Following the government announcement regarding
the presumption in favour of offsite construction, factory-based building
technology must be considered for all public sector building projects. Because of
this, UK demand for modular construction is on the rise. As an
optimum offsite building technique for timber, steel and concrete designs, modular construction is considered a potential
solution to the housing crisis. The Modular & Portable Building Association
(MPBA) is at the forefront of pre-fabricated manufacturing processes and is supporting members across numerous sectors to
enhance innovation and technological
advancements.
Practical building systems that deliver
at scale and increase productivity are needed to create solutions for the shortfall
in housing stock. The best building systems go through multiple incarnations
before reaching the optimal performance. As experts in the modular volumetric industry,
the MPBA invest in ongoing research to support member companies. By assisting with
the introduction of innovative methods and processes that are used in other
industries, such as automotive and aerospace, the MPBA help improve
productivity and address the UK’s home shortage, revolutionising the
house-building sector. According to The Times, each year another 15,000 modular
homes are built, and the government plans to increase offsite manufacturers’
financial allowance to build 100,000 per year by 2020.
Offsite manufacture for construction
refers to building processes that are implemented away from building sites in
factories or specialist temporary production facilities close to construction
sites to ensure quality of pre-fabricated
components. Fundamental to offsite manufacture, modular building minimises
waste while maximising safety and minimises costs while maximising quality.
Though benefits of modular building have been known for decades,
critical success factors and large-scale enablers for optimal industrial
modularisation have only recently underlined the need for engineering,
procurement and construction project delivery systems to be developed for the optimum
use of modular technology.
Jackie Maginnis, MPBA’s Chief Executive,
explains: “Construction clients appreciate cutting-edge building techniques,
particularly with the short lead times of modular construction. Modular
buildings are energy efficient, fully compliant with building regulations and
can be tailored to meet individual customer requirements. By becoming an MPBA
member, you will join an association of professionals and gain access to
networking sessions, training courses and events that will add significant
value to your company. With MPBA’s assistance, your company will be able to
stay competitive in the modular and portable building multi-billion-pound
industry.”
Modular building is most prevalent in
housing, health and education sectors, with over 450 new schools and classrooms
required per annum under the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP).
However, offsite building practices are rapidly expanding in non-residential
applications too, including hotels and student accommodation.
The demand for customisation in
modular building compels the manufacturing industry to develop new methods for
adaption of mass production to meet individual customer needs. Because of this,
design processes have evolved in line
with construction processes. The MPBA assists members in their collaboration
with architects, designers and engineers to orchestrate design protocols,
conceive products for manufacturing processes and integrate these into final designs.
Production and configuration processes
have been developed by conducting functional requirement analysis to identify
design parameters for modular construction. These methods typically constrain
project modularisation through four key parameters:
- Customer
requirements for modular design
- Engineering
view according to deflection, strength, wind loads, fire, acoustic and building
regulations
- Product
dimensions and transportation constraints according to factory regulations and
capacity
- Onsite
assembly constraints according to site layout and plans
Rules of modular buildings can be
integrated into architectural CAD drawings using Revit structures, where key
features of steel, concrete and timber modules can be incorporated in ‘modular
toolkits.’
Through detailed research, development
of modular building methodologies enables developers and stakeholders to deliver
projects with accelerated schedule and cost reductions, creating a panacea of
cost-effective construction methods on a consistent basis.
If you would like to get involved in
developing new specification and procurement methodologies for modular building
techniques, book your place at an MPBA event or get in touch to find out how
modular construction can meet your building specifications. For more
information go to: www.mpba.biz
