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Prefabricated Building

1. Prefabrication involves assembling components of a structure in a factory and transporting complete assemblies to the construction site, rather than transporting basic materials. 2. Prefabricated concrete and steel sections are widely used in structures where a part is repeated many times due to difficulties constructing formwork and transporting wet concrete on-site. 3. Off-site fabrication incorporates prefabrication and pre-assembly, with the design and manufacture of units or modules remotely and installation on-site to form the permanent works.

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159 views4 pages

Prefabricated Building

1. Prefabrication involves assembling components of a structure in a factory and transporting complete assemblies to the construction site, rather than transporting basic materials. 2. Prefabricated concrete and steel sections are widely used in structures where a part is repeated many times due to difficulties constructing formwork and transporting wet concrete on-site. 3. Off-site fabrication incorporates prefabrication and pre-assembly, with the design and manufacture of units or modules remotely and installation on-site to form the permanent works.

Uploaded by

Amulie Jarjusey
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Prefabricated building

Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or


other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to
the construction site where the structure is to be located. The term is used to distinguish this process
from the more conventional construction practice of transporting the basic materials to the
construction site where all assembly is carried out.
The term prefabrication also applies to the manufacturing of things other than structures at a fixed
site. It is frequently used when fabrication of a section of a machine or any movable structure is
shifted from the main manufacturing site to another location, and the section is supplied assembled
and ready to fit. It is not generally used to refer to electrical or electronic components of a machine,
or mechanical parts such as pumps, gearboxes and compressors which are usually supplied as
separate items, but to sections of the body of the machine which in the past were fabricated with the
whole machine. Prefabricated parts of the body of the machine may be called 'sub-assemblies' to
distinguish them from the other components.

Current uses[edit]

A house being built with prefabricated concrete panels.

The most widely used form of prefabrication in building and civil engineering is the use of
prefabricated concrete and prefabricated steelsections in structures where a particular part or form is
repeated many times. It can be difficult to construct the formwork required to mouldconcrete
components on site, and delivering wet concrete to the site before it starts to set requires precise
time management. Pouring concrete sections in a factory brings the advantages of being able to re-
use moulds and the concrete can be mixed on the spot without having to be transported to and
pumped wet on a congested construction site. Prefabricating steel sections reduces on-site cutting
and welding costs as well as the associated hazards.

Advantages[edit]

1. Moving partial assemblies from a factory often costs less than moving pre-production
resources to each site
2. Deploying resources on-site can add costs; prefabricating assemblies can save costs by
reducing on-site work
3. Factory tools - jigs, cranes, conveyors, etc. - can make production faster and more precise

4. Factory tools - shake tables, hydraulic testers, etc. - can offer added quality assurance

5. Consistent indoor environments of factories eliminate most impacts of weather on production

6. Cranes and reusable factory supports can allow shapes and sequences without expensive
on-site falsework

7. Higher-precision factory tools can aid more controlled movement of building heat & air, for
lower energy consumption and healthier buildings

8. Factory production can facilitate more optimal materials usage, recycling, noise capture, dust
capture, etc.

9. Machine-mediated parts movement, and freedom from wind & rain can improve construction
safety

Disadvantages[edit]

1. Transportation costs may be higher for voluminous prefabricated sections than for their
constituent materials, which can often be packed more densely.
2. Large prefabricated sections may require heavy-duty cranes and precision measurement
and handling to place in position.

Off-site fabrication[edit]
Off-Site fabrication is a process that incorporates prefabrication and pre-assembly. The process
involves the design and manufacture of units or modules, usually remote from the work site, and
the installation at the site to form the permanent works at the site. In its fullest sense, off-site
fabrication requires a project strategy that will change the orientation of the project process from
construction to manufacture to installation. Examples of off-site fabrication are wall panels for
homes, wooden truss bridge spans, airport control stations.
There are 4 main categories of Off-Site fabrication, which is often also referred to as Off-Site
Construction. These can be described as component (or sub-assembly) systems, penalised
systems, volumetric systems, and modular systems. Below these categories different branches, or
technologies are being developed. There are a vast number of different systems on the market
which fall into these categories and with recent advances in digital design such as Building
Information Modelling (BIM), the task of integrating these different systems into a construction
project is becoming increasingly a "digital" management proposition.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Construction of a prefabricated modular house (Click here for a time-lapse video)

A prefabricated building, informally a prefab, is a building that is manufactured and constructed


using prefabrication. It consists of factory-made components or units that are transported and
assembled on-site to form the complete building.

Prefabs and the modernist movement[edit]


Architects are incorporating modern designs into the prefabricated houses of today. Prefab housing
should no longer be compared to a mobile home in terms of appearance, but to that of a complex
modernist design.[14] There has also been an increase in the use of "green" materials in the
construction of these prefab houses. Consumers can easily select between different environmentally
friendly finishes and wall systems. Since these homes are built in parts, it is easy for a home owner
to add additional rooms or even solar panels to the roofs. Many prefab houses can be customized to
the client's specific location and climate, making prefab homes much more flexible and modern than
before.
There is a zeitgeist in architectural circles and the spirit of the age favors the small carbon footprint
of "prefab." Eminent amongst the new breed of off the shelf luxury modernist products is the
perrinepod,[15] which has found favor worldwide for its green credentials and three-day build time.

Prefabricated housing[edit]

Uninhabited prefabricated council houses in Seacroft, Leeds, UK

Prefabricated may refer to buildings built in components (e.g. panels), modules (modular homes) or
transportable sections (manufactured homes), and may also be used to refer to mobile homes, i.e.,
houses on wheels. Although similar, the methods and design of the three vary widely. There are two-
level home plans, as well as custom home plans. There are considerable differences in the
construction types. In the U.S., mobile and manufactured houses are constructed in accordance
with HUD building codes, while modular houses are constructed in accordance with the IBC
(International Building Code).

Modular homes are created in sections, and then transported to the home site for
construction and installation. These are typically installed and treated like a regular house, for
financing, appraisal and construction purposes, and are usually the most expensive of the three.
Although the sections of the house are prefabricated, the sections, or modules, are put together
at the construction much like a typical home. Manufactured homes, once placed on a permanent
foundation, are considered the same as modular or site build homes for appraisal purposes.
Manufactured homes are built onto steel beams, and are transported in complete sections to
the home site, where they are assembled. Wheels, hitch and axles are removed on site when
the home is placed on a permanent foundation.

Mobile homes, or trailers, are built on wheels, that can be pulled by a vehicle. They are
considered to be personal property, and are licensed by the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. "Tiny
homes", which are gaining in popularity, are within this category. They must be built to the DMV
code, and pass inspection for licensing.

Mobile homes and manufactured homes can be placed in mobile home parks, and manufactured
homes can also be placed on private land, unless the land is within a subdivision whose CC&Rs
prohibit manufactured housing.

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