What is modular construction?
The trend was confirmed during NEW HOUSING 2024 and will continue in 2025: modular houses are becoming increasingly popular. But what is it that makes these tiny houses so special?
Most people may know modules from their studies or training. Modules also play an important role in the tiny house sector – and the trend is rising. So-called modular houses are becoming increasingly popular and are now an integral part of the NEW HOUSING range.
What is a modular house?
A modular house is a building that consists of prefabricated modules that are manufactured in a factory and then transported to the construction site, where they are assembled into a complete building. This allows for a variety of room concepts and sizes. A modular house can be used as a residential building, office, holiday home or for many other purposes. They make sense where a living space larger than 35 square metres is desired, since smaller models can be manufactured in one piece.
The prefabrication of the modules enables a considerably shorter construction time on site, since most of the work is already completed in the factory. Industrial production under standardised conditions ensures a consistently high quality of the components.
A tiny house can also be manufactured in a factory, but it is not a modular construction as long as it exists as a single unit. Only when two or more units are combined to form a larger building can it be called modular construction. In modular construction, complete tiny house modules can be prefabricated and assembled on site using a crane. This enables a fast and efficient construction method in which entire residential units are manufactured in the factory and then assembled on the construction site. Alternatively, individual elements such as the floor, walls and roof can be prefabricated and assembled on site, which also saves time and resources but offers more flexibility for customisation and expansion.
This text is an excerpt from an article by Aurèle Haupt, managing director of Tiny GmbH. His article ‘All about modular construction’ was published in the magazine ‘Kleiner Wohnen’ (issue 2024/2025). The full article and the entire issue can be found HERE. It deals in detail with individual construction methods in modular construction, financing and costs, modular construction as a DIY method and Haupt's detailed conclusion on the topic.
