Modular building guide: knowledge for developers, planners and municipalities
Pacarada Modular Building Systems, Kelkheim (Taunus), Germany · Last updated: September 2026
Modular construction is changing how buildings are made: a large part of the building is produced in the factory and assembled on site. In this guide we answer the key questions about modular construction, with facts and examples from our own projects in the Rhine-Main region of Germany.
The articles are written by Pacarada Modular Building Systems, based in Kelkheim (Taunus), the maker of the Pacarada Modular Building System and the patented Cube. The data on the system is summarised on our Facts and figures page.
Modular or conventional construction? A comparison
Where the real difference lies: process, construction time, skilled labour, quality control and the limits of modular construction, with a project from Darmstadt.
Adding storeys and extensions with modular construction
New space without new land: why modular construction suits added storeys, what has to be checked first and examples from Darmstadt and Liederbach.
Modular schools and nurseries
More classrooms and nursery places in a short time: permanent instead of containers, extendable later, and how a modular school project runs.
Steel modular and hybrid construction: steel, timber and concrete combined
Steel, timber or concrete? The strengths of each material, the 1D, 2D and 3D construction methods and how the patented Cube connects everything at one node.
What drives the cost of modular construction
Why there is no reliable flat price per square metre and which factors really decide the cost of modular construction, with tips on how to control them.
Modular construction glossary: 30 terms explained simply
From off-site construction to type approval: the key terms of modular and serial construction, explained briefly and clearly.
Serial and modular construction: terms and differences
Serial describes repetition, modular describes the method: what the terms mean, why series production does not mean identical buildings, and where it pays off.
Building permits for modular buildings in Germany and type approval
A modular building needs a building permit like any other building. What is checked in Germany, what type approval offers and what the 2025 housing acceleration law changes.
Fire protection and sound insulation in steel modular construction
Building classes, fire resistance and DIN 4109: how steel modular buildings meet the German requirements, and why two walls between two apartments are an advantage.
Office to residential: conversion with modular construction
Vacant offices become homes: what is checked before the conversion, how bathroom modules, extensions and added storeys help, with the Darmstadt example.
Funding for modular buildings in Germany: KfW, QNG and state programmes
Funding rewards the result, not the method: KfW climate-friendly new build, the QNG label, efficiency refurbishment and the housing programmes of the German states.
Planning a project? Send us your enquiry, ideally with drawings. You will find all system data on our Facts and figures page.