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Boston-based Suffolk Construction will lead construction management on a $1 billion-plus student housing job, and plans to use modular construction techniques to deliver key parts of the build with precision and efficiency, according to an April 6 announcement sent to Construction Dive.
California Polytechnic State University gave Suffolk its $1.2 billion multi-phase student housing expansion, according to the announcement.
The program will add approximately 3,600 new student beds and renovate approximately 1,200 existing beds on the school’s campus in San Luis Obispo.
Cal Poly launched its program, the Future Housing Planin the summer of 2024, according to the university. During the course of the project, the construction team will erect two buildings. Building A, slated to open in fall 2026, will house about 500 students, while Building B, slated for fall 2027, will house about 700 students.
Suffolk was initially dedicated to the program in October 2025. On-site construction began this month.
To achieve the university’s goals, Suffolk will leverage modular manufacturing and delivery, along with advanced digital modeling, geospatial positioning and AI-powered planning tools to ensure accurate stacking of units and minimize disruption, according to the announcement.
“From a cost perspective, modular construction in a program of this size supports tighter cost control through standardized and repeatable unit production,” Suffolk’s Northern California general manager Preston Hoopes told Construction Dive via email. “When delivering homes at this scale, the ability to manufacture units in a controlled environment reduces variability and waste, resulting in more predictable budgets and fewer surprises during construction.”
With this technology, Suffolk aims to identify problems early, maintain schedule certainty and deliver each unit accurately and efficiently, according to the press release.
In fact, Jim Stanley, executive vice president and director of Suffolk Construction’s Los Angeles division, told Facilities Dive in 2025 that the university could expect to complete the main structure of a 100-unit building in seven days, or 30% faster than a stick built structure.
The units will be manufactured by New York City manufacturing company Fullstack Modular, according to the university’s Future Housing Plan website. Fullstack can build modular structures from seven to 45 stories, according to the company’s LinkedIn. It owns two manufacturing facilities in Hamden, Conn., and Carson, Calif., according to its website.
The best use cases for modular
Modular construction, despite its initial lukewarm reception among the construction sector in generalhas attracted the attention of builders in recent years. Multifamily developers are taking advantage of the technologyfor example next to builders working in the fields of life sciences.
There is also a ripe opportunity for modular construction in data center constructionsdue to the scalability and repeatable nature of these projects.
Suffolk’s own portfolio of modular projects includes 18722 Sherman Waya new development for the homeless, and 6th Street Place in Los Angelesan affordable urbanization, according to the press release. These are accompanied by major student housing developments, including the Fieldstone complex at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
In other words, the contractor considers modular construction as one of several tools in his construction arsenal.
“For projects where full modularity may not be the best option, we see component-based and oriented manufacturing being integrated into delivery methods,” Hoopes said. “This includes bath tubs, wall panels, flooring and roof trusses.”
