21 min
Perspectives on Modular Construction in the City of LA with Matthew Wickersham Mainstream Modular by Guerdon
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- Business
Matthew Wickersham, a Principal with AMJ Construction Management, Inc., focuses on building projects for the affordable housing market. He joined Mainstream Modular’s Tyler Kern to discuss AMJ’s history with modular construction and a recent undertaking in the city of Los Angeles, CA.
Wickersham began exploring modular construction as a solution to the housing crisis about five years ago,“It presented an opportunity to bring to market occupiable units at a much faster rate than the LA market has seen before,” he said.
Several years of exploration and feasibility studies later, the 6th and San Julian project kicked off. This project replaces a three-story light industrial building with new six-story affordable housing. As a mixed-use building it will house up to 90 residential units for low, and very-low-income households as well as provide ground-floor commercial space.
This project could pave the way for more modular construction affordable housing in the LA market. Wickersham was part of a task force to figure out all the various planning, coding, and permit issues and work with all the city departments to ensure a modular undertaking of this magnitude would make a good fit. Currently, there are six different modular affordable housing construction projects underway in Los Angeles that will take place over the next couple of years.
Wickersham said the modular approach makes it possible to do these projects faster. And one of the challenges was finding a partner that could deliver the project with tight deadline demands.
“Guerdon came in at a time when we desperately needed a factory partner that was going to be able to deliver this project,” Wickersham said. “They stepped in and took control. We went through some redesign with them to optimize the project for their assembly line. Ultimately, Guerdon brought a huge amount of experience to the team to get the product on the line into construction. We look forward to setting those units here in the next couple of months.”
Matthew Wickersham, a Principal with AMJ Construction Management, Inc., focuses on building projects for the affordable housing market. He joined Mainstream Modular’s Tyler Kern to discuss AMJ’s history with modular construction and a recent undertaking in the city of Los Angeles, CA.
Wickersham began exploring modular construction as a solution to the housing crisis about five years ago,“It presented an opportunity to bring to market occupiable units at a much faster rate than the LA market has seen before,” he said.
Several years of exploration and feasibility studies later, the 6th and San Julian project kicked off. This project replaces a three-story light industrial building with new six-story affordable housing. As a mixed-use building it will house up to 90 residential units for low, and very-low-income households as well as provide ground-floor commercial space.
This project could pave the way for more modular construction affordable housing in the LA market. Wickersham was part of a task force to figure out all the various planning, coding, and permit issues and work with all the city departments to ensure a modular undertaking of this magnitude would make a good fit. Currently, there are six different modular affordable housing construction projects underway in Los Angeles that will take place over the next couple of years.
Wickersham said the modular approach makes it possible to do these projects faster. And one of the challenges was finding a partner that could deliver the project with tight deadline demands.
“Guerdon came in at a time when we desperately needed a factory partner that was going to be able to deliver this project,” Wickersham said. “They stepped in and took control. We went through some redesign with them to optimize the project for their assembly line. Ultimately, Guerdon brought a huge amount of experience to the team to get the product on the line into construction. We look forward to setting those units here in the next couple of months.”
21 min