Ramtech Permanent Modular Building Helps Texas Town Manage Growth

Design-build construction firm Ramtech Building Systems of Mansfield, Texas recently completed a 13,440 square-foot classroom building at the Junior High campus of Ferris, Texas Independent School District (ISD). Built using the company's traditional permanent modular construction process, the new 12 classroom facility includes a fully equipped science lab and administrative office space.

The building has a full masonry exterior to blend in with the existing campus structure, and wall-mounted HVAC units to provide efficient heating and cooling to each room. Ramtech also was responsible for all of the site development work including the extension and connection of utilities.

Located south of Dallas, the Ferris ISD serves students from the city of Ferris, as well as the community of Trumbull and other rural areas in northeastern Ellis County. After the school district commissioned a facility assessment in 2014 as part of a 10-year development plan, it was clear that the intermediate school would be facing a steady 1-2 percent growth rate for the next several years, potentially causing an overcrowding situation. The solution was to move the district's sixth-grade students from the intermediate school to a new wing at their junior high campus.

According to Gary White, Ramtech's VP of sales, "when the school's facility planners were able to evaluate the three different construction options that we could provide, they chose our traditional permanent modular construction approach to give them the kind of facility they wanted, which would also meet their budget requirements."

The new modular school building has been well received by the community and will allow the district to manage their student growth at every campus for the next 10 years.