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According to a recent National Association Home Builder’s forecast, there will be 85.3 million Americans ages 55 and older by 2014, over one-quarter of the total population. The demand for housing for the 50+ market will continue to grow, although this segment has been impacted by current economic conditions and the housing downturn.

Since affordable housing is getting more difficult for the average homebuyer to attain, modular construction offers one possible approach that may provide this opportunity and is an option more suitable for the global environment as well. In modular construction, components for a house or building are built in a factory or another controlled setting, transported, and assembled at the site.

Modular homes or prefabricated homes can readily accommodate the principles of universal design. It features universal design features such as wider hallways, lever handles, larger doorways, varying height kitchen counters, curbless showers, , anti-scald controls, handheld showers, grab bars,  more space to maneuver in kitchens and baths, and easy to reach thermostats. A modular home that features universal design will meet a family’s needs now and in the future, allowing seniors and people with disabilities to age in place.

Of course, modular construction has had its problems over the years, conjuring up images of low quality and cheap productions. While the stigma remains, it’s lessening. Today, modular represents a viable approach to residential construction, especially if it continues to evolve as it has been doing over the last few years.

Experts liken the modular building industry to the automobile industry. In 1908, Henry Ford revolutionized the production of the automobile by introducing the efficiencies of assembly line manufacturing—an innovation allowing him to significantly decrease its cost, making it available to the general public. Virtually every other major industry has been automated in the last 100 years, except construction.

To date, it has only captured a tiny fraction of both the commercial and residential real estate market. According to the Modular Building Systems Association (MBSA), representing the modular housing industry, only 2% of homes are modular. But today’s sour economy has caused people to take a second look at the construction industry as whole and realized some of the inefficiencies in it and consider some of alternatives like modular.

Despite its slow growth, modular construction has the potential to be a growth sector that can supplant the traditional housing delivery systems and provide another alternative for seniors who wish to age-in-place.

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