Modular buildings were first created during the Gold Rush in United States to facilitate the prospectors to construct building for accommodation quickly and efficiently. But it became more popular during the World War II when the need for mass accommodation for military personnel aroused. In the prefabricated buildings, the components are manufactured off-site and later shipped to the final intended site where all the components or modules are assembled to make a complete prefabricated building. The most important feature of these buildings is that the components can be put together very quickly, sometimes in few hours.

Modular buildings are made up of materials like aluminum, steel, concrete, fiberglass and wood in order to provide durability and security. No matter how big or small the building is, prefabricated buildings can be opted for very easily. These buildings include both modular buildings and mobile buildings. They can also be assembled in a constructed building and sometimes even be assembled on non-concrete base. They have been found useful in areas which are more prone to disasters, earth quakes, cyclones, snowfall, heavy rains, etc where the houses need to be erected immediately for shelter. They are lighter in weight by which they can be moved easily, and lower in cost.

Modular buildings are mostly made up of steel in order to ensure stability, durability and strength. They are also free of corrosion as steel is rust resistant. Apart from this, they are also fire protected due to non-combustible nature of steel. They are more economical than conventional buildings and due to the ready-to-assemble architectural style, the labor cost and time is reduced.

Many buildings such as schools, apartments, colleges, office space, health care, retail shops, fast food outlets, telephone booths, site offices, security cubicles, smoking shelters, sports arena, clubs, military establishments, etc., are mostly made of prefabricated technology. Prefabricated buildings come along with different facilities which include internal electrical wiring, windows, doors and internal plumbing in the case of portable toilets.

They can also be built in multiple stories. Custom modular buildings are also available where in you can select wall panels, frames, flooring, ceiling, doors, windows, and almost everything which is needed for a building along with color scheme.  The factors which affect the price are quality of the material, building size and complexity of the design.