So you’ve decided to adopt portable cabins or modular buildings as the solution to your building needs. The question now is this: how do you decide on a suitable make and design?
Portable cabins and modular buildings are both prefabricated constructions (prefab for short). If you’re new to the world of prefab, choosing between the two can be daunting. The staggering number of varieties aside, you’ll also have to consider other factors like the size, cost, and even the regulations surrounding their construction.
In this article, we’ll walk you through some basic considerations in choosing the right prefabricated building products that best fit the purposes of your project.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- What are portable cabins?
- What are modular buildings?
- What are you going to use your portable cabin or modular building for?
- What is the scale of your project?
- How much are portable cabins and modular buildings?
- How can Sankyo Frontier help?
- Our available solutions and products
- Contact us
What are portable cabins?
Portable cabins (a subset of portable buildings) are self-contained prefab structures that are fully assembled offsite. These structures are ready for immediate use the moment they are transported to their final location.
Portable cabins are often used as temporary solutions for small-scale, short-term purposes such as site offices, security or guardhouses, storage units, and temporary accommodation.
What are modular buildings?
Similar to portable cabins, modular buildings are prefab constructions that are assembled offsite in standardised ‘modules’. Usually made up of two or more modules, modular buildings need to be assembled when they reach their intended destination.
Modular buildings can be used for temporary purposes as well. However, unlike portable cabins, modular buildings are also ideal for larger-scale projects for long-term, permanent spaces like homes, hospitals, and schools.
With the similarities and differences between portable cabins and modular buildings sorted out, let’s move on to consider the factors that go into choosing the best structure for your needs.
What are you going to use your portable cabin or modular building for?
Your first factor to consider is the use case for your portable cabins and modular buildings. These versatile prefab building solutions can be used for a variety of commercial, industrial, residential, and retail purposes, with some common ones being:
- Homes
- Offices
- Schools
- Dormitories
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Hotels
Once you’ve decided on the function of your construction, determine if you intend for it to be built for short-term or long-term use. If you are looking for a short-term quick-fix solution, a portable cabin may just be the best option.
Conversely, if you intend to build a long-term or permanent fixture, then modular buildings are the way to go. For ideas on how you can use modular buildings for your project, check out how some of our customers have used Sankyo Frontier’s prefabricated, modular building solutions to create a space of their own for a variety of purposes over in our case studies section.
At Sankyo Frontier, our modular solutions are versatile enough to meet usage needs of both portable cabins and modular buildings. Our modular products bear these key features:
- Durable: Our modular units are typically built with sturdy materials like steel to withstand fires, harsh weather conditions, and even earthquakes – this arguably makes them comparable to buildings that are constructed through conventional methods.
- Flexible: Whenever your needs change, our modular units can be easily remodeled, relocated, and removed. They are also foldable to enable more convenient shipping and transportation.
- Quick: Most assembly processes are done at factories before being sent to the construction site. Safe from weather elements, while requiring little on-site construction, assembly of a building is swift and efficient.
To find out more about our modular solutions, head over to our webpage here.
What is the scale of your project?
Next, you want to consider the size of the portable cabins or modular buildings. Generally, portable cabins are as their name suggests: they are small and compact, making them easy to put together and set up for immediate use.
This is different from modular buildings, which tend to be larger in size. Depending on your design, the modules can even be combined vertically or horizontally to create wider spaces or multi-storey buildings.
The dimensions of prefabricated units vary across different manufacturers. At Sankyo Frontier, our modular constructions adhere to the following dimensions:
MS1 | CT-J | |
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Dimensions (L x W x H) |
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Total Floor Area |
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Find out more about our modular solutions here.
How much are portable cabins and modular buildings?
Now that you’ve figured out the scale of your project, it’s time to set a budget. On the whole, prefabricated and modular construction solutions are more affordable than stick-built constructions.
As a general rule of thumb, the more units and customisations go into your design, the higher your final cost will be.
To find out more about the cost of Sankyo Frontier’s modular solutions, fill out our enquiry form and we’ll get in touch with you!
How can Sankyo Frontier help?
Now that you’re well acquainted with the basic consideration to put together your portable cabin or modular building, the next step is to engage a reliable modular construction provider to help bring your project to life.
At Sankyo Frontier, we are modular building specialists with over 50 years of expertise and trusted by many. Whether it is for portable cabins or larger buildings, our top-of-the-line modular solutions are able to meet a wide range of needs.
Our available solutions and products
Sankyo Frontier offers two primary modular products: the MS1 and CT-J. Both are available for rent or sale, and each one comes with its own separate set of capabilities as follows:
For the full specifications, visit our Modular Solutions section and submit a request for our catalogues.
Visit our FAQ page to learn how we build and optimise our modular units for your needs.
Contact us
If you have a project in mind or if you’d like to know more about our products, contact us and we would be happy to help with any questions you have.
