Listed modular specialist NRB has presented relocatable and long-life modular construction solutions at the 2026 World Smart City Expo in Busan. Held from September 9 to 11 at BEXCO Exhibition Centre 1, the event is co-hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and co-organised by the Korea Land and Housing Corporation. NRB showcased its technology under the central theme of urban contradictions.

Modern cities frequently face spatial shortages for housing, schools and public facilities while simultaneously maintaining long-term underutilised land awaiting development. Furthermore, while population demographics change rapidly, traditional buildings remain fixed to single locations and permanent uses.

NRB resolves these spatial mismatches by pairing relocatable performance with long-life durability using digital 3D design, off-site factory manufacturing and rapid assembly. The firm has deployed its relocatable model across several school projects. In June, NRB earned the first Long-Life Housing Excellence Grade certification for a modular property at the 22-story LH Uiwang Chopyeong A-4BL complex, the tallest modular residential building in South Korea.

The proposed spatial model involves placing temporary modular buildings on car parks or undeveloped land to serve as public facilities or housing. Once permanent development begins on site, the modular units can be relocated elsewhere. This structure separates land usage periods from building life cycles, turning temporary vacant plots into productive urban assets.

NRB also proposes using flexible housing modules to meet shifting demographic needs across different life stages. A single module can supply youth housing before being moved or reconfigured to serve newlyweds, eventually converting into accommodation for elderly residents as regional demographics evolve.

Traditional construction timelines consume approximately 7.5 per cent of a building’s 40-year life cycle, tying up valuable land assets during development phases. Off-site modular construction reduces build times, lowers financing overheads and restores land to its primary function faster.

“In construction, time is both a cost and an asset utilisation rate,” An NRB official stated. “Reducing the construction period through modular construction not only accelerates completion but also allows the land to be used for its original purpose sooner, and reduces financial costs and various indirect costs that accumulate over the construction period .”

“In cities, there exists land that is underutilised despite a lack of space, and there is a contradiction where people and demand move but buildings remain fixed in one place,” He continued by emphasising. “Combining the relocation capability, which allows buildings to be moved and reused as needed, with the long-life capability, which allows for long-term use, can reduce such urban contradictions .”

“Using where it is needed for the necessary period, moving it when needs change, and using buildings that need to be used for a long time for even longer — this is the modular architecture of smart cities proposed by NRB .” In addition, he said.