Prefabrication and modular construction change the way structures are built. This article is part of a series in which we explore how methods address eliminating waste, reducing transportation, diminishing carbon emissions, streamlining processes, speeding up the construction cycle, and improving efficiency
Modular construction benefits are cost reduction, shorter project construction time, better sustainability, and improved safety and quality. The downside is that advanced planning and collaboration are required to maximize its potential.
Both prefabrication and modular construction can deliver the above despite workforce shortages, supply chain uncertainties, and other challenges.
Digitalization has now been adopted by the construction industry, opening new opportunities. While several technologies are revolutionizing the construction industry, Building Information Modelling (BIM) usages and processes play a role in the prefabrication modular approaches.
The following are the principal areas where to use BIM:
BIM models virtually portray the entire lifecycle of a building. At the strategic stage, you use the BIM model to run alternative scenarios to envisage the planned project. You can share the visual representations with clients and other stakeholders, allowing all parties involved to be on the same page from the beginning. Here is a small video of a BIM Visualization Application.
We often hear BIM software is just a design tool. This is a misunderstanding. In the BIM process, you start with the design and then use tools, which can include 3D modeling capabilities. Then you simulate and visualize various elements of the physical building. You can apply real-life conditions to the model by simulating the use of varied materials to determine the right options for the project, assessing the energy-efficiency levels of the building, finding areas that require optimization, and ensuring compliance with the owners’ requirements.
You can detect any potential issues and make functional design changes before it is too late, avoiding costly reworks in the construction phase. Use Plannerly’s Verify module or download the scope data for model checking in Solibri, 3D Repo, BIM Assure, Assemble, and others to check the model.
There are several positive impacts of BIM. Below I describe the top three impacts you can get when designing modular buildings with BIM.
Thanks to information-sharing through a mutually accessible online platform, all stakeholders are on the same page from inception to operation, to completion, which helps to keep things on track.
Evaluate various possibilities and find the most feasible and viable one. Then detect and resolve potential problems and correct them before starting the construction. This way, errors and clashes will be caught in the design phase, rather than at the construction phase, and avoid costly reworks.
Discover at the early stage of a project areas that require optimization to meet the quality and safety standards.
Many stakeholders in the construction industry have realized these benefits, so BIM is growing in adoption. 99 percent of BIM users are leveraging the technology for modular construction.
Many items can be truly modular if prefabricated with current manufacturing methods. Here are the main classes to differentiate items:
The more standardized, consistent, and repetitious the dimensions are, the larger the number of components that can be prefabricated.
BIM four-dimensional (4D) simulation techniques facilitate visualizing and analyzing the construction process. Integrating data sources and developing 4D simulations for modular construction projects present some challenges. Validate efficacy in integrating data, promoting cooperation, detecting risks, and supporting informed decision-making, improving modular building results.
Current technology and lack of integrated and collaborative delivery do not actively support modular construction to make a real impact.
When designing your processes, you should ensure they help all project team members understand other stakeholders’ roles. You define workflows to support integrating computational modeling between disciplines to carry and test design ideas to support modular, prefabrication, and off-site construction.
The trades modularity and prefabrication are the most affected by are the architectural, structural, and MEP disciplines.
Modular provides rules for dividing the layout into units and specifies allowable module dimensions based on road regulations, acceptable dividing elements, and structural systems capabilities.
We recommend using Smartleanbim. The process is described below.
Traditional BIM Execution Plans (BEPs) are mostly ignored. To unlock the true potential of BIM, you should plan early, have access to templates, and make them more engaging using dynamic content such as videos.
Define a visual, collaborative framework that follows ISO 19650 requirements for geometry, documentation, and information.
The AECO industry runs on contracts – you should make them simple to prepare, agree, and act on!
Build a schedule collaboratively with all project teams to plan task sequences and cause fewer coordination issues.
The Lean approach to project management allows you to focus on continuous BIM delivery.
Connect models and owners’ requirements so you know what gets planned will get built.
The Hilda L. Solis Care First Village, a project in downtown Los Angeles for which the scope was to spend $48 million to build 232 units in a matter of months.
The project was built next to the Men’s Central Jail, with CRATE Modular components that manufacture modular construction components for multifamily, educational facilities, and commercial and hospitality spaces.
The project addressed the housing affordability crisis, streamlined the construction processes, and reduced labor requirements.
Carson, California–based manufacturer was awarded the contract. Jaren Grady, director of business development, says:
The goal for any developer is the return on investment and so, the sooner you complete a building product, the sooner it can be occupied, and it can start collecting revenue or rents the better.
The city got an almost immediate return on investment on this project, a six-month turnaround from idea to occupancy, more importantly, it helped many formerly homeless people get off the streets and receive the help they deserve.
Modular construction is an ideal way to build any project because it offers a repeatable and scalable approach. With modular or factory-built housing, we can compress the construction schedule by doing concurrent activities. In other words, at the same time, the site is being developed—i.e., site grading, sewer, and utility connections for water, power, and gas. The building modules are built in an environmentally controlled, clean, and orderly factory setting. Most of the time the building modules are completed and ready for delivery before the site is completed.
The cost per unit was around $245,000 compared to the average $535,000 per unit in California, at the time.
Modular construction accounted for approximately 6.64 percent of new construction in the year 2023 in North America, according to an AI overview I conducted.
The Biden administration budget proposed that $25 billion be set aside for Grants for Affordable Housing Production, including new modular projects.
Jeffrey Lubell, a leading authority on housing and community development at the Rockville, Maryland-based research, and consulting firm Abt Associates, considers that building offsite increases flexibility, produces less waste, uses materials more efficiently, achieves economies of scale allowing the construction of large volumes of housing at a lower cost.
Wood and steel are often used in modular construction.
More architectural firms have incorporated modular construction into their design offerings. The best design approach is standardization.
During the design stage of the modular process, you should follow the design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA) principles:
The permitting period is typically less because the city or county has less to review. After all, the state reviews the modules. However, dealing with policies and codes in different cities proves challenging.
You build a digital twin model of the building. You specify how many screws and bolts you will be using in a detailed bill of materials (BOM) through BIM, so you will know which material and how much material will be required. It will help you to determine the total cost of materials and how to minimize or eliminate change orders.
The same floor plans and modules are reused in other projects. It helps the quality control process by having an overview of what should be built before it runs in the factory line. Running the line when you are sure you have everything you need facilitates the decision-making that is done ahead of time.
Fabrication and construction are like traditional practices, but now more work shifts to a factory so it can be automated and staffed by a human workforce. The industry requires new software to link the current BIM tools with manufacturing and coordination processes. You can always use Autodesk Inventor a computer-aided design extension application for 3D mechanical design, simulation, visualization, and documentation developed by Autodesk if you use Revit. This is critical for modular construction as no other good mainstream tools exist.
The planning process of designing and constructing a modular building is a complex venture that takes many skilled participants.
Structurally speaking, the process has a natural evolution in the design but there remain barriers to adopting integrated practices and larger-scale modularization concepts.
An integrated process that deploys BIM-based technology to support collaboration is highly recommended.
Modular concepts and schemes must be considered early before the form of the building is finalized or the opportunities will quickly become limited.
Close collaboration is needed between the structural systems within the module and secondary supporting systems to ensure stability, integrity, and the structural system's functionality.
The module process progresses faster, detailing who participates and the connections between them should be done at the initial stages of the design.
Driving Vision's technology appraisal looks at the best way to insert new technology in your workflows and how to move your organization to cloud computing so you can open up new possibilities for your daily planning tasks and make sure your data never leaves the optimally secured data center.
A Driving Vision expert conducts the interviews online and discusses our findings in the report with you. Together we decide the best way to implement the solutions at your pace and according to your budget.
Implementing BIM can be daunting, but Driving Vision is here to help you at the pace you are comfortable with. Get started by getting in touch now
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