PREFABRICATED CONSTRUCTION

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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 'subassemblies' to distinguish them from the other components. The process and theory of prefabrication An example from house-building illustrates the process of prefabrication. The conventional method of building a house is to transport bricks, timber, cement, sand, steel and construction aggregate, etc. to the site, and to construct the house on site from these materials. In prefabricated construction, only the foundations are constructed in this way, while sections of walls, floors and roof are prefabricated (assembled) in a factory (possibly with window and door frames included), transported to the site, lifted into place by a crane and bolted together. Prefabrication is used in the manufacture of ships, aircraft and all kinds of vehicles and machines where sections previously assembled at the final point of manufacture are assembled elsewhere instead, before being delivered for final assembly. The theory behind the method is that time and cost is saved if similar construction tasks can be grouped, and assembly line techniques can be employed in prefabrication at a location where skilled labour is available, while congestion at the assembly site, which wastes time, can be reduced. The method finds application particularly where the structure is composed of repeating units or forms, or where multiple copies of the same basic structure are being constructed. Prefabrication avoids the need to transport so many skilled workers to the construction site, and other restricting conditions such as a lack of power, lack of water, exposure to harsh weather or a hazardous environment are avoided. Against these advantages must be weighed the cost of transporting prefabricated sections and lifting them into position as they will usually be larger, more fragile and more difficult to handle than the materials and components of which they are made.

Prefabricated construction is a building process in which elements or modules of the structure are prefabricated at plants, then transported to the construction site for installation. Using this method can reduce the time of building, also saving construction cost. Prefabricated construction is now widely applied for new houses or other building structures like bridge, tunnels, culverts, water supply system The benefits of prefabricated construction method is from the fabrication of standard components on factory floor. This production is less time consumption compared to actual condition of construction process. The prefabricated elements are transported to the site for installing process. At the site, the modules are unloaded, moved into position with the support of heavy cranes, and assembled to form a designed building. Together with the fast assembly, prefabricated construction also saves a lot of money on the construction project. By using standard patterns, the building materials are saved at the manufacturing factories. This help to reduce the waste in formwork and other materials that can occur during traditional building procedures. Another considerable profit using prefabricated construction method is the energy efficiency. Because the prefab elements of a panelized home are precut, they fit snugly together, making for a tighter edifice. This means less effort for heating and cooling, resulted in lower energy bills. The rapid development of prefabricated houses has led to the increasing of construction templates that homeowners have more choice for designs of their houses. By combining these templates, it is possible to design the layout of the house, specify the dimensions of each room, and build a home that is exactly to the specification of the owners. There are also complex building plans for prefabricated construction that can be adjusted slightly and still have the benefit of using materials of standard lengths, widths, and textures. Prefabricated houses are not the only type of construction structures that can be produced using prefabrication construction method. As mentioned above, this method is widely used in many types of constructions like bridges, culverts or even swimming pools.

History Prefabrication has been used since ancient times. For example, it is claimed that the world's oldest known engineered roadway, the Sweet Track constructed in England around 3800 BC, employed prefabricated timber sections brought to the site rather than assembled on-site. Sinhalese kings of ancient Sri Lanka have used prefabricated buildings technology to erect giant structures, which dates back as far as 2000 years, where some sections were prepared separately and then fitted together, specially in the Kingdom of Anuradhapura and Kingdom of Polonnaruwa The method was widely used in the construction of prefabricated housing in the 20th century, such as in the United Kingdom to replace houses bombed during World War II. Assembling sections in factories saved time on-site and reduced cost. However the quality was low, and when such prefabricated housing was left in use for longer than its designed life, it acquired a certain stigma.[citation needed]. The Cr ystal Palace, erected in London in 1851, was a highly visible example of iron and glass prefabricated construction; it was followed on a smaller scale by Oxford Rewley Road railway station. Current uses

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 steel sections in structures where a particular part or form is repeated many times. It can be difficult to construct the formwork required to mould concrete 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. Prefabrication techniques are used in the construction of apartment blocks, and housing developments with repeated housing units. The quality of prefabricated housing units had increased to the point that they may not be distinguishable from traditionally-built units to those that live in them. The technique is also used in office blocks, warehouses and factory buildings. Prefabricated steel and glass sections are widely used for the exterior of large buildings.

Prefabrication saves engineering time on the construction site in civil engineering projects. This can be vital to the success of projects such as bridges and avalanche galleries, where weather conditions may only allow brief periods of construction. Prefabricated bridge elements and systems offer bridge designers and contractors significant advantages in terms of construction time, safety, environmental impact, constructibility, and cost. Prefabrication can also help minimize the impact on traffic from bridge building. Additionally, small, commonly-used structures such as concrete pylons are in most cases prefabricated. Radio towers for mobile phone and other services often consist of multiple prefabricated sections. Modern lattice towers and guyed masts are also commonly assembled of prefabricated elements. Prefabrication has become widely used in the assembly of aircraft and spacecraft, with components such as wings and fuselage sections often being manufactured in different countries or states from the final assembly site. However this is sometimes for political rather than commercial reasons

Advantages of prefabrication Self-supporting ready-made components are used, so the need for formwork, shuttering and scaffolding is greatly reduced. Construction time is reduced and buildings are completed sooner, allowing an earlier return of the capital invested. On-site construction and congestion is minimized. Quality control can be easier in a factory assembly line setting than a construction site setting. Prefabrication can be located where skilled labour is more readily available and costs of labour, power, materials, space and overheads are lower. Time spent in bad weather or hazardous environments at the construction site is minimized. Less waste may be generated and in a factory setting it may be easier to recycle it back into the manufacturing process, for instance it is less costly to recycle scrap metal generated in a metal fabrication shop than on the construction site. Moulds can be used several times.

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 wildly. There are two-level home plans, as well as custom home plans. There are considerable differences in the construction types. Mobile and manufactured houses are constructed in accordance with the HUD building codes in the U.S. while modular houses are constructed in accordance with the IBC (International Building Code).

Prefabricated Housing

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 and mobile houses are rated as personal property and depreciate over time. Manufactured homes are built onto steel beams, and are transported in complete sections to the home site, where they are assembled. Mobile homes built on wheels, that can be moved. Mobile homes and manufactured homes can be placed in mobile home parks, and manufactured homes can also be placed on private land, providing the land is zoned for manufactured homes.

borne by the consumer. For this reason, it is important that the consumer ensure that a reputable and honest contractor is used for the initial set-up. If any repairs are not completed by the initial set-up crew, the manufacturer will send repair crews to repair anything covered by the warranty. The secondary repair team must be scheduled, and may not be available immediately for most repairs. Just because a manufactured home has been assembled does not mean it is immediately inhabitable; appropriate ventilation, heating, plumbing, and electrical systems must be installed by a set-up crew, otherwise, the buyer must wait for the manufacturer repair team or do it themselves.

The History of the Prefabricated Building Houses have been built in one place and reassembled in another throughout history. Possibly the first advertised prefab house was the Manning Portable Cottage. A London carpenter, H. Manning, constructed a house that was built in components, then shipped and assembled by British emigrants. This was published at the time (advertisement, South Australian Record, 1837) and a few still stand in Australia.[1] Another interesting building was the prefabricated hospital that the British Army deployed in 1855 during the Crimean War designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel with innovations in sanitation, ventilation and a flushing toilet.

Manufactured homes Constructing manufactured homes typically involves connecting plumbing and electrical lines across the sections, and sealing the sections together. Manufactured homes can be single, double, or triple-wide, describing how many sections wide it is. Many manufactured home companies manufacture a variety of different designs, and many of the floorplans are available online. Manufactured homes can be built onto a permanent foundation, and if designed correctly, can be difficult to distinguish from a stick-built home to the untrained eye. Manufactured homes are typically purchased from a retail sales company, initially assembled by a local contracting company, and follow-up repairs performed by the manufactured home company under warranty.

The world's first prefabricated, pre-cast panelled apartment blocks were pioneered in Liverpool. A process was invented by city engineer John Alexander Brodie, whose inventive genius also had him inventing the football goal net. The tram stables at Walton in Liverpool followed in 1906. The idea was not extensively adopted in Britain, however was widely adopted elsewhere, particularly in Eastern Europe. Prefabricated homes were produced during the Gold Rush in the United States, when kits were produced to enable Californian prospectors to quickly construct accommodation. Homes were available in kit form by mail order in the United States in 1908.

A manufactured home, once assembled, goes through a "settling-in" period, where the home will settle into its location. During this period, some drywall cracking may appear, and any incorrectly installed appliances, wiring, or plumbing should be repaired, hopefully under warranty. If not covered under warranty, the costs will be

Prefabricated housing was popular during World War II due to the need for mass accommodation for military personnel. The United States used Quonset huts as military buildings, and in the United Kingdom prefabricated buildings used included Nissen huts and Bellman Hangars. 'Prefabs' were built after the war as a means of quickly and cheaply providing quality housing as

a replacement for the housing destroyed during the war. The proliferation of prefabricated housing across the country was a result of the Burt Committee and the Housing (Temporary Accommodation) Act 1944. Under the Ministry of Works Emergency Factory Made housing programme, a specification was drawn up and bid on by various private construction and manufacturing companies. After approval by the MoW, companies could bid on Council led development schemes, resulting in whole estates of prefabs constructed to provide accommodation for those made homeless by the War and ongoing slum clearance

motorways/roads, bridges/overpasses, parking structures, brick/block walls and footings for gates, fences and poles. Concrete is used more than any other man-made material in the world.

Cement Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general usage. It is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar and plaster. It consists of a mixture of oxides of calcium, silicon and aluminium. Portland cement and similar materials are made by heating limestone (a source of calcium) with clay. Reinforcement Concrete is strong in compression, as the aggregate efficiently carries the compression load. However, it is weak in tension as the cement holding the aggregate in place can crack, allowing the structure to fail. Reinforced concrete solves these problems by adding either steel reinforcing bars, steel fibers, glass fiber, or plastic fiber to carry tensile loads. Thereafter the concrete is reinforced to withstand the tensile loads upon it.

Construction sites Mobile homes and manufactured homes can be placed in mobile home parks, and manufactured homes can be placed on private land, providing the land is zoned for manufactured homes. Many cities have not updated zoning regulations for modern manufactured houses, and thus, may not permit manufactured houses.

Mineral admixtures and blended cements There are inorganic materials that also have pozzolanic or latent hydraulic properties. These very finegrained materials are added to the concrete mix to improve the properties of concrete.

Concrete Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement (commonly Portland cement) and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate (generally a coarse aggregate made of gravel or crushed rocks such as limestone, or granite, plus a fine aggregate such as sand), water and chemical admixtures. Concrete solidifies and hardens after mixing with water and placement due to a chemical process known as hydration. The water reacts with the cement, which bonds the other components together, eventually creating a robust stone-like material. Concrete is used to make pavements, pipe, architectural structures, foundations,

Concrete production The processes used vary dramatically, from hand tools to heavy industry, but result in the concrete being placed where it cures into a final form. Wide range of technological factors may occur during production of concrete elements and their influence to basic characteristics may vary.

Thorough mixing is essential for the production of uniform, high quality concrete. For this reason equipment and methods should be capable of effectively mixing concrete materials containing the largest specified aggregate to produce uniform mixtures of the lowest slump practical for the work. Separate paste mixing has shown that the mixing of cement and water into a paste before combining these materials with aggregates can increase the compressive strength of the resulting concrete.

Concrete compaction

Pouring and smoothing out concrete at Palisades Park in Washington DC. Curing In all but the least critical applications, care needs to be taken to properly cure concrete, to achieve best strength and hardness. This happens after the concrete has been placed. Cement requires a moist, controlled environment to gain strength and harden fully. The cement paste hardens over time, initially setting and becoming rigid though very weak and gaining in strength in the weeks following. In around 3 weeks, typically over 90% of the final strength is reached, though strengthening may continue for decades. The early strength of the concrete can be increased if it is kept damp during the curing process. During this period concrete needs to be kept under controlled temperature and humid atmosphere. In practice, this is achieved by spraying or ponding the concrete surface with water, thereby protecting the concrete mass from ill effects of ambient conditions. Properly curing concrete leads to increased strength and lower permeability and avoids cracking where the surface dries out prematurely. Care must also be taken to avoid freezing, or overheating due to the exothermic setting of cement. Improper curing can cause scaling, reduced strength, poor abrasion resistance and cracking. Properties Concrete has relatively high compressive strength, but much lower tensile strength. For this reason is

Pouring a concrete floor for a commercial building, slabon-ground.

Workability Workability is the ability of a fresh (plastic) concrete mix to fill the form/mold properly with the desired work (vibration) and without reducing the concrete's quality. Workability depends on water content, aggregate cementitious content,etc. Raising the water content or adding chemical admixtures will increase concrete workability. High-flow concrete, like self-consolidating concrete, is tested by other flow-measuring methods. One of these methods includes placing the cone on the narrow end and observing how the mix flows through the cone while it is gradually lifted. After mixing, concrete is a fluid and can be pumped to the location where needed.

usually reinforced with materials that are strong in tension (often steel). The elasticity of concrete is relatively constant at low stress levels but starts decreasing at higher stress levels as matrix cracking develops. Concrete has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion and shrinks as it matures. All concrete structures will crack to some extent, due to shrinkage and tension. Concrete that is subjected to longduration forces is prone to creep. Concrete dust Building demolition and natural disasters such as earthquakes often release a large amount of concrete dust into the local atmosphere. Concrete dust was concluded to be the major source of dangerous air pollution following the Great Hanshin earthquake. Concrete handling/safety precautions Handling of wet concrete must always be done with proper protective equipment. Contact with wet concrete can cause skin chemical burns due to the caustic nature of the mixture of cement and water. Indeed, the pH of fresh cement water is highly alkaline due to the presence of free potassium and sodium hydroxides in solution (pH ~ 13.5). Eyes, hands and feet must be correctly protected to avoid any direct contact with wet concrete and washed without delay if necessary. Secondary efflorescence. Water seeping through the concrete, often in cracks, having dissolved components of concrete. Concrete repair Concrete pavement preservation (CPP) and concrete pavement restoration (CPR) are techniques used to manage the rate of pavement deterioration on concrete streets, highways and airports. Without changing concrete grade, this non-overlay method is used to repair isolated areas of distress. CPR methods, developed over the last 40 years, are utilized in lieu of short-lived asphalt overlays and bituminous patches to repair roads. These methods are often less expensive than an asphalt overlay but last three times longer and provide a greener solution. Pavements repaired using CPR methods usually last 15 years. The methods are described below. Slab stabilization restores support to concrete slabs by filling small voids that develop underneath the concrete slab at joints, cracks or the pavement edge. Full-depth repairs fixes cracked slabs and joint deterioration by removing at least a portion of the existing slab and replacing it with new concrete. Partial-depth repairs corrects surface distress and joint-crack deterioration in the upper third of the concrete slab. Placing a partial-depth repair involves removing the deteriorated concrete, cleaning the patch area and placing new concrete.

Dowel bar retrofit consists of cutting slots in the pavement across the joint or crack, cleaning the slots, placing the dowel bars and backfilling the slots with new concrete. Dowel bar retrofits link slabs together at transverse cracks and joints so that the load is evenly distributed across the crack or joint. Cross-stitching longitudinal cracks or joints repairs low-severity longitudinal cracks. This method adds reinforcing steel to hold the crack together tightly. Diamo nd grinding, by removing faulting, slab warping, studded tire wear and unevenness resulting from patches, diamond grinding creates a smooth, uniform pavement profile. Diamond grinding reduces road noise by providing a longitudinal texture, which is quieter than transverse textures. The longitudinal texture also enhances surface texture and skid resistance in polished pavements. Joint and crack sealing minimizes the infiltration of surface water and incompressible material into the joint system. Minimizing water entering the joint reduces subgrade softening, slows pumping and erosion of the sub-base fines and may limit dowel-bar corrosion caused by de-icing chemicals. Concrete recycling Concrete recycling is an increasingly common method of disposing of concrete structures. Concrete debris was once routinely shipped to landfills for disposal, but recycling is increasing due to improved environmental awareness, governmental laws and economic benefits. Concrete, which must be free of trash, wood, paper and other such materials, is collected from demolition sites and put through a crushing machine, often along with asphalt, bricks and rocks. Reinforced concrete contains rebar and other metallic reinforcements, which are removed with magnets and recycled elsewhere. The remaining aggregate chunks are sorted by size. Larger chunks may go through the crusher again. Smaller pieces of concrete are used as gravel for new construction projects. Aggregate base gravel is laid down as the lowest layer in a road, with fresh concrete or asphalt placed over it. Crushed recycled concrete can sometimes be used as the dry aggregate for brand new concrete if it is free of contaminants, though the use of recycled concrete limits strength and is not allowed in many jurisdictions. On 3 March 1983, a government funded research team approximated that almost 17% of worldwide landfill was by-products of concrete based waste. Recycling concrete provides environmental benefits, conserving landfill space and use as aggregate reduces the need for gravel mining.

weight of beams or slabs, by better distributing the stresses in the structure to make optimal use of the reinforcement. For example a horizontal beam will tend to sag down. If the reinforcement along the bottom of the beam is pre-stressed, it can counteract this. In pre-tensioned concrete, the prestressing is achieved by using steel or polymer tendons or bars that are subjected to a tensile force prior to casting, or for post-tensioned concrete, after casting. Environmentally sustainable With its 100-year service life, concrete conserves resources by reducing the need for reconstruction. Its ingredients are cement and readily available natural materials: water, aggregate (sand and gravel or crushed stone). Concrete does not require any CO2 absorbing trees to be cut down. The land required to extract the materials needed to make concrete is only a fraction of that used to harvest forests for lumber. Use of concrete in infrastructure Mass concrete structures These large structures typically include gravity dams, such as the Hoover Dam, the Itaipu Dam and the Three Gorges Dam, arch dams, navigation locks and large breakwaters. Such large structures, even though individually placed in formed horizontal blocks, generate excessive heat and associated expansion; to mitigate these effects post-cooling is commonly provided in the design. An early example at Hoover Dam, installed a network of pipes between vertical concrete placements to circulate cooling water during the curing process to avoid damaging overheating. Similar systems are still used; depending on volume of the pour, the concrete mix used, and ambient air temperature, the cooling process may last for many months after the concrete is placed. Various methods also are used to pre-cool the concrete mix in mass concrete structures. Reinforced concrete structures Reinforced concrete contains steel reinforcing that is designed and placed in the structure at specific positions to cater for all the stress conditions that the structure is required to accommodate. Pre-stressed concrete structures Pre-stressed concrete is a form of reinforced concrete that builds in compressive stresses during construction to oppose those found when in use. This can greatly reduce the

The Baths of Caracalla, Rome,

Energy efficiency Energy requirements for transportation of concrete are low because it is produced locally from local resources, typically manufactured within 100 kilometers of the job site. Once in place, concrete offers significant energy efficiency over the lifetime of a building.[51] Concrete walls leak air far less than those made of woodframes. Air leakage accounts for a large percentage of energy loss from a home. The thermal mass properties of concrete increase the efficiency of both residential and commercial buildings. By storing and releasing the energy needed for heating or cooling, concrete's thermal mass delivers year-round benefits by reducing temperature swings inside and minimizing heating and cooling costs[citation needed]. While insulation reduces energy loss through the building envelope, thermal mass uses walls to store and release energy. Modern concrete wall systems use both insulation and thermal mass to create an energyefficient building. Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) are

hollow blocks or panels made of either insulating foam or rastra that are stacked to form the shape of the walls of a building and then filled with reinforced concrete to create the structure. MATERIAL WASTE; This is one of claims I have the most problem with. One prominent prefab web site states, Materials are ordered in such a way that there are only trace amounts of waste instead of the tons of debris produced building onsite. and other websites make similar claims. Standardized materials are ordered by on-site builders and prefab factories alike. In fact, an on site builder will usually order the different lengths of lumber he needs for one particular job that produce the least amount of waste. A factory sometimes orders large quantities and pulls from their own inventory but they both buy the same size lumber that comes from the same mills. Extra materials in the factory can be stored and used on the next house as opposed to winding up in a landfill. is another claim. If the above statement is true what are factories storing their leftover materials? On some on-site jobs, the subcontractors dont scrap out material as well as they should because they dont get paid anymore for being frugal with the materials. By the same token, some factories have the same attitude because it cost them more in labor to have employees sort and use the scrap pieces than it cost them to cut up what is there at the work station and they save labor cost. On site can be as green in scrapping out material as a factory and a factory can be just as wasteful. The real question is how green the approach is of the people running the show.

Factory produced modular homes often require more material than site-built homes, and this is definitely not green. When you build a house on site, you generally have a perimeter foundation and a slab on which you erect everything one piece at a time and the continuous foundation under those pieces hold them up. With a factory built house, you have to lift a large module, load it on a truck, haul it down the road and set it with a crane. Because all of these operations concentrate the load on specific points instead of it being spread as it is over a foundation or a slab, the support system must be considerably overbuilt. They typically use laminated veneer lumber (LVL) for perimeter floor bands that are doubled. In addition, some of the interior walls are usually doubled as the module must be closed in and give support for transport but then go back to back against another module when set in place. There will be variables but the factory built modular houses will always consume more materials than the same house built on site. CARBON COST OF SHIPPING Shipping modular homes definitely adds to the carbon footprint as well. Truck loads of materials go to local suppliers, travel short distances to site built homes and stay there. Truck loads of materials go to factories, are built into houses and then travel hundreds of miles on oversized trucks with small trucks (called escort vehicles) running in front and behind while traveling through towns with police and local cars idling while traffic is stopped for them to go by. Then the crane which gets about 2-3 mpg travels to the job site to set the house and unless you are in a major city they could end up coming a long way. Fire safety and quality of life Concrete buildings are more resistant to fire than those constructed using wood or steel frames. Since concrete does not burn and stops fire from spreading, it offers total fire protection for occupants and their property. Concrete reduces the risk of structural collapse and is an effective fire shield, providing safe means of escape for occupants and protection for fire fighters. Furthermore, it does not produce any smoke or toxic gases and does not drip molten particles, which can spread fire. Neither heat, flames nor the water used to extinguish a fire seriously affect the structure of concrete walls and floors making repairs after a fire a relatively simple task. A major fire is more than 11 times more likely to develop in a wood-frame house than in one built using concrete among the burned houses, 50% of those made with wood had to be demolished, whereas only 9% of the concrete ones were beyond repair the fire spread to neighbouring apartments in only three of the 55 fires in concrete houses of those 55 fires, 45 were in attics and roofing

OVER-ENGINEERING:

Options for non-combustible construction include floors, ceilings and roofs made of cast-in-place and hollowcore precast concrete. For walls, concrete masonry technology and Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) are additional options. ICFs are hollow blocks or panels made of fire-proof insulating foam that are stacked to form the shape of the walls of a building and then filled with reinforced concrete to create the structure. Fire-wall tests, in which ICF walls were subjected to a continuous gas flame with a temperature of more than 1000 C for as long as 4 hours showed no significant breaks in the concrete layer or dangerous transmission of heat. In comparison, wood frame walls normally collapse in an hour or less under these conditions. Concrete provides stable compartmentation in large industrial and multi-storey buildings so a fire starting in one section does not spread to others. Using concrete to construct buildings offers the best possible protection and safety in fires:

Concrete buildings also have excellent indoor air quality with no off-gassing, toxicity and release of volatile organic compounds so they are generally healthier to live in than those made of wood or steel. As it is practically inert and waterproof, concrete does not need volatile organicbased preservatives, special coatings or sealers. Concrete can be easily cleaned with organic, non-toxic substances. Its sound insulating properties make buildings and homes a quiet and comfortable living environment. After accounting for sound passing through windows, a concrete home is about two-thirds quieter than a comparable wood-frame home. Due to the long life of concrete structures, their impacts on the environment are negligible. Once built, they have minimal maintenance requirements and as a result minimal social disruption. Using concrete reduces construction waste as it is used on an as-required basis, thereby minimizing the waste put into landfills. Recycling and recyclable A nearly inert material, concrete is suitable as a medium for recycling waste and industrial by-products. Fly ash, slag and silica fume are used in making concrete, which helps reduce embodied energy, carbon footprint and quantity of landfill materials. The process of making cement also uses waste materials. Tires have high energy content and can supplement coal as fuel in the kiln. Industrial by-products such as ash from coal combustion, fly ash from power stations as well as mill scale and foundry sand from steel casting provide the silica, calcium, alumina and iron needed for making cement. Even kiln dust, a solid waste generated by cement manufacturing, is often recycled back into the kiln as a raw material. Old concrete that has reached the end of its service life can be recycled and reused as granular fill for road beds. Steel Framed Modular / Prefab Buildings

Multi-story residential buildings constructed using concrete in Chile. it does not burn or add to fire load it has high resistance to fire, preventing it from spreading thus reduces resulting environmental pollution it does not produce any smoke, toxic gases or drip molten particles it reduces the risk of structural collapse it provides safe means of escape for occupants and access for fire fighters as it is an effective fire shield it is not affected by the water used to put out a fire it is easy to repair after a fire and thus helps residents and businesses recover sooner it resists extreme fire conditions, making it ideal for storage facilities with a high fire load it provides complete fire protection so there is normally no need for additional measures

Low total cost of build (machine through put, assembly (labour and time) and transport costs) allowing for better margins

Efficient and quick assembly helps maintain margins and meet deadlines when building prefabricated / modular buildings Pre-punched service holes allow for a quality finish as opposed to sandwich panels where wires etc have to run on the outside of the lining

Easy for low skilled labourers to assemble Produce up to 700 lineal metres of frames, trusses and floor joists per hour Ideal for highly repeatable, mass production prefab / modular designs Consistent and accurate output with low rework Efficient, low cost designs that can be customised for end user requirements Less assembly space required than other building methods when using modular / prefab methods

Cost Effective and Quick to Build A steel-framed house produced using FRAMECADs Steel Frame Business Solution can be completed in approximately to 2/3 the time of a conventional brick and mortar home, again leading to more profitable projects. Steel frames are extremely strong and lightweight, requiring less material than timber or block methods leading to cost savings. Steel frame components are easy to transport and use, minimizing transport costs while speeding construction time. Low-cost, low skilled labour can be used for assembly and construction as the modeling and fabrication phase of the steel frame manufacturing process contains the intelligence Precise project budgets can be made due to the accuracy of steel frame building methods and less material wastage. Projects are more likely to be completed on time and on budget due to FRAMECADs steel framings production machinery being 100% computer controlled and accurate to +/- 0.5mm. The framing is 100% square and straight enabling trades people to eliminate time compensating for non-linear framing. FRAMECADs steel framing machines prepunch electrical and service holes, meaning reduced time on site for plumbers and electricians leading to reduced labour costs. Steel Frame Houses for Social / Government Housing and Disaster Relief The revolutionary FRAMECAD Steel Frame Business Solution integrates automated steel manufacturing equipment, design & engineering software, quality building products and extensive support & training programs resulting in the following benefits for your business: Maximise returns by utilising low cost labour with FRAMECADs easy to use Steel Frame Business Solution Increase project profitability by lowering the total cost of build (manufacture, assembly, transportation, erection and completion) Win additional contracts by guaranteeing strict timelines, local building codes and environmental conditions (seismic, cyclonic, fire, pests etc) are met. Increase margins and keep to timelines with fast & efficient throughput, building product supply and construction methods.

Advantages of Steel Cost Effective and Quick to Build With FRAMECADs accurate steel frame components, construction is quick and simple allowing low-cost, low-skilled labour to be used with high quality results. Strong and Design-Flexible Steel offers architectural and design flexibility due to its inherent strength. This allows large span distances and curves to be easily incorporated into designs. Durable and Safe Steel frames wont ignite, burn, rust or get eaten by pests therefore making them highly desirable in extreme environmental conditions. Steel also doesnt need to be treated with pesticides, preservatives or glues making it safer for handling and living or working around. Steel Frame Production and Construction Steel framed buildings, manufactured using FRAMECADs 5-Star Steel Frame System, can be produced very quickly and constructed using modular, prefab, build-on-site or transportable methods enabling construction flexibility for lower overheads, quicker manufacturing and improved profitability. Environmentally Friendly Steel delivers a number of unique environmental benefits such as product longevity, recyclability, easy transportation and less raw material wastage. Fire Resistant Severe bush fire test at over 1000 deg C endorses steel framed housing. Earthquake Tested Structural integrity of steel framed houses tested in full-scale simulations resulting in positive outcome

Maximize resources and avoid late project completion penalties by choosing the most appropriate building methodology build-on-site, modular, prefab or transportable Using FRAMECADs Steel Frame Business Solution your social housing / disaster relief projects will be: More profitable Certified quality Highly repeatable Consistent and accurate Reliable Earthquake tested and fire resistant Quick to complete and finish Environmentally Friendly Develop a profitable, environmentally friendly business niche and participate in the sustainability trend by using steel. Steel possesses the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any building material (including timber and block) meaning less wastage placed into landfills. Much of the steel used to make light steel framing is recycled. When a steel frame building is demolished, the steel can be recycled. It takes approximately a quarter acre of mature trees to produce the wood framing for a typical house. The same house can be steel framed from three or four old cars. Steel can be recycled indefinitely without losing any of its qualities. When steel buildings are no longer required in their current location, they can be dismantled and re-erected elsewhere with no negative effect on the building. Almost half the worlds steel production now takes place in electric plants that operate exclusively with recycled scrap and generate no CO2 emissions. The by-products arising from steel production are all re-used. For example, slag is employed as a high-value mineral material for highway construction; as ballast; and for the manufacture of cement. Steel framed buildings can be very energy efficient. The strength of steel requires fewer wall studs, so there are fewer thermal bridges (uninsulated areas) to transmit heat. The depth of the steel beams provides a wider space for insulation. The design flexibility of steel frame buildings enables architects to focus on energy-efficient housing features. Debris from a typical wood framed home accounts for 1.4 m3 of landfill waste, compared to only 0.1m3 from a steel framed house

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 and mobile houses are rated as personal property and depreciate over time. Manufactured homes are built onto steel beams, and are transported in complete sections to the home site, where they are assembled. Mobile homes built on wheels, that can be moved.

Steel Framing for Volume House Builders The revolutionary FRAMECAD Steel Frame Business Solution integrates automated steel manufacturing equipment, design & engineering software, quality building products and extensive support & training programs resulting in the following benefits for your business: Increase margins and keep to timelines with fast & efficient throughput and construction methods. (Steel frame houses can be completed in to 2/3 the time of a traditionally built house) Increase project profitability by lowering the total cost of build (manufacture, assembly, transportation, erection and completion) Maximise margins by utilising low cost labour with FRAMECADS easy to use Steel Frame Business Solution Take advantage of new markets such as sustainable green buildings and the growing trend towards open plan living requiring wider truss spans Win additional contracts by guaranteeing strict timelines, local building codes and environmental conditions (seismic, cyclonic, fire, pests etc) are met. Ensure quality and maximize resources by choosing the most appropriate building methodology build-on-site, modular, or transportable Gain a competitive edge by building houses and villas that look exactly the same as traditional houses but have all the benefits of being built in steel.

Strong and Design-Flexible Steel possesses the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any building material being used today including timber and block enabling less material wastage and improved margins. Steels inherent strength can be used to place trusses further apart while still being structurally sound enabling increased profitability. Take advantage of the latest design trends for profitable business development. Steel frames and trusses allow trends such as open plan living and interior walls to be placed without loadbearing considerations to be met. Steel frames and trusses can be used with curved designs allowing for greater market relevance. Retain existing markets and gain all the benefits of steel framing by using FRAMECADs 3D modelling software to easily convert existing timber or block plans to steel and ensuring the finished product looks just like those built with traditional methods. Save time and money when dealing with design modifications in steel framed buildings for example interior walls can be moved without a concern for structural support therefore there is no need to re-draw the entire design.

Transportation costs may be higher for voluminous prefabricated sections than for the materials of which they are made, which can often be packed more efficiently. Large prefabricated sections require heavy-duty cranes and precision measurement and handling to place in position. Larger groups of buildings from the same type of prefabricated elements tend to look drab and monotonous. Local jobs are lost

Manufacture and construct sustainable, high-quality houses

repeatable,

profitable,

Reference 1) 2) PREFAB ARCHITECTURE -RYAN [Link] Dictionary of Architecture and Building Construction- Nikolas Davies, Erkki Jokiniemi

Disadvantages Careful handling of prefabricated components such as concrete panels or steel and glass panels is required. Attention has to be paid to the strength and corrosion-resistance of the joining of prefabricated sections to avoid failure of the joint. Similarly, leaks can form at joints in prefabricated components.