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Modular Learning Environments
Beyond the ‘Classroom in a Can’
An MKThink Research Publication
27 April 2004For further information, please contact:Chloe Lauer at 415 288 3394
“A college is not a trailer park. It should not look like one…My first teaching job was in a prison, and the rooms were nicer then these. If you were all excited about going to college, wouldn’t you be disappointed?” 
—
Butte College President Sandra Acebo Over 3 million students at colleges, universities, and K-12 schools learn in modular trailers, known for poor air quality,structural inadequacy, and inferior aesthetics. Extensive research on the $2 billion a year temporary classroom market reveals an industry ripe for an infl ux of innovative design and strategic thinking. Inspired by successful academic precedents, pre-fab housing experiments, futuristic thinkers, and temporary environments, MKThink advocates revolutionizingthe industry through both inventive design and organization of the fragmented market to capitalize on economies of scale.
 
© MKThink 2004. Reproduction prohibited without permission.Modular Learning EnvironmentsPage 2
Modular Learning Environments
Beyond the ‘Classroom in a Can’SCHOOLS OR TRAILER PARKS?
Colleges, universities, and K-12 schools are strained by changingpriorities, demographics, and economics. They increasinglyrequire temporary space solutions to meet the demands placedon the built environment. Typically these temporary spaces areaccommodated with modular trailers. The modular industry,driven by aggressive price competition, is limited in its ability tocreate breakthrough design solutions. The results are learningenvironments of mediocre quality that impact as many as 3.15million students annually.At the university level, approximately 450,000 full-time equivalentstudents per year utilize ‘Classrooms in a Can,’ and the demandfor temporary space solutions is increasing (Figure 1). Enrollmentsat postsecondary schools will grow by 12 percent between nowand 2012. Because of building development lag, the increasingcosts of permanent spaces, and the need for fl exible spaceto accommodate shifting populations, we project the need fortemporary space will increase by 15-20 percent in the same timeperiod (Figure 1).K-12 educational demand for modular units is also striking. Morethan two million students attend classes in 80-85,000 modularclassroom units in California alone. In 1991, the CaliforniaAuditor general estimated that 72 percent of all California schoolsites had portable classrooms. And until 1998, the State requiredthat at least 30 percent of classrooms be portable. Helpingto meet that requirement, Cesar Chavez Elementary School inCorona, CA, built in 1997, is made entirely of modular units.
The Industry
This market is currently supplied by a large number ofmanufacturers–smaller companies employing 50-150 peoplewith revenues under $30 million per year characterize themodular classroom industry. These providers have reached anequilibrium of cost relative to quantity and have little incentive toinnovate. Even though there are many manufacturers of temporaryclassroom environments, there is little differentiation among thestandard products.
Students socialize outside trailer classrooms
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    u                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               d                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              e                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              n                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             t                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              s                
 YearFIGURE 1
:
 
Growing Demand for Temporary ClassroomsTraditionalClassroomsTemporaryClassroomsTemporaryClassroomsTraditionalClassrooms
 0K-12 SchoolsColleges/Universities121.5.5
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          B                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            i                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                l                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                l                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            i                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 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 Type of Educational InstitutionFIGURE 2
:
 
Annual Expenditures for Temporary Classrooms$350 Million$1.65 Billion
 
Modular Learning EnvironmentsPage 3© MKThink 2004. Reproduction prohibited without permission.
The Market
Expenditures on modular trailers on college campuses in the U.S.exceed $350 million per year (Figure 2). By way of comparison,this equals 15 percent of all new library book purchases and15 percent of all spending on additions to existing buildings. Anadditional $1.65 billion per year is spent on modular units for K-12 schools, for a total annual expenditure of $2 billion (Figure 2)
.
Life-Cycle Costs
While modular units have a life-cycle that may be consideredhalf that of ‘traditional’ or ‘permanent’ construction, their costs onaverage are only 25 percent or less of the traditional facilities’construction costs and 15-20 percent of the total project costs ofa permanent facility. It is clear that both K-12 and postsecondaryinstitutions rely on these savings.
Longevity
Modulars aren’t intended to be long-term solutions for temporaryspace needs. According to our research, however, 76.5 percentof facilities planners who intended to use them for the short termended up using them longer then expected. Over 79 percent ofrespondents reported using modular classrooms for longer than 2 years.
Quality
Our original hypothesis was that modular classrooms fail astemporary space solutions. In fact, according to our survey,these units are filling the gap for both K-12 and postsecondaryeducational institutions. But the standard unit provided is of thelowest common denominator. Typical modular classrooms arestructurally inferior, particularly susceptible to earthquakes andhurricanes. Students in modular units often suffer from poor airquality due to improper ventilation and higher levels of exposureto toxins. Finally, temporary units are ugly—priorities of time andcost-savings win out over aesthetics, leading to what Ken Tannerterms ‘slum architecture.’ Thus, significant opportunities to provideanything more than basic enclosure are missed.
Use
Modulars are typically used for people-centered activities, likeclassrooms and offices. Seventy percent of those surveyed usedmodular units for both classrooms and offices. Most units areunder 1600 sf, and when configured for instructional space,many (35.7 percent) provide 21-35 seats. As such, they are highoccupancy spaces in which environmental and aesthetic issuesshould be of central concern.
Satisfaction Levels
While most university facility planners surveyed were satisfiedwith modulars across a range of features, none were verysatisfied with any particular feature. Modulars are thus consideredadequate, but not excellent, in any particular category. Theyserve a need, but because no other alternatives exist, plannerssettle for them as mediocre temporary space solutions.In addition, a large gap exists between the planners’ and theend users’ perspectives. According to our findings, 75 percent ofplanners feel modulars serve the educational goals for which theywere deployed. In contrast, 60 percent of faculty avoids modularclassrooms (when given a choice) for aesthetic, environmental,and functional reasons.
Portable UnitsStudents listen to a lecture in a trailer 
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