Design and Construction Report staff writer.
Following a successful inaugural event in Brussels, the modular construction industry is setting its sights on Madrid for the second annual World of Modular Europe, scheduled for Oct. 6-8.
Hosted by the Modular Building Institute (MBI), the conference aims to build on the momentum of its first European gathering, which brought together nearly 200 leaders from around the globe to tackle pressing issues like housing shortages and sustainable building.
The 2025 event promises to once again provide a critical forum for manufacturers, contractors, architects, and developers to connect and drive the industry forward.
The first conference in 2024 was widely seen as a landmark for global collaboration in the sector. MBI Board President John Buongiorno, speaking at the Brussels event, highlighted the importance of a central European meeting point.
“Belgium is the hub of the EU,” Buongiorno said. “It just seemed right for the first (World of Modular Europe) event that we do it in Brussels. We have people from all over Europe here. We have a group in from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, even from Canada and the U.S.”
That international spirit is expected to continue in Madrid. Buongiorno noted that despite geographical differences, the industry faces common issues. “When you bring in all different sectors from different parts of the world, as different as our markets are, what we’re finding is: they’re still a lot of the same challenges,” he said. “Everybody came here to share information. It’s all about creating a better industry.”
Attendees of the 2025 conference can anticipate discussions on the key themes that dominated the 2024 event, including navigating complex regulatory environments and pioneering new business models.
Franco Vietti, an associate at the Netherlands-based Green Prefab and a speaker at the 2024 conference, offered a preview of the innovative thinking that characterizes the event. In a statement, he described the challenges and opportunities in the European market.
“Europe is a complex landscape shaped by stringent regulatory frameworks, which can vary significantly from one country to another,” Vietti said, arguing for a private-sector-led approach to cut through bureaucracy.
Vietti also presented a forward-looking concept called “Modular Building as a Service (MBaaS),” which he believes will be transformative. “This will revolutionize the commercial real estate industry by transitioning from traditional ‘product and space’ offerings to dynamic ‘system and service’ solutions, boosted by advanced automation and AI,” he said.
