By LYNN PORTER
Journal Staff Reporter, Daily Journal of Commerce
Two
developers say they intend to start construction this year on modular apartment
complexes in Ballard and the University District in Seattle.
R.D. Merrill Co. plans a six-story, 124-unit building at
with construction by the end of the year.
Triad Capital Partners plans to start construction this summer on a five-story, 75-unit complex at
Nicholson Kovalchick Architects is designing Triad’s complex
and Urbal Architecture is designing Merrill’s. DCI Engineers is the structural
engineer on both.
Merrill said it intends to hire Seattle-based OneBuild to
make the modular units. Triad said OneBuild has done pre-construction work, but
no construction contract has been signed.
Modular units are built in a factory. They include all the
electrical, plumbing and lighting systems, and appliances — all the innards of
typical apartments. The units are shipped to the site and stacked like Lego blocks
using a crane. Then they are connected together and tied into the utilities.
Modular projects have been built nationally and
internationally, but local market observers say these will be the first
large-scale modular apartment complexes in
