Module

Module is a vertically integrated modular housing company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that designs, manufactures and builds sustainable housing. Its operations are organized into four arms: Module Design, the design and engineering group that produces drawing sets for factory production and on-site construction using Revit/BIM; Module Manufacturing, which operates a production facility in Allegheny County described as a "Last Mile Facility" and workforce development hub; Module Build, a licensed Pennsylvania general contractor that manages site work and on-site completion; and Module Solutions, a consulting and programming arm working with owners and on barriers in affordable housing supply.

Product lines cover single-family affordable homes, single-family market-rate infill homes, multifamily and "missing middle" density, and community and mixed-use developments. The company states its primary multifamily focus is on projects of roughly 8 to 40 units. Module's delivery process runs through four phases: feasibility (site assessment, model selection from a standard catalog, and a rough-order-of-magnitude factory estimate), design/engineering/permitting (including state plan approval for modular components and, in Pennsylvania, Architect of Record services), manufacturing across a seven-station production line with third-party inspections at each station, and delivery and installation, where modules are shipped on individual trailers to a staging area and craned onto foundations. Module states about half of hard costs sit in the factory and half on site, and that homes are built 25-40% faster than traditional construction. Single-family designs support crawl spaces or full basements rather than slabs, and Module provides a warranty on factory-performed work.

The company positions its work against the U.S. affordable housing shortage and vacant-land inventory, citing more than 11,000 tax-delinquent parcels in Pittsburgh and a 6.8 percentage-point decline in the city's Black homeownership rate between 2010 and 2019. It has worked with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, the City of Pittsburgh Housing Authority, local land banks and a local land trust, including affordable for-sale housing supported by a Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency PHARE grant serving households below 80% of area median income; multifamily and apartment projects have involved developers renting at 30-50% of AMI.

Founding story

Module was founded by Brian Gaudio and Drew Brisley in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Gaudio's aim was to address the housing shortage with quality-controlled housing built in a fraction of the time required by traditional construction, using a design tailored to the vacant infill lots common in cities such as Pittsburgh and Detroit.

Business model

Module sells modular housing through a vertically integrated model spanning design and engineering services, factory manufacturing of modules, and on-site general contracting. Developers engage Module through a feasibility stage (free and paid site assessment options), then a Design Services Agreement covering construction documents and permitting, followed by a contract for factory-built modules priced separately from on-site work. In Pittsburgh, Module Build typically serves as general contractor; outside Pittsburgh, Module partners with local general contractors and trains them using its Construction Playbook. Module Solutions provides consulting and programming services.

Revenue derives from design and engineering service agreements, paid site assessments and custom model development, factory production contracts for modular units, and construction/general contracting services on projects where Module Build acts as GC.

Traction

In 2024 Module certified five homes as Energy Star, with HERS ratings as low as 38, which the company describes as 70% more energy efficient than a standard new home. The company reports two multifamily projects in progress and prior work with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, the City of Pittsburgh Housing Authority, local land banks and a local land trust. Its Mission-Driven Developer Program has trained more than 100 developers, contractors and housing professionals. In 2021 Module won a $200,000 investment in the Richard King Mellon Foundation's social-impact pitch competition.

Latest developments

Module reports certifying five Energy Star homes in 2024 and is advancing two multifamily projects, targeting developments of roughly 8 to 40 units. Its Mission-Driven Developer Program is in its second year.