Scope of this guide. Published costs, savings and schedules are indicative examples, not a project quotation or guarantee. Compare the same location, specification and scope. Structural supply, civil works, building services, finishes and logistics must be confirmed separately; permit and engineering requirements depend on the site.
In short
- SmartBrix Construction deploys modular camps for oil and gas, mining, military, and construction operations in weeks, and delivers a complete modular project in 60–120 days.
- Interconnectable modules ship flat-packed and optimized for standard containers, with direct export from Panama to Central America and the Caribbean.
- MEP systems arrive pre-integrated from the plant; on site, pier footings are poured, modules are set, and only utility connections are made.
- When the operation closes, the camp is dismantled and reused at the next site, which lowers total cost compared with building anew on every site.
- SmartBrix does not publish prices for its modular line; it quotes each camp by scope, based on headcount, uses, and location.
SmartBrix Construction deploys modular camps for oil and gas, mining, military, and construction operations in weeks. Its interconnectable modules ship flat-packed, arrive with MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) systems pre-integrated at the plant, and are dry-assembled on site. A complete modular project is delivered in 60–120 days. When the operation closes, the camp is dismantled and moved to the next site.
This buyer’s guide is for operations, logistics, and procurement managers at oil and gas operators, mining companies, contractors, and defense agencies. It explains how a flat-pack module differs from a converted shipping container and how to plan logistics to a remote site. It also covers what pre-integrated MEP includes, how to compare cost per cycle of use, and what to send for a quote.
Four uses: oil and gas, mining, military, and job sites
SmartBrix configures its interconnectable modules to each operation. The four most requested uses share one requirement: complete facilities from mobilization, in places with no existing infrastructure.
- Oil and gas camps. Workforce housing, dining halls, offices, and laboratories for drilling campaigns and field operations, where every day without facilities means crews without housing and equipment sitting idle.
- Mining camps. Housing, dining halls, common areas, and laboratories for remote operations, with flat-pack container logistics to hard-to-reach sites.
- Military bases and camps. Rapid deployment and dry assembly, with modules that can be expanded or relocated as the operation changes.
- Site and corporate offices. Job-site offices, sales offices, and temporary headquarters set up in weeks, expandable and reusable on the next project.
The same modules can also be configured as clinics, classrooms, and mobile laboratories, so the operation’s support facilities fit under one contract. See the applications on the offices and camps page.
A camp also does not have to be deployed in full on day one. Because the modules are interconnectable, dormitories, dining halls, offices, and laboratories combine and expand module by module as the operation grows. In practice, a project can start with a minimum core of housing, a dining hall, and an office, then add modules as the crew grows or the project moves to its next phase. That is worth defining in the quote: state both the initial capacity and the maximum capacity you expect to need.
Flat-pack module, converted container, or site-built camp
Camp buyers usually compare three options, summarized in the table below. Only the SmartBrix column uses published data; the other two describe general traits that vary by supplier and site.
| Criterion | SmartBrix flat-pack module | Converted shipping container | Site-built camp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Weeks; complete modular project in 60–120 days | Depends on how much each container is modified (cutouts, insulation, building systems) | Depends on material hauling, local labor, and weather |
| Transport | Flat-packed and optimized for standard containers, with direct export from Panama | Each unit ships assembled, at its full volume | Loose materials hauled to the site |
| Relocation | Disconnected, dismantled, and moved to the next site | Moved as a complete unit, lifting and hauling its full volume | Usually not relocated; demolished or left in place at closeout |
| MEP | Pre-integrated at the factory; only utility connections on site (RETIE in Colombia) | Fitted unit by unit, depending on the conversion | Installed on site |
| Permanence | Temporary or permanent, with several cycles of use | Depends on the conversion and maintenance | Usually permanent |
| Waste | Up to 30% less construction waste; dry assembly | Depends on the extent of modification | Depends on the building system; wet construction leaves more debris on site |
| Design basis | NSR-10, REP-2021, or IBC, depending on the jurisdiction | Depends on the supplier and jurisdiction | Depends on the project and jurisdiction |
The underlying difference is design intent. A flat-pack module is designed from the start to ship flat-packed and be dry-assembled, while a converted container starts as a cargo box that is modified afterward. For operations that move several times, shipping volume and ease of dismantling matter as much as the purchase price.
Logistics to remote sites and export from Panama
The modules are factory-built with panels, finishes, and integrated building systems, and ship flat-packed and optimized for standard containers, which means more modules per shipment and workable logistics to remote sites.
From Panama, SmartBrix exports directly to Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala) and the Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Curaçao, Aruba, Trinidad, and Jamaica), and serves Colombia from its Bogotá office. Coverage is confirmed for each location, and import treatment is decided by the destination customs.
Before shipping, settle four site logistics points:
- Access: route, bridges, and load restrictions up to the assembly point.
- Lifting: equipment available to unload the modules and set them on the footings.
- Foundations: leveled pier footings, defined from the geotechnical report or site conditions.
- Utilities: whether the systems connect to an existing utility supply or to the camp’s own power, water, and wastewater systems.
These four points belong in the plan before the first container leaves the plant. Modules that reach a site without a leveled grid of pier footings, lifting equipment, or a defined utility connection wait on site. That wait uses up the time the flat-pack format was meant to save.
For operations in Guyana and other markets where PEB Corp coordinates engineering and export, see PEB Corp’s guide to steel warehouses for oil and gas in Guyana.
Pre-integrated MEP and dry assembly
In a SmartBrix modular camp, the MEP comes pre-integrated: mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems are installed and tested at the factory before dispatch, together with panels and finishes. On site, the systems are connected to the utility supply or to the camp’s own systems, and in Colombia electrical systems comply with RETIE.
On-site assembly follows the eight-step process SmartBrix publishes for its modular line, which includes the finishes and connections completed in the field:
- Pier footings: leveled footings under each module.
- Structural assembly: erection of each module’s steel structure.
- Module setting: lifting and placing modules on the footings.
- Exterior finishes: enclosure and building envelope.
- Interior finishes: interior walls, floors, and ceilings.
- Panels and partitions: installed per the project layout.
- Electrical systems: connection and testing of electrical circuits.
- Plumbing systems: connection of plumbing lines and fixtures.
Apart from the pier footings, assembly is dry: it does not wait for concrete to cure, and it generates up to 30% less construction waste. The modular process is also up to 90% faster than traditional construction. Each camp is designed to the code of its jurisdiction: NSR-10 in Colombia, REP-2021 in Panama, and IBC where applicable. The full system is explained on the modular construction page.
Relocation and reuse: the camp’s cost per cycle
A camp’s life does not end with the operation. Because assembly is dry, the modules are disconnected, dismantled, and shipped flat-packed in standard containers to the next project when the operation closes. The same asset serves several operations and lowers total cost compared with building anew on every site.
The useful comparison is therefore cost per cycle of use, not purchase price. To run it with your own numbers, separate two groups of costs:
- Initial investment: supply of the modules with pre-integrated MEP.
- Costs in every cycle: transport to the site, pier footings, assembly and interconnection, operation and periodic maintenance, and disconnection and dismantling at closeout.
Then add the initial investment to the costs of every planned cycle, and divide that total by the number of operations you expect the same camp to serve. The modules are designed for several cycles of use with periodic maintenance. A converted container or a site-built camp may carry a different upfront price, but the math changes once you add the moves, the demolition, and the days without facilities at each new site.
What to send for a quote
SmartBrix does not publish prices for its modular line; each camp is quoted by scope. With these inputs, the team prepares a comparable technical proposal:
- Headcount the camp must house or serve, and the shift pattern.
- Initial and maximum capacity: the modules needed to start operating and the growth expected by phase.
- Required uses: dormitories, dining halls, offices, laboratories, restrooms, or clinics.
- Location and access: country, municipality or coordinates, and road conditions to the site.
- Expected duration of the operation and the number of planned moves.
- Available utilities: existing connections, or the need for the camp’s own power, water, and wastewater systems.
- Required operating date and site constraints (security, working hours, and site permits).
If your company already has a contractor and only needs steel for a permanent structure, NewCon Steel® supplies cold-formed profiles and pre-assembled structural panels; erection is then the responsibility of the contractor the buyer appoints. If the operation also needs permanent buildings, such as warehouses or workshops, SmartBrix’s primary line is steel framing.
Oil, mining, and military camps are part of the experience behind the modular line, alongside more than 350 PEB Corp Group projects executed by SmartBrix Construction over 15+ years; documented cases are in the project portfolio. For operations in Colombia, see SmartBrix in Colombia; for Central America and the Caribbean, see SmartBrix in Panama.
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