Construction Tech Startup Claims It Can Cut Building Costs By 30% With Flat-Pack Panels
Pictured Above: Module Building Systems’ Mark Turnbull, center, with his team.
Date Posted: January 29, 2026
Posted In: Featured, What we are thinking about,
From St. Louis Business Journal: Module Building Systems
Founder: Mark Turnbull
What it does: Module Building Systems (MBS) manufactures a panelized construction system that significantly reduces the cost, time, and waste involved in building housing. Our “flat-pack” panelized approach allows buildings to be manufactured off-site and assembled quickly on-site. The system cuts construction costs by up to 30%, shortens delivery timelines by roughly 50%, and delivers higher, more consistent quality than traditional construction. We focus on affordable and attainable housing, workforce housing, and community-scale development, with applications ranging from tiny homes and ADUs to single-family homes, row houses, high-density multifamily projects, and light commercial buildings.
Major accomplishments and/or milestones achieved: We were selected as the developer and construction firm for a $3.2 million infill housing project in partnership with the city of St. Louis and the St. Louis Development Corp. MBS was also selected for the 2023 Arch Grants cohort and received a $2.86 million Missouri State Appropriation to support workforce training, affordable housing development, and job creation. In addition, we recently closed a $4 million New Markets Tax Credit allocation through SLDC and formalized a manufacturing and workforce training partnership with Ranken Technical College.