Every pioneer starts small. While today we are setting new standards for speed, cost-effectiveness and quality with major construction projects in Europe and Asia, our story began at the start of the 20th century with what was actually a very simple module on wheels: our invention of the construction trailer.

Since its launch, our idea has grown bigger with every project. A very important milestone: the construction of the high-altitude clinic Davos-Wolfgang in 1986.

Thirty years ago, we erected the first building using this building technique, ushering in a new age for hospital construction. We had already completed large construction projects by this point, but hospitals were still new to us. In short, we wanted to be at the top – in this case at an altitude of 1,200 m. And because the winter weather in the Alps is a rule unto itself, we only had four months to complete the construction of a brand-new clinic. Actually an impossible task – unless you use modules.

That is how, against the backdrop of a picturesque alpine panorama, a two-storey speciality clinic for respiratory diseases 2,264 m² of usable space came about. The world had never seen its like before. The 52 compact room modules had been prefabricated at the factory in Cadolzburg, including all installations and equipment. We used a wire rope hoist to avoid the narrow, serpentine road that led to the clinic, then connected the modules at the construction site – and that was it. Swiss precision – but from Germany.

The modular construction technique, new at the time, not only saved precious time but also money. The investment volume – a converted 2.3 million euros – would have been exceeded by close to 1.5 million euros with conventional building techniques. The Cadolto project in Davos therefore furnished the first proof ever that modular construction is not only much more efficient but also cheaper – particularly in unusual construction locations. It’s a fact that has been reinforced again and again since in numerous other projects in Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland, and the Netherlands.

And the Davos clinic is still flexible. Almost 20 years after being completed, the rental period on the special clinic has been extended and converted to a sanatorium with 50 beds and an integrated school – quickly, cost-effectively and with minimum hassle while providing maximum benefits.