Essential Benefits of Prefabrication | Prefabricated Building Construction

Defining Prefabrication

Prefabrication is the process of collating individual structural parts in a factory or other manufacturing site and then shipping the finished assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure will be placed. The term “prefabrication” is slowly replacing the conventional building construction process of bringing the raw materials to the construction site to assemble and install.

The technique minimizes construction costs by saving labor charges, materials, and time. Prefabricated pieces refer to doors, staircases, windows, walls, floor panels, roof trusses, and even the whole buildings.

Process of Prefabrication

The prefabrication process is way more accessible and more efficient than the traditional construction process. The process is defined as two main stages: Manufacturing and Erection. However, multiple stages exist to complete the entire process.

CASTING: Precast components like cement concrete are casted in a controlled factory environment by pouring them into the moulds to provide the specified shapes and sizes. A vibrator is used to remove any honeycombing within the concrete component.

CURING: The casting process takes 24 hours. The components are then released from the moulds to be transported to the curing tank to enhance the strength of those components.

TRANSPORTATION: Once the precast concrete components are ready these are transported to the construction site. Manufacturers and suppliers must have to be cautious while transporting the components. They must be sure about the road map through which the transportation will take place. This stage is one of the crucial stages of prefabrication. A mistake during this stage may lead to more expenses and delays in the schedule.

ERECTION: The transported prefabricated components are then assembled and installed for erection by cranes and skilled laborers.

What is Prefabricated Material?

Prefabricated building materials are used to manufacture building components off-site and transported later for erection. Various materials are used in prefab buildings according to the type, size, and location of the building.

Concrete: Concrete has a long history of use as a building material. However, precast concrete buildings are taken into consideration due to their additional benefits. By using moulds, it is possible to create strong structures with incredibly detailed profiles. Precast concrete panels can also be utilized as the building components for huge multi-story structures. The materials themselves are designed to achieve precise specifications, including temperature stability and lightweight like the concrete formulations that can float on water. Concrete is made more sustainable by adding additives like graphene oxide to it.

Wood: Another material that is frequently used in prefab buildings is wood. Woods are utilized in their current state, as "heavy timber," which is used to prepare the building components like columns and beams, and, "mass timber," combined with other wood and materials is used for panel systems. Even though wood's fire resistance can be the subject of concern, wood systems are constructed in such a way that they have strong fire resistance because of the ablative char that develops while firing exposure. Bamboo is a common wood building material for a prefab building facility. Additionally, engineered wood also be used for prefabrication, which contains good material qualities, even on par with steel. Glued laminated lumber (GLULAM), cross-laminated wood (CLT), and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) are a few examples of these wood products.

Steel: For modular buildings, steel is a usual building material that is used for the flooring, walls, and support frames (columns and I-beams). While adjusting shipping containers, steels are utilized in the conjunction with other materials or with the bulk of the building materials. According to research, steel building facility constructions can be erected up to ten stories high.

Steel has benefits, such as easy transportation process, lightweight, and the capacity to be recycled.

Glass: Glass is shaped to fit many different building requirements. Heat-strengthened glass, wire glass, Tempered glass, and laminated glass are just a few varieties of glass used in construction. Insulation, high strength, recyclable, distinct visual appearance, chemical, and fire resistance are all beneficial properties of glass prefabricated buildings.

Recycled & reclaimed materials: Some of the usual prefab recyclable building materials are steel, concrete, and gypsum wallboard. Other materials including ceiling tiles, plastics, ceramic, cellulose insulation, porcelain tiles, fiberglass insulation, etc. are also utilized for building prefabricated homes.

What are the types of Prefabrication?

The prefabrication process is segregated into two primary categories: volumetric or, modular and panelized. Concrete, wood, and, steel, are all used for both of these prefabrication construction processes, and they can even be combined.

Volumetric or, Modular Construction: The modular buildings are constructed in factories, under a controlled manufacturing unit. The house is built in discrete box-like modules that are delivered and assembled on site. These modules contain attached walls, ceilings, floors, plumbing, wiring, interior fixtures, and other required building components. Compared to panelized buildings, this is often a more economical choice.

Panelized Construction: As the name indicates “panelized construction” is preparing the panel of structural elements of a home, such as a wall panel, roof panel, and floor panel systems, in a controlled environment of a factory and shipped to the Jobsite. These panels are then assembled and joined to result in a prefabricated facility. They must adhere to local, state, and federal building codes and are subject to inspections on a regular basis.

Benefits of Prefabricated Construction | Why do you use Prefabrication?

Prefabricated building construction is becoming more widespread, as it enhances construction quality, and is now available in a range of price points. People had a lot of misconceptions about prefabrication, however, it has a lot of advantages for the AEC industry. It offers enormous benefits to both clients and construction companies.

According to a report by Dodge Data and Analytics says that

“About 90% of firms using prefabrication report improved productivity, improved quality, and increased schedule certainty compare to traditional stick-built construction.”

1. High-Speed Construction: Most of the construction jobs take place in the off-site controlled environment along with the on-site jobs such as foundation, excavation, etc. which speed up the entire construction process by up to 50% compared with the conventional construction process.
2. Mitigating Labor Shortage Issue: Lack of skilled labor is one of the biggest challenges the construction is trying to overcome. With the prefabricated construction, the requirement for a large number of skilled laborers is reduced. With only a few manpower along with robots or, cranes the entire construction process can be efficiently finished.
3. Cost-Efficient: One of the biggest advantages of prefabricated construction is that it saves money by enhancing the productivity of laborers and completing the construction jobs on time.
4. Quality Assurance: Prefabricated assemblies or, modules are manufactured under controlled environmental conditions and following project specifications. This indicates that the structural units are built typically adhering to local building code and industry standards, which guarantees precisions and consistent quality.
5. Onsite safety and Security: Prefabricated construction drastically lowers the danger of on-site accidents because a large portion of the work is completed in a controlled factory environment. The construction employees adhere to strict safety regulations and practices at all times. As a result, there are far fewer chances of workplace accidents, injuries, and deaths.
6. Efficient Waste Management: Off-site production mitigates the risk of emissions, work disruption, and, minimizes the disturbances of local flora and fauna. Additionally, it saves water consumption and allows the usability of recycled materials.
7. Flexibility: Since the building elements are prefabricated off-site and assembled on-site designers, architects, and engineers get a lot of versatile design options to implement in the buildings. The flexibility of disassembling and transporting modules to other sites mitigates the spending on resources, reduces the requirement of raw materials, and reduces overall time.
8. Enhances the Usability of Advanced Technology Trends: The latest construction process of prefabrication encourages the digital design-build process by enhancing the usability of the cutting-edge technology of BIM tools . Using Building Information Modeling, prefabricated buildings are being sustainable, profitable, energy-efficient, and eco-friendly.

According to AGC(Associated General Contractor of America) ,

“23% of firms report they are taking steps to improve Jobsite performance by relying on lean construction techniques, using tools like building information modeling (BIM) and doing more off-site prefabrication”.

1. Mitigates the Risk of Delayed Schedule: The prefabrication process reduces the overall construction time through proper planning during the designing stage, excluding site weather conditions, and consequently manufacturing of several assemblies. The shorter construction time helps contractors to work on multiple projects at a time, rather than concentrating on one project.
2. Green Building Construction : Prefabricated buildings are more environmentally friendly than traditional construction, considering both long and short terms. Raw materials are needed for traditional construction methods, which produce more waste. While the extra materials of prefabrication are recycled therefore it has a smaller environmental impact.

Final Thought

Prefabrication is a futuristic building construction technique that is gaining acceptance in the Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry because of its enormous benefits. Innovative concepts and methods that boost productivity and reduce construction costs are always welcomed by the construction sector. Prefabrication saves time and money, assures job quality, and results in a more environmentally friendly construction process.