One morning last month, a crane swung massive boxes across a clear blue sky and gently slotted them among the apartments under construction at 23rd and Race Streets in Philadelphia. Inside the boxes were toilets in bathrooms, closets in bedrooms, countertops in kitchens — all the makings of homes.
The 160-unit Edgewater II is one of the latest projects by Alterra Property Group that uses modular construction — in which homes are built in pieces off-site and fitted together like LEGOs. LVL North at Broad and Spring Garden Streets is the Philadelphia developer’s largest modular property with 410 apartments. It began leasing this spring.
That’s also when the company broke ground on another mixed-use modular project with 275 apartments at 43rd and Chestnut Streets. The firm plans to keep building this way as much as possible. Given the pace and scale of the projects, Leo Addimando, cofounder and managing partner, said he’s gotten calls from fellow developers seeking tips.
