How to Plan a Modular Worker Accommodation Camp for 100–500 Workers

Quick Answer

Why the Planning Sequence Matters More Than the Unit Price

Most camp projects that run late do not run late because the units were expensive. They run late because the site was zoned after the order was placed, the ablution ratio was guessed, or the power load was calculated after the generator arrived. A camp is a small town with a fixed opening date; the unit is only one line in the programme.

The sequence below is the one we use when a client sends a worker count and a site plan. It works for 100 workers in Chile and for 500 workers in a mining province, because the ratios scale.

Step 1 - Fix Occupancy, Shift Pattern and Unit Mix

Start with the number of beds, not the number of workers. A 100-worker camp on a single day shift needs 100 beds. A camp on a two-shift rotation with overlapping crews may need 140 beds for the same headcount, because shift A is sleeping while shift B is working.

Then decide the unit mix. A standard 20ft dormitory unit accommodates four workers in two bunk beds with lockers, which keeps density comfortable and simplifies fire egress. Larger units are possible, but four per unit is the configuration most camps settle on because it balances cost per bed against privacy and supervision.

Treat these as planning baselines, then adjust for client standards. Oil and gas operators often specify two-person rooms; some public works contracts require a bed space minimum per person that changes the unit count by 20–30%.

Step 2 - Build the Space Programme

A camp needs more than beds. The space programme should list every function and the area it consumes, because that list becomes the site layout and, later, the drawing set.

Sleeping: about 14.8 m2 per 20ft unit, four beds, lockers, window and door.

Ablution: showers, WCs, urinals and laundry; typically 40–55 m2 per block serving 40–50 workers.

Dining and mess: 1.0–1.2 m2 per seat, with kitchen, cold store and dishwash separated from the dining area.

Welfare and administration: site office, first aid room, induction room, meeting room, security gatehouse.

Support: generator and fuel bund, water storage, sewage treatment or holding tanks, waste compound, laydown area for spare panels.

Add circulation: allow 1.5–2.0 m between unit rows for egress and maintenance access, and a 6 m primary access road that fire appliances can use. On a 100-worker camp this typically lands at 3,000–4,000 m2 of fenced site; at 500 workers, 12,000–16,000 m2 depending on density and whether mess and ablution are centralised.

Step 3 - Zone the Site Before You Order

Zoning is a risk decision as much as a planning one. Sleeping blocks should be separated from the generator, fuel store, workshop and kitchen exhaust; the mess should be within a short walk of every dormitory but not inside the sleeping zone; ablution blocks should be distributed so no worker walks more than about 100 m at night.

Draw four zones on the site plan: sleeping, welfare (mess, ablution, laundry), technical (power, water, sewage, waste) and logistics (gate, laydown, parking, loading). Then place units. If a unit cannot be placed without crossing another zone, the layout is wrong - not the unit.

Access matters as much as placement. Every unit needs a route for a small delivery vehicle or a pallet truck during assembly, and every row needs egress at both ends. Camps that ignore this end up assembling units by hand over long distances, which is the single most common cause of installation delays.

Step 4 - Size Power, Water and Waste

Utilities are where budgets quietly break. Estimate them early, with clear assumptions, and size for peak rather than average.

Two design notes. First, put the generator and fuel store downwind and at least 30 m from sleeping units, with a bunded fuel area. Second, decide sewage strategy before you pour foundations: a holding tank needs road access for vacuum trucks, while a package treatment plant needs power, a blower and an operator. Neither can be retrofitted cheaply once units are assembled.

Step 5 - Design Fire Access and Egress

Container camps are low-rise and non-combustible in structure, but the contents - mattresses, bedding, clothing, cooking - are not. Fire planning should cover three things: separation between unit rows, egress from every unit to open ground, and access for a fire appliance to within hose distance of every block.

Keep a minimum 1.5–2.0 m gap between adjacent units and 8–10 m between blocks where local codes require it.

Ensure every dormitory unit has a door that opens directly to the outside, not into an enclosed corridor.

Provide a 6 m access road with a turning area, and keep it clear of laydown materials.

Locate fire points and extinguishers at block entrances and at the mess and generator.

Confirm the local code with your consultant before finalising layout. Requirements differ by country and by client, and the cost of moving units after assembly is far higher than moving them on paper.

Step 6 - Choose the Foundation and Climate Specification

Flat pack units are light - roughly 1.2–1.8 tonnes for a standard 20ft module - so foundations are simpler than for masonry, but they must be level and continuous. Options include concrete strip footings or plinths, a reinforced slab, screw piles and ground screws. On graded ground, screw piles are fastest and remove the curing period; on rock or on permafrost, the detail changes entirely and should be engineered.

Level tolerance matters: a unit assembled on an out-of-level base will show door misalignment and panel joint gaps that no amount of sealant fixes. Specify a tolerance of ±5 mm across the footprint and check it before offloading.

Climate specification follows the destination. Use 50 mm panels in temperate conditions, 75 mm for year-round occupancy in hot or cold regions, and 100 mm where temperatures are extreme or the unit is noise-sensitive. In coastal or humid locations, specify corrosion protection and a vapour-control detail; in desert locations, specify solar shading and high-albedo roof finishes.

Step 7 - Plan Delivery Before Production

Work backwards from the site: port of discharge, inland transport, road restrictions, site gate width and laydown area. A 40ft HQ container needs a clear route and a hardstanding to be unloaded; on remote sites this is often the constraint that dictates the delivery method, not the factory schedule.

For a 100-worker camp, expect about 8 containers of flat pack components (29 units at four per container, plus structure for ablution and mess). For 500 workers, about 36 containers. Deliver in waves that match the assembly sequence - dormitories first, welfare next - so the site is not storing 30 containers of panels while the foundation is still curing.

Standard production lead time is about 15 days after drawing confirmation, with capacity of up to 300 modular units and 400 container conversions per month. For large programmes, production is phased against your delivery window and confirmed in writing with the quotation.

Step 8 - Sequence Assembly and Phase the Camp

Assembly is fast if the sequence is right: set out and check the base, place frames, fit floor, erect wall panels, fit roof, install doors and windows, then connect electrics and plumbing. Two workers complete one standard unit in about 2–3 hours with hand tools, and a trained crew of six can sustain 8–12 units per day on a prepared base.

Phase the camp so it becomes usable early. A common sequence is: security and site office first, then the first dormitory block and one ablution block, then the remainder. This lets the client move a small advance team on site while the rest of the camp is assembled - which is often what makes the overall programme achievable.

Step 9 - Plan Operations and Maintenance

A camp is a five- to ten-year asset in most projects. Plan for spare panels, doors, windows and light fittings, and keep a small maintenance store. Check door seals and roof joints after the first storm, clean gutters and drainage, and touch up coating damage before corrosion starts. With routine maintenance, our units carry a 20+ year service life.

What Drives Cost - and What Does Not

Cost is driven by bed count, ablution ratio, climate specification, foundation type and site access - not by the colour of the panels. The cheapest decisions to change are insulation thickness at drawing stage and foundation type at planning stage. The most expensive decision is ordering units before the layout is fixed, because every later change is a site change.

Project Experience

We have supplied camp programmes in Chile, Peru and Uruguay on repeat orders, multi-unit accommodation and office projects in Slovakia and Spain, and design and installation support for the Maldives Faresmathoda Airport project (2021–2022), which passed government inspection and is in operation. More than 70% of our orders come from repeat customers and referrals.

Image Plan (use your own factory and project photos; replace each slot)

Related Pages

• Accommodation containers - dormitory and camp unit specifications (`https://www.ftprefabhouse.com/container-house/accommodation-container/`)
• Container ablution blocks - shower, toilet and laundry blocks (`https://www.ftprefabhouse.com/container-house/container-ablution/`)
• Prefab container house range - flat pack models, packing and lead times (`https://www.ftprefabhouse.com/container-house/prefab-container-house/`)
• Container house manufacturer - factory capacity and export record (`https://www.ftprefabhouse.com/container-house/`)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many workers can one container house accommodate?

A standard 20ft dormitory unit accommodates four workers in two bunk beds with lockers. Larger configurations are possible, but four per unit is the most common balance of cost per bed, privacy and egress.

How much land does a 100-worker camp need?

Typically 3,000–4,000 m2 of fenced site including circulation, ablution, mess, utilities and laydown. Density and local fire separation requirements move that figure by 20–30%.

How long does it take to build a 100-worker camp?

With foundations prepared, a trained crew can assemble 8–12 units per day, so 29 units take roughly three to four working days of assembly. Production lead time is about 15 days after drawing confirmation, and shipping depends on destination.

Do container camps need air conditioning?

In hot climates, yes for sleeping units - typically a split unit per dormitory. That load must be included in the generator sizing, which is why electrical demand is calculated before the camp layout is fixed.

Can the camp be dismantled and moved to another site?

Yes. Flat pack units dismantle into panels and frames and can be repacked several units per container, which is why mining and construction clients redeploy camps between sites rather than writing them off.

Send Us Your Project Requirement

FoToon Housing Service is the export brand of Hangzhou Fengtu Import & Export Co., Ltd., a container building manufacturer with a 15,000 m2 factory in Jiashan, Zhejiang, China, operating since 2007. Send your layout, worker count or drawings and our engineers will reply with production drawings, a specification-based quotation and a production schedule.

Email: stevexue@ftprefabhouse.com | WhatsApp: +86 186 6716 0915

Hangzhou Fengtu Import & Export Co., Ltd. - 15,000 m2 factory, Jiashan, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China. ISO 14001:2015 Certificate No. 21624E8410R0S.