On this page:
- Using modular buildings to provide more space
- Procuring a modular building
- Maintaining your modular buildings
- Upgrading your modular buildings
- Conditions for keeping a modular building at your school
- Using modular buildings as temporary accommodation
- Examples of modular buildings at schools
Using modular buildings to provide more space
If there is a requirement to build a new space at your school, consider using modular buildings.
You can read the full Ministry policy on modular buildings procurement .
Modular buildings are:
- built to exceed the minimum standard used for permanent school buildings, making them suitable as temporary or long-term space solutions
- installed quickly with minimum disruption to your school
- suitable for many different sites
- built in a factory, making the process quicker and safer than an onsite build
- easy to relocate from one school to another.
Modular buildings are flexible, so can be used for teaching, staff and student support spaces, such as:
- science laboratories
- technology blocks, including food, woodwork, metal work and electronics
- dance and drama studios
- toilets and changing rooms
- administration and reception areas
- libraries.
All modular buildings are built in factories to a high-quality standard. They:
- incorporate information and communication technology
- meet the Innovative Learning Environment criteria and the Designing Quality Learning Space standard
- meet all weathertightness requirements
- exceed minimum requirements on a range of extreme site conditions, including wind, seismic activity, snow and coastal exposure (this allows them to be placed on many different sites).
Procuring a modular building
The procurement process for getting a modular building purchased and delivered to your school is a lot quicker than for the usual new build project.
This is because you do not need to tender for a design team or contractor, or produce design and tender documents.
Having our provider build the modular buildings in a factory is also quicker, and safer, than building on the school site as the construction takes place in a stable environment.
Procurement roles and responsibilities
The contract management office’s role
Our contract management office:
manages the demand and delivery of modular buildings nationwidemanages the contract between us and the providermonitors and co-ordinates the national fleet of modular buildingsresponds to emergency situations.
The private sector provider’s role
The provider:
plans and coordinates the designs with youprepares your school site for deliverymanufactures and delivers the modular buildingsobtains local authority consents and certificatesremoves the modular buildings when they are no longer needed and restores the site to its original condition, where practical.
Your role as a host school
You need to be involved with the initial design phase, and sign off the designs before they’re submitted to us. Although modular buildings have a standard design, you have a say on:
where your modular buildings are placed on the school sitethe external coloursfixed furniture and equipment options.
You are responsible for any wider project works, such as:
using a master plan of the whole school to work out the best site configuration for your modular buildingsdemolishing existing buildingsupgrading site services infrastructureexcavating the site for any major worksrefurbishing existing buildingsearthquake strengthening works on existing buildingsarranging any additional works that are needed if getting a modular building is just part of a more complex project.
The wider work is done under a separate contract in the usual way using a project manager, and following our project management requirements .
Your project manager will need to make sure the delivery of the modular building is co-ordinated with other works onsite.
Procurement phases
There are 3 phases in procuring a modular building:
- Project initiation: Funding is confirmed and your school is included in the demand forecast for modular buildings.
- Project planning: Your project is planned and your school signs the conditions of use for modular buildings.
- Project delivery: Your modular building is designed, constructed, delivered and installed. There is a post-occupancy evaluation after the accommodation period.
