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Prefabricated Building Construction & Material - VI
School of Architecture – (GCET) Safapora
Components Ar. Sher Ali
Overview of Prefabricated Buildings
• Prefabricated buildings, or prefabs, are buildings with components (walls,
roof, and floor) that are manufactured in a factory or manufacturing plant.
• These components can be fully or partially assembled in a factory which is
then transferred at the construction site.
• This method of building construction is preferred due to its cost efficiency,
fast turnaround, and reusability.
• Common applications of prefabricated buildings are
• Temporary construction facilities
• Office spaces,
• Medical camps,
• Evacuation centers,
• Schools,
• Apartment blocks, and
• Single-detached houses.
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History of Prefabricated Buildings
• There are several recorded prefabricated buildings constructed throughout history which
can be traced back to nomadic times when people were migrating to discover new lands.
• The method was only extensively developed starting in the 20th century. During the first
and second world war, available labour for construction was reduced since men were
mostly needed for the manufacture of war goods.
• This led to housing shortages that endured until the post-war era. Alternative methods of
housing construction were considered to meet the demand. However, due to high initial
costs and specialized labour required, the business has a higher risk than conventional
construction.
• Housings produced through prefabrication have several defects and problems which
ended up in governments compensating owners who unknowingly purchased housings
with defects.
• A notable event that further depressed the acceptance of prefabrication was the collapse
of a 21-story prefabricated tower block, known as the Ronan Point, in 1968.
Ronan Point
• Ronan Point was a 22-storey tower
block, named after Deputy Mayor
Harry Ronan (a former Chairman of
the Housing Committee of the
London Borough of Newham), was
part of the wave of tower blocks
built in the 1960s as cheap,
affordable prefabricated
housing for inhabitants of West
Ham and other areas of London.
• The tower collapsed partly on 16
May 1968, only two months after it
had opened. A gas explosion blew
out some load-bearing walls,
causing the collapse of one entire
corner of the building; four people
died and 17 were injured.
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Building Information
Modeling
• Due to developments and
standardization of construction and
manufacturing methods, coupled with
the growing need for housing and office
spaces, prefabricated buildings are
being innovated continuously in place of
conventional construction.
• The emergence of modeling tools and
processes such as BIM (Building
Information Modeling) helps architects,
engineers, and contractors by digitally
representing the characteristics of the
structure. BIM enables effective
management of the assembly on-site,
which reduces business risks associated
with prefabricated construction
Benefits of Using Prefabricated Buildings
• Prefabricated buildings provide plenty of benefits for manufacturers,
contractors, and end-users.
• The idea of dividing activities on- and off-site enables greater
flexibility on the project schedule and costing, provided that the
planners have effective project management capabilities.
• Off-site fabrication also brings the advantages seen in optimized
assembly lines. With regards to market opportunities, prefabricated
buildings will ride the trend of eco-friendly or green sustainability.
• Market share of the industry, both residential and non-residential, is
expected to rise in the following years.
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Benefits of Using Prefabricated
Buildings
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.
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.
Higher Quality and Consistency
• Since prefabricated components are manufactured in a controlled environment, it is easier to produce
consistent output due to work familiarization. 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.
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.
• 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.
Benefits of Using Prefabricated
Buildings
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
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.
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Different Prefabricated Constructions
• Components
• Components include construction elements such as windows, doors, and
trusses, which in itself are not a complete panel. Among the prefabricated
materials, these have the least amount of off-site assembly, but usage is
more flexible since they can be placed and installed according to actual site
conditions.
Panels
• Prefabricated panels are two-dimensional components
that are put together on-site to form a building. They
require more on-site work than modular prefabricated
buildings.
• Panels can be supplied as bare structural frameworks
in which the additional components can be later
added on-site. There are different types of
prefabricated panels which vary according to material
and form.
Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs):
• This type of panel consists of two structural facings
with a layer of insulating material sandwiched in-
between. The two structural facings or boards can be
metal sheets, plywood, and cement.
• The insulating material can be polymer foams such as
expanded polyurethane and polystyrene foams. These
are manufactured either by gluing the three pieces
with strong adhesives or by letting the foam expand
and cure while being formed in between the facings. In
both processes, the facings are clamped together.
Pressure and temperature are applied until the
adhesive or foam has cured.
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Panels
• Insulated Precast Concrete Panels:
• The construction of insulated precast
concrete panels is similar to SIPs where an
insulating material is bounded by two
structural facings.
• In this type, the facings are concrete layers,
called wythes. These wythes are usually pre-
stressed to achieve higher structural
performance. The insulation is a rigid
material with proprietary designs.
• All three components are rigid and can act as
load-bearing members, they can be
combined and separated depending on the
intended function. The connection between
the wythes can be stiff, sliding, or deflecting.
• Fully composite panels are rigidly connected
which makes them able to resist higher loads.
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Panels
• Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs):
• This type of panel uses rigid insulating materials as
permanent formworks for creating reinforced concrete
walls.
• The formworks, along with the ties and other
supporting elements, are prefabricated and installed
on-site. They can be made as modular units that can
interlock together to form a building.
• Ready-mix concrete is poured on-site creating a
permanent wall. Afterward, finishes and cladding
systems can be directly applied to the insulating
material.
• Though the structure is not completely prefabricated,
the time and labour spent are mostly off-site. Most
ICFs offer better performance than other panels since
the main load-bearing structure is steel-reinforced
concrete.
• Due to its monolithic construction, they are stronger
and more resistant to moisture penetration.
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Panels
Timber Frame Panels:
• This type of prefabricated panels are timber
stud walls with plywood or proprietary
facings attached to either side of the walls.
• Insulating materials are then fitted with
insulation.
• Access for utilities such as cable conduits and
piping is easier to install compared to other
panels.
• Timber frame panels are cheaper, but the
downsides are its weaker load-bearing
strength, poor sound resistance, and
susceptibility to biological attacks such as
mold and termites. Chemical preservatives,
fungicides, and insecticides are added to
prevent such biological attacks.
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Panels
Lightweight Steel Frame Panels
• In this type, the main load-bearing members'
studs are made of cold-formed steel, usually
C-sections. They are assembled by welding,
bolting, or other fastening methods.
• Facings and insulation materials are added
such as gypsum board, stone wool, oriented
strand boards (OSB), and expanded
polystyrene foams (EPS).
• The insulation can be placed within the
thickness of the steel or outside of the steel
framing.
• Lightweight steel frames have a higher
strength-to-weight ratio than other panels,
but its capacity is only limited to resist mostly
static loads and some lateral loads such as
wind and earthquake.
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Modules
• Prefabricated modules are three-dimensional in construction usually made
up of four shop-assembled panels.
• Several modules are placed adjacent or on top of each other which forms
the whole building.
• Modules are connected by inter-module connections which are bolted on-
site.
• The term modular buildings are synonymous with prefabricated buildings
because it is the most popular among all types. All advantages of a
prefabricated building are seen in a modular building.
• A single module can be the complete building itself with minimal site works
required. There are different types of modular buildings according to their
form of construction.
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Modules
Four-sided Modules:
• This type of module is manufactured
with four closed sides creating a
cellular space.
• The panel frames are load-bearing
which can transfer both vertical and
lateral loads.
• The maximum height for this form is
typically 6 to 10 stories, depending on
site conditions.
• Applications for four-sided modules
are hotels, small residential buildings,
housing compounds, and dormitories.
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Modules
Partially Open-sided Modules:
• This module consists of one or more walls
made up of an assembly of panels that do
not completely span the entirety of the
wall.
• The partitions are open which can serve
as accessways or corridors that connect
adjacent modules.
• Edges of the partially open sides have
corners or intermediate columns or posts
that transfer the vertical load as a
replacement for the load-bearing panel.
• Typical height and applications for this
form are the same as that of the four-
sided modules.
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Modules
Open-sided Modules:
• This module consists of one or two sides
that are designed to be fully open.
• The long sides are usually removed so
that by attaching to other adjacent open-
sided modules a larger space is created.
• The loads are transferred to the corner
posts which are connected to the edge
beams by gusset plates and bracings.
Since open-sided modules have lesser
load-bearing members, they are not
applicable for creating tall buildings.
• The typical height of this type of form is
about two to three stories. Applications
for these modules are hospitals and
schools.
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Hot Rolled Steel
• Hot rolled steel is easier to make, to shape and form. It has its source
in a mill process involving rolling the steel at high temperature.
• It starts from a piece of still billet which is heated up 1700 degrees
Fahrenheit (926° Celsius) and then the steel is rolled through the mill
into the particular shape.
• The whole process is done at high temperature and at the end is
being cooled down. The cooling down may cause the steel to shrink
and therefore there is less control over the final size and shape.
• Hot rolled steel is commonly used when precise shapes and
tolerances are not essential.
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Advantages – Hot Rolled Steel
• Advantages
• – Easier to make: heat it up, push through, cool down
– Cheaper than cold rolled
– Hot rolled steel is allowed to cool at room temperature and it’s free from
internal stresses that can arise from quenching or work-hardening
processes
– Most popular shapes are hot-rolled (UC, UB, SHS, RHS, PFC, flats etc.)
• Disadvantages
• – dimensional imperfections caused by heating (expanding) and cooling
down (shrink, warpage)
– rough texture on a surface, need to be removed and buffed before
painting
– Slight distortions
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Cold Rolled Steel
• While hot rolled steel is heated then cooled, cold rolled steel is heated and
cooled at the room temperature and then rolled after again.
• The steel is processed further in cold reduction mills, where the material is
cooled (at the room temperature) followed by forming the material by
either press-braking or cold roll forming to achieve the desired shape.
• The term “rolled” is often used just to describe a range of finishing
processes such as turning, grinding, and polishing, each of which modifies
existing hot rolled stock into a more refined product.
• Technically, “cold rolled” applies only to sheets that undergo compression
between rollers. But forms like bars or tubes are “drawn” not rolled.
• Hot rolled bars and tubes once cooled, are processed into what we call
“cold finished” tubes and bars.
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Advantages / Disadvantages
• Advantages
– accurate shape (consistent and straight)
– a wider range of surface finishes
– a smooth and shinier surface
– bars are true and square and have well-defined edges and corners
– Tubes have better concentric uniformity and straightness.
• Disadvantages
– more expensive
– fewer shapes available cold-rolled (sheets, box section shapes: CHS,
SHS, RHS)
– additional treatments can create internal stress within the material;
this can cause unpredictable warping if the steel is not stress relieved
prior to cutting, grinding, or welding.
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References
• https://www.iqsdirectory.com/articles/modular-
building/prefabricated-building.html
• https://www.buildersmart.in/blogs/upvc-doors-and-windows/
• https://www.home.crs/contractors/detail/prefab-panels-for-quality-
and-consistency
• https://www.base-4.com/stack-your-next-hotel/
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