Christian Lawrence, RISE Modular’s founder and CEO, came to volumetric modular the same way many developers do…trying to make a proforma work. With a background in finance and a passion for architecture and buildings, he quickly realized that construction costs were outpacing rent and wage growth. What he couldn’t understand, however, was why construction means and methods had remained so stagnant for so long. Christian thought technology had to be the answer.

In his research, Christian discovered offsite construction and was intrigued explicitly by volumetric modular — the process of assembling fully enclosed, six-sided building modules in an offsite manufacturing facility — but he couldn’t find a supplier to service the projects he wanted to develop in the Midwest. Christian decided to become that supplier, and RISE Modular was born! He recruited construction, real estate and modular manufacturing experts from all over the country, and in 2019, RISE Modular broke ground and began production on its first project, MOD42.