PREFABRICATION AS A BASIC

MODULE FOR BUILDING

INTRODUCTION
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a
factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete modules or
sub-modules to the construction site where the structure is to be located. The
term prefabrication applies to the manufacturing of things other than
structures at a fixed site.

The conventional method of building a house is to transport bricks, timber,

cement, sand, steel and construction aggregate, etc. to the site, and to
construct the house on site from these materials. In prefabricated construction,
only the foundations are constructed in this way, while sections of walls, floors
and roof are prefabricated (assembled) in a factory (possibly with window and
door frames included), transported to the site, lifted into place by a crane and
bolted together. Prefabrication techniques are used in the construction of
apartment blocks, and housing developments with repeated housing units.
Prefabrication is an essential part of the industrialization of construction.

2
BENEFITS OF USING PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS
Prefabricated buildings provide plenty of benefits for manufacturers, contractors, and end-
users such as –

• Faster On-site Construction – One of the main benefits of manufacturing through a

production line is a faster turn-around. Workers perform their respective tasks repetitively
with defined operational sequences making their actions more efficient than workers in a
conventional construction site. Some of the operations can be automated as well. With
regards to project planning, prefabricated construction is faster since some of the
activities can be done simultaneously. Take site clearing and foundation construction, for
example. Actual construction of walls, roof, floors, and even finishing does not start until
the site is cleared and the foundation fully cured. With prefabrication, some of the
construction can be manufactured off-site while on-site operations are taking place.
Moreover, structural members may be available already due to reuse or transfer. These
are particularly useful for constructing temporary facilities where site activities are desired
to be reduced to a minimum.

3
BENEFITS OF USING PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS
• Reduced Effects of Uncontrolled Factors – These factors are weather, pollution,
and other site restrictions. Weather is one of the major causes of construction
delays since it affects worker productivity and safety. Harsh weather also
accelerates wear and tear of equipment which causes their untimely failure.
Restricted work activities and equipment breakdown can halt the entire
construction. Also, ambient site conditions, along with pollution, can decrease the
quality of work. Concrete curing, painting, and welding are some of the processes
that can be affected. With prefabrication, these external factors can be minimized.
Structural components can be fabricated under more controlled conditions
without being affected by the external environment. Shop welding and precast
concrete manufacturing are some of the methods that are minimally affected by
uncontrolled factors.

4
BENEFITS OF USING PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS
• Higher Quality & Consistency – Since prefabricated components are manufactured in a
controlled environment, it is easier to produce consistent output due to work
familiarization. Repeated operations cause fabricators to have a natural flow of actions
with minimal interruptions. This condition then contributes to enhanced craftsmanship.
Also, operations such as concrete curing and painting can be controlled with
consistency. Mix ratio, curing time, temperature, and moisture can be controlled which
is difficult to achieve on-site. Quality control is less complicated to implement than on-
site construction since the structural components are designed to have repeating
features. It is easier to standardize component dimensions and tolerances. Molds,
formworks, and temporary fasteners are the same for a typical building component that
produces constant dimensions. Also, the quality of a prefabricated building is more
likely to be consistent with other prefabricated buildings constructed at different
locations, provided that they have the same components. This is because the
construction is less affected by local site conditions.

5
BENEFITS OF USING PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS
• Cost Efficiency – Faster on-site construction, reduced risks, and consistent quality
ultimately result in savings. But aside from these, prefabricated buildings are cheaper
because of the efficient utilization of raw materials and bulk production. Prefabricated
building components can be produced in a batch process or a production line. Both of
these processes have a predetermined amount of raw material needed to produce a
particular number of building components. This effectively minimizes raw material
wastage. Bulk production, on the other hand, contributes to cost reduction since it is
cheaper to produce in larger volumes. Lower supplier prices and reduced manpower and
transportation costs by bulk ordering and production all turn into savings.

• Reusability – Some prefabricated buildings are designed to be temporary. These are

preferred in applications requiring temporary working spaces for project-based works such
as construction jobs, remote healthcare services, research, and so on. Prefabricated
buildings can be easily disassembled and transferred to different sites. This functionality
also results in minimal alteration and preservation of the job site.

6
BENEFITS OF USING PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS
• Environment Friendly – This benefit stems from the process‘s efficient raw material
utilization and reusability. Conventional construction not only has more wasted
material, but has temporary components such as formworks, temporary fasteners,
jigs, and fixtures which are discarded after construction. Buildings from on-site
construction are mostly permanent. After its intended use, the building will be
unoccupied until repurposed or demolished. Prefabricated, modular buildings are
easier to be repurposed because of their mobility.

• Safety – Fabrication shops have a more controlled environment than the conditions
on-site. Exposure of workers to safety hazards and threats such as working at
heights, weather, constrained spaces, and adjacent construction operations are
greatly minimized since most of the work is done in fabrication shops. In the
fabrication shop, different construction operations can easily be separated and
ergonomically designed.

7
RISKS AND CHALLENGES IN PREFABRICATION
Prefabricated construction is not always applicable and may cause more drawbacks
instead of gaining the expected benefits. Such as –

• High Capital Cost – Establishing a manufacturing line for a prefabricated building

requires very high capital in comparison with conventional construction. Though
the benefits, in the long run, can outweigh the initial costs, this creates a
perception of the industry being high-risk, high-reward. This makes it difficult for
small investors to enter the market while larger, more established players
continue to widen the gap in competition.

• Issues in Variety and Volume – Some advantages of prefabrication are derived

from the repetitive nature of production. These are only true if there is a
demand. The industry is very broad, with large amounts of special requests and
unique customer requirements. This provides a challenge to the manufacturer,
who must be able to adapt and innovate to create solutions that fit the
customer‘s needs. In addition, the volume of orders can be less than the
breakeven point when stocking a particular style of prefab. This defeats all
economic and time advantages supposedly offered by prefabrication.

8
RISKS AND CHALLENGES IN PREFABRICATION
• More Complex Design Process – Aligning, connecting, and interlocking
the components require additional engineering and planning. The
initiation and design phases of the building require more support from
specialized crafts that have experience in modular fabrication and
assembly. This will lead to higher engineering costs.

• Questions Regarding Performance and Lifespan – Despite

advancements in structural modeling and simulation are improving, it
is still difficult to predict the actual structural response of a
prefabricated building as a whole. There is a lot of uncertainty on their
performance and lifespan. Most of the time, it is difficult to prove
claims of prefabricated component manufacturers without support
from published research. Only actual site performance can determine
the reliability and lifespan of the building. Thus, more research and
case studies are needed to prove the realistic benefits of the method.

9
THANKYOU