Building What’s Next: The Future of Prefabrication Sep 29, 2026

Across MYR Group, prefabrication is no longer simply a way to improve individual tasks. It is changing how teams plan, build, and work while transforming how electrical construction gets done.

Prefabrication isn't new. MYR Group companies have been using it for decades. As projects get larger and more complex, schedules get tighter, and skilled labor becomes harder to find, teams are moving work off the jobsite and into controlled environments. What began as assembling components offsite is evolving into a more strategic approach to project delivery.

The benefits are clear: greater safety, better quality, less material waste, and more predictable schedules. Repetitive work can be completed efficiently in a shop, with materials kitted before they reach the field, and installers spending less time searching, moving and preparing, and more time installing.

But the real opportunity may be in what comes next.

Beyond the Jobsite

Teams across the company are thinking beyond individual assemblies and embracing a manufacturing-oriented approach to construction.

"Prefab is where the future is headed. The more they're ahead of it, the better off they'll be as a business," said Jesse Towle of Sturgeon Electric.

That evolution means building larger modular assemblies offsite, combining work across trades, and delivering complete assemblies ready for installation.

Technology will play a major role in this transformation. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is already helping teams design and verify work before it reaches the field. Learn more about how BIM supports project planning and execution in our recent feature on CSI BIM Manager, Dan Palin.

Advanced manufacturing equipment like automated saws and conduit benders are increasing production efficiency, while teams explore emerging technologies such as AI and collaboration robots, or "cobots", that work alongside people.

"The intent is not to replace workers, but instead reallocate what they're doing," Towle said.

Moving predictable, repetitive or highly controlled work offsite allows field teams to focus on the work that truly requires them onsite, while creating new opportunities in planning, BIM, manufacturing, and assembly.

getting there starts upstream

The future of prefab isn't just about better equipment. It's about better planning and collaboration.

Across MYR Group companies, teams emphasize the importance of involving prefab earlier in the construction process, ideally during estimating and preconstruction. When estimating, project teams, BIM, and prefab are working together from the beginning, they can identify opportunities and design the workflow around them.

"More people are trusting of the system now. Being involved in the planning part of the process has been instrumental in making it successful," said Aaron Rapp of Western Pacific.

That collaboration is already changing perceptions in the field. What can initially feel like prefab is "taking work away" can become a realization that it is making the job safer and more efficient. Field teams play a critical role, providing feedback, identifying opportunities, and helping prefab teams understand what will and won't work onsite.

Looking Ahead

Over the next five to 10 years, MYR Group teams see continued progression toward greater standardization, more automation, and stronger collaboration across trades.

The industry may increasingly move toward a less traditional jobsite model - where more work is planned, built, and quality-checked before it reaches the jobsite. More trades may also work together in controlled environments to deliver larger, complete assemblies, a shift that is already taking shape with data centers.

"A lot of data center work is prefabricated. It's almost manufactured. They build entire electrical rooms and wiring offsite and bring it to the jobsite," said Dan Pesavento of Huen Electric. "I think that's a trend you'll continue to see grow, especially with the shortage of labor."

As project schedules tighten and resources remain limited, prefabrication offers another way to rethink how work gets done, moving the right work offsite, improving coordination, and allowing field teams to focus their time where it's needed most.

The future of prefabrication isn't simply about building faster. It's about thinking differently about what gets built, where it's built, and how teams work together to get it done.