detailed description of volumetric construction

1. MODULAR VOLUMETRICCONSTRUCTION June 2009

2. Executive summary The purpose of this document is to review the feasibility of using modular construction techniques for hotel, housing and worker accommodation developments. We have highlighted the advantages and disadvantages of a modular method of construction. We believe that a volumetric modular construction has the potential to be one of the key solutions to rapidly construct hotel, housing and worker accommodation developments. One big advantage is that the developer can be given a clear fixed construction budget for the majority of the building due to the modular factory process. Other advantages are speed of construction, environmental impact and quality control.

4. Pre-engineered building units.

5. Delivered to site as modular units and assembled on site to form a building.

6. It may comprise highly serviced rooms such as plant, bathrooms or kitchens or bedrooms, lounges, stairwells.

9. High early return on capital investment

10. Significant cash flow advantages over traditional build

11. Reduced need for skilled workforce on site

12. Less waste

13. High quality control

14. Reliable delivery timescale

15. Price certainty

16. Sustainable - can be relocated or recycled

18. Repetitive building type

19. Skill shortage on site

20. Certainty of delivery

21. High quality

22. Future relocation

23. Weather conditions have limited effect

24. Security issues

26. High quality factory finished rooms

27. Fully serviced rooms "ready to plug in" via risers and corridor distribution routes

28. 90 minutes fire rating available with double boards

29. Outstanding sound attenuation

30. Low rise or high rise projects

31. Thermal insulation easily upgraded

32. Maximum standard room width is variable

33. Cladding choices

34. Variety of building shapes - usually rectilinear but could be jutted out or with balconies

36. For transportation, room sizes are flexible

37. Rooms wider than 5m may need to be subdivided into smaller width units

38. Modules are lifted into place via a 4 or 6 point lifting frame

40. Minimum 100 year design life expected for most buildings

41. A design life over 200 years can be achieved with additional insulation

44. Fast-track set-up and operation of assembly plants.

45. Consistency of quality and build

46. Cost benefits of design and specification consistency

47. Reduction in design cost

50. The modules are fitted out in accordance with the building system standard processes

51. Kitchens and bathrooms are installed along with plumbing and electrical systems

54. Modules are lifted into position and connected together

55. All modules are waterproof and weatherproof immediately

58. Cladding could also be fitted in the factory reducing on site programme.

59. Balconies can be fitted

60. External works are completed

62. Load bearing three dimensional frames

63. Prefabricated and fitted out under factory conditions

64. Each module self-contained

65. Ideal for re-locatable applications

66. Identical units, e.g. Villas, apartment units or hotel rooms

68. Can be built to strict tolerances

69. Advantages over timber frame systems

70. Dimensional stability

71. Durability

72. Modular systems are super-insulated

73. Walls and floors typically give 53dB reduction for sound

75. Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester Student accommodation Located on the tight site in central Manchester is the 600 bedroom a hall of residence for the Royal Northern College of Music, comprising single and double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and kitchens for each flat and common rooms. The nine-storey block was totally prefabricated off-site using the light gauge modular system.

76. North Pole Road, London This site was extremely confined, with the proposed construction filling the entire 12m wide by 100m long

77. North Pole Road, London - key worker housing

78. Rodney Road, Twickenham - social & private housing This site lies directly between a mainline railway and a busy road and thus required high levels of sound insulation, this was easily provided with the modular framing solution. Offering very good acoustic performance both against external noise and also the transmittal of sound between units internally.

79. Rodney Road, Twickenham - social & private housing

80. Rodney Road, Twickenham - social & private housing

81. RNCM, Manchester

82. Wilmslow, Manchester

83. Wilmslow, Manchester

84. South Chase, Harlow - social & private housing

85. South Chase, Harlow - social & private housing Traditionally clad to resembles traditional housing

86. Modular & Volumetric Ltd Image House 72 Madison Ave Birmingham, B36 8EQ, UK. Tel: 0044 (0) 7753 675716 philwdm@aol.com