How can prefabricated buildings shorten construction time?

What is a prefab building?

Prefabricated buildings are made in factories, processed, then assembled on site as opposed to traditional construction techniques. On-site treatment is not required.

Prefabricated structures can be broadly categorized into three types:

• Prefabricated Homes: Single-family homes are utilized for habitation.
• PC buildings: The fundamental construction of medium and high-rise buildings is made of reinforced concrete.
• Building specifications: For temporary offices, disaster relief facilities, and other structures, light steel is employed as the primary structural material.

How can the construction time of prefabricated structures be reduced?

In recent years, Chinese government officials have aggressively promoted prefabricated buildings, which are gradually replacing cast-in-place structures. Prefabricated buildings are those in which prefabricated components are hoisted on site from a prefabricated factory.

Prefabricated building construction is becoming more popular among businesses. Many businesses believe they can complete prefabricated structures as long as they identify a reliable design institution, purchase high-quality prefabricated components, and then hire a skilled general contractor. As a result, they frequently only travel to China and other countries for a few months. It turns out that it’s not as simple as I imagined.

In order to build a prefabricated building truly and efficiently, it is necessary to do a good job of control from the correct architectural concept to efficient architectural design, production and construction.

Based on the author’s practical experience of 150 projects in Guangdong Hongye steel structure work over 15 years, the author has concluded that the correct concept of prefabrication construction should be adopted, with the first step of efficient prefabrication construction beginning with the optimization of prefabricated building drawings. It must be correct from design to production management; otherwise, errors will occur in the field, resulting in laborious and time-consuming rework.

The author believes that in the second step, we can begin with construction management of the prefabricated construction site, arrange and organize the site workers, and improve construction efficiency.

1.The key to efficient prefabricated building design

• The overall layout and detailed consideration complement each other:

The designers should carry out comprehensive planning work within the total area of planning and design in the overall layout of the steel structure of the industrial warehouse, and make full use of land resources in the design and planning, and problems in the design process cannot be vaguely dealt with. Simultaneously, the planning of each workshop should be divided in detail in order to make full use of the whole while also making reasonable partial planning.

• Improve the choice and arrangement of the internal structure:

The industrial warehouse’s steel structure design serves as both a connecting link for the entire project and a crucial component of the overall construction. The influence of various factors should be fully considered during the design process. Prior to designing, it is essential to thoroughly and methodically summarize and categorize the pertinent data, design and equip the site to meet the survey and evaluation requirements, and ensure that it operates in a reasonable and scientific manner. The goal is to select various schemes for various types of warehouses and arrange corresponding facilities, which will aid in improving the internal design quality of industrial warehouses.

• Design and optimize the roof structure and support system:

The roof support system should be designed based on specific conditions such as warehouse span, local earthquake resistance level, and crane tonnage. In general, all steel frame workshops must have the most fundamental vertical support structure. If the warehouse is to be outfitted with super-heavy traverse cranes or large vibration equipment, the warehouse structure must incorporate longitudinal horizontal supports.

2.Efficient on-site prefabricated construction

• BIM simulation construction measurement:

BIM This technology can not only simulate component collision checks or civil construction, but it can also perform BIM (Building Digital Model) in advance. All construction projects, including civil and electromechanical, will be computer-simulated in advance, and actual construction encounters will be checked from all angles and positions. problems, and then solve them during the design phase The greater the number of simulation projects and the greater the experience, the smaller the error between 3D simulation and actual execution. BIM is used to simulate civil engineering and electromechanical integration models in advance, and the final comparison is consistent with the previous simulation. BIM can also be used to obtain construction equipment and moving lines by simulating construction equipment and moving lines.

• Construction without scaffolding:

One of the keys to efficient prefabrication construction on prefabricated construction sites is that traditional cast-in-place peripheral full-coverage scaffolding cannot be used, and scaffolding-free construction is set up from the construction organization plan. As a result, embedded parts, prefabricated beams, and prefabricated beams and prefabricated beams and prefabricated beams and prefabricated beams and prefabricated beams and prefabricated beams and prefabricated beams The temporary support and hoisting of the balcony can also be done without scaffolding on the periphery, according to the requirements of the construction organization design plan.

• Integration of structural decoration:

Efficient construction necessitates not only design, but also the incorporation of structural finishes into production to the greatest extent possible. When prefabricated columns are manufactured in a factory, they fight back with decorative stone. When prefabricated balconies are manufactured in the factory, they are produced alongside metal decorative lines and can be efficiently constructed without the need for decoration on the construction site.

• Exterior wall decoration factory first:

The same is true for façade fabrication. Instead of waiting for high-altitude decoration or other construction work on the construction site to naturally speed up the construction speed, the factory should carry out the subsequent exterior wall decoration, railing, and glass as much as possible, reduce post-construction, and produce as much as possible in the factory.

• Electromechanical vertical main pipe first:

If the electromechanical vertical main pipe can be pre-buried for a section and grouted simultaneously with the floor during the construction process, it is only necessary to take over the electromechanical main pipe and no related wet operations such as fixing and filling holes are required. This can significantly reduce the time required for electromechanical construction, the time required for the decoration project, and the overall construction period to achieve the goal of efficient construction.

•  Use a high-efficiency loader:

Equipped with a high-horsepower engine, it provides strong and reliable power output for the whole machine and improves the construction efficiency of the loader. It has large traction force and strong bearing capacity, and it is flexible and flexible in operation, which is convenient for workers to catch up with the construction period.

Epilogue

Previously, the design, production, and construction of prefabricated buildings used the cast-in-place construction method, which resulted in low efficiency and high construction costs. As a result, we mistakenly believe that prefabricated buildings are bad. In fact, we have no idea how to efficiently construct prefabricated buildings. Through this article, I will share the author’s efficient construction experience summary as well as experience gained in Guangdong Hongye Steel Structure Group and over 100 projects at home and abroad over the years.