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Prefabrication and Off-Site Production 501
Hotel accommodation
The structural frame and
floors have been
erected
Volumetric modules
have been used for
toilet, bathroom and
service pods. Each pod
is constructed within a
steel structural frame,
which allows the
modules to be craned
into position and
wheeled into place
Once in position the
external cladding can
be fitted
Photograph 8.8 Hotel accommodation: prefabricated bathroom and service pods.
8.2 Functional requirements
Prefabricated (modular) buildings are no different from those constructed on site in that
they must also comply with prevailing building control and associated legislation. Thus
the functional requirements of prefabricated buildings are the same as those identified
for elements of site-constructed buildings as described in Barry’s Introduction to Construction
of Buildings. The only exception to this is a requirement for increased strength
(bracing) of the floor and wall panels to resist the loads imposed on the units during
transportation and craning into position. Because prefabricated buildings are factory produced
by one manufacturer, it is a little easier to determine the design life and service
life of the entire unit. Prefabricated units produced for a commercial use, such as fast
food units, are designed and built for a specific (often very short) design life, which is
based on the predicted future market for a particular business use. Thus durability may
be less of a concern than recycling of the redundant unit and rapid replacement with a
new unit that better satisfies the business need. Some attention to routine cleaning and
maintenance is still required, as is the ability to undertake repairs and minor alterations
should the need arise.
Depending on the methods used, approximately 80–90% of work can be done in
the factory. However, site-specific groundwork, construction of foundations and services