditional building for such situations. Rather than carrying out the majority of construction work on-site, modular units can be produced in controlled conditions in a factory, transported to the project site, and assembled into larger accommodation facilities.
One practical example is the Shahe Modular Military Accommodation Camp Project in Beijing, China.
A Big Military Accommodation Project in Beijing
In 2019, GS Housing undertook a military accommodation project in Shahe, Beijing, supplying 882 flat-pack container houses for the military personnel’ accommodation and daily-life support.
The project was completed on a very tight schedule, and the units were delivered in about 2 months. GS Housing cooperated with China Jingye Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. to arrange production and delivery according to the project needs.
The scale of the project makes an important point about modular construction: large accommodation projects are not simply about making individual buildings. They require coordinated production, quality control, packaging, shipping and installation.
Why Large Accommodation Is Ideal for Flat Pack Construction
Most building projects involve a great deal of construction work at the final site. This may increase the impact of weather, availability of labor, site conditions and construction logistics.
A flat-pack building takes a different approach.
Major structural elements, wall systems, roof systems and interior layouts can be prefabricated in a factory before being transported. Once the units arrive at the site, the installation process can then focus on assembly and connection instead of starting the entire building process from scratch.
This approach can bring some benefits to buildings for military accommodation:
- Quicker deployment than many traditional construction methods
- Standard parts for repeated accommodation units
- More controlled factory conditions of manufacture
- More convenient co-ordination for large numbers of identical or similar buildings
- Lower reliance on large on-site construction
- Possible use to relocate or re-configure in appropriate temporary applications
Standardization is especially useful for a project that involves hundreds of accommodation units, because small inconsistencies can lead to problems when multiplied across a large camp.
From Separate Units to a Working Military Camp
A military lodging camp is much more than just a bunch of rooms to sleep in.
A well-planned camp may have to include different functional areas such as personnel accommodation, administration offices, dining facilities, sanitary spaces, storage areas and other support facilities.
Modular construction allows the various functions of the building to be incorporated within a common planning system.
Standardized accommodation units can be clustered together to form residential zones and further modular buildings can be configured to provide offices, dining or support services. This provides a more organized camp environment, while retaining the advantages of pre-fabricated construction.
The Shahe project is an example of how hundreds of standardized units can be delivered as a coordinated accommodation program instead of hundreds of unrelated buildings.
Production capacity is just one part of the equation
Large-scale military building projects need more than manufacturing capacity.
For hundreds of units, production planning must be integrated with transportation and site progress. A delay in one stage can have a knock on effect to the other stages and put pressure on the whole project schedule.
This is why a trusted supplier of modular military buildings must manage multiple stages of the supply chain:
Demand in project → Modular design → Factory production → Quality control → Packaging → Transportation → On-site assembly
The Shahe project comprised 882 units and a delivery period of approximately two months, making the coordination of production and logistics an important part of the project execution.
That’s one of the less visible benefits of factory-built construction. Standardized building components can be manufactured to repeatable specifications such that quality checks can be performed prior to the units arriving at the project site.
Modular Military Buildings for Varied Environments
Military and government accommodation projects can be situated in very different environments.
A building solution that works in an urban temporary camp may not work in a high altitude cold desert or coastal project.
Therefore, modular buildings can be designed for the local environment. Depending on the project, considerations may include: insulation, structural reinforcement, wind resistance, snow loads, temperature variations and seismic conditions.
This flexibility is also relevant for other applications such as border facilities, training camps, emergency accommodation and housing for remote employees.
The idea is not to use the same building all over the place but to keep a standardized modular system while adapting the configuration to the real project conditions.”
Why Standardization is Key to Military Accommodation
Standardization is especially helpful when a project involves a large number of similar buildings.
Modular systems can utilize repeated structural and architectural elements rather than designing each building independently. This makes it easier to procure, manufacture and install.
It can also set the stage for future growth.
If more accommodation is needed later on, compatible modular units can be added without having to re-design the whole camp from scratch, subject to the original site planning and engineering conditions.
This offers a more scalable approach for contractors and project owners to prefabricated military barracks and large personnel accommodation facilities.
Practical Guide to Modular Military Accommodation
The Shahe project is a useful example of flat-pack construction applied to a large military accommodation requirement.
The project included:
Place: Shahe, Beijing, China
Year: 2019
Application: Accommodation for military personnel
Building system: Flatpack, container house
Qty: 882 pcs
Delivery time: Approximately two months
The project emphasizes the value of combining manufacturing, quality control, logistics and site installation in one coordinated delivery process, rather than the number of buildings.
For large military accommodation schemes, this integrated approach can be as important as the physical characteristics of the modular building itself.
Modular Military Accommodation: The Future
As the military and government infrastructure projects are more often requiring flexible construction methods, modular buildings can provide a practical solution for accommodation and support facilities.
The technology isn’t only for temporary housing. Modular systems can be utilized to offer support for offices, dining areas, sanitary facilities, storage buildings, command spaces and other camp functions as needed by the project.
The key parameter is the combination of factory-controlled production, standard modular components and rapid site assembly.
The Shahe project is scaled up to hundreds of units with a coordinated delivery schedule, and this paper shows the way.
The right modular solution for contractors, engineering companies and project owners who are planning a military accommodation camp should therefore be evaluated not only by unit price, but also by production capacity, logistics planning, installation requirements, environmental adaptability and the supplier’s ability to manage the whole project process.
For more information on the Shahe Modular Military Accommodation Camp Project and GS Housing’s modular building solutions, please see the original project case: GS Housing – Shahe Modular Military Housing Camp Project
