Presentation makes a case for promoting pre-fabrication as a unique approach to make buildings cost-effective, time -efficient, resource- efficient, qualitative and sustainable, resilient, energy-efficient and climate responsive.

1. ROLE AND
IMPORTANCE OF PRE-
FABRICATION IN
PROMOTING
SUSTAINABLE BUILT
ENVIRONMENT
*** Ar Jit Kumar Gupta,
founder Director, College of Architecture , IET Bhaddal,
jit.kumar1944@gmail.com

2. Buildings- Role
and Importance

3. Buildings- Role and Importance
 Buildings-- integral part of human history, growth and
development since inception
 Buildings -- would continue to define journey of human
growth and development till posterity
 Buildings-- manmade environment- vital for human growth
 Buildings -- living organism
 Buildings -- as structures cater to all human activities
 Buildings -- largest consumers of energy (50%)
 Buildings - largest consumers of resources
 Buildings – largest generators of waste
 Buildings- largest polluter of environment /ecology
 Buildings responsible for -- largest carbon footprints
 Buildings -- responsible for global warming
 Buildings -- major determinant of global sustainability


4. Buildings- Role and Importance
 Buildings– providers of optimum/worst living conditions
 Buildings -- make people healthy/sick
 Buildings --critical because 80% human life spent in
buildings
 -- Buildings important to address / overcome human/
ecological concerns
 Making Buildings Sustainable-- critical to make value
addition to resources, environment ,ecology
 Studies made revealed that—
 A well designed/constructed school-- makes learning easy
and more meaningful
 A will designed/constructed house--- makes people happy
and healthy
 A well designed/constructed hospital-- can cure patients
quickly
 A well designed/constructed shopping mall-- can increase

5. Indian Construction Industry
 Construction industry-major economic driver in India,
 --contributing 11 % share of GDP
 -- second largest industry in India after agriculture
 - --Second largest employment generator
 -- employing 40 million workforce (1/6th working population)
2013,
 --52 million by 2017 and
 -- estimated to be 67 million by 2022.
 -- India 333 b USD construction output in 2015
 - ranked 4th Globally
 --three sectors of construction:--- buildings, infrastructure
and industrial
 Majority of workforce engaged in construction of
buildings
 10 % workforce involved in building completion/ finishing/
electrical, plumbing, other installation services/demolition
and site preparation.

6. Buildings- Built Environment
--Operational domain of Buildings revolves around:
-- planning, designing, construction, operation,
maintenance, demolition and reconstruction
 -buildings designed /constructed/operated with care
 Buildings – cost /material/resource intensive;
 Buildings – required to be made cost/time efficient,
qualitative, durable , requiring minimum
maintenance/upkeep
 Building Cost-considered in terms of LIFE CYCLE
COST- not initial cost
• --Going green -- a necessity to ensure sustainable
tomorrow
• -- Each building-- unique, requires different options
to make it green
• Architects/ Engineers/builders/developers- have

7. DEMOGRAPHY-
Global & Indian

8. Population Scenario- India-2011
Population of India reached
 250 million in 1919
 500 million in 1966 (47 yrs. Later)
 1000 million in 2000 ( 34 yrs. Later)
 1027 million in 2001 (1yr Later)
 1210 million in 2011 (10 yrs. Later)
 Last century-- 5 fold increase in
population
 2050-1600 million -- 50% living in Urban
India.
 --Increased population requires
 --- More buildings-- more housing, --
More educational/ healthcare/ other
institutions
 --More commercial space --More
transportation
 – More Resources
 India annually needs--700-900 million

9. Typologies of
Construction--
Traditional- On site
Construction-
Issues

10. Traditional on -site construction-
Issues
 Majority of construction in India follow;
 -- traditional on-site pattern of construction.
 --Known as linear construction,
 -- where every component --not only constructed
on site,
 -- but also completed -before project moves to next
phase.
 Such construction --has major implications in terms
of
 -- time;
 -- cost,
 --quality,
 --safety,
 -- noise,

11. Traditional on -site construction-Issues
 Human led /human oriented- dictated by
quality of manpower deployed
 Manpower intensive-Large manpower needed
for construction/ supervision
 Loss/theft of material
 Time intensive - Highly time consuming-
 Material inefficient-- Generating large scale
waste
 Weather led--Construction largely dictated
by prevailing weather conditions
 Pollution intensive- creates lot of pollution
 Unsafe - for workers deployed in
construction.
 Material/storage intensive -Large inventory of

12. Traditional on -site construction-Issues
 Large variation in quality- dependent on work
force deployed
 Resource intensive- Grey Buildings- Use lot
of water/energy –
 Cost inefficient- Increased initial cost of
construction
 Cost overrun-Uneconomical in
cost/resources-
 Time overrun- Delayed return on project
 Construction inefficiency -Unpredictable
project schedule-
 --Large site disruption ;
 Limited application in --hazardous areas
 Adverse impact on surroundings

13. Pre- Fabrication/
Modular
Construction

14. Changing Construction Perceptions

15. Prefabrication-context
 Construction-- has always focus on;
 -- speed , time, economy, efficiency, quality
 -- that can be ensured with
 -- the materials &
 -- techniques of construction.
 -- Prefabrication remains an;
 --amazing technology
 -- that helps to
 --reduce time and provide
 --many more benefits.

16. What is prefabrication?
 1. Prefabricated construction, or “prefab,”
 -- a method of construction
 --that uses components made off-site
 --in a factory,
 --which then transported
 -- put together on-site to create a structure.
 2. Prefabrication is
 -- the practice of assembling components
 --of a structure
 -- in a factory or other manufacturing site and
 -- transporting complete assemblies /sub-assemblies
 -- to the construction site
 -- where the structure is to be located

17. Pre- fabrication/Modular
Construction
off-site/modular constructions offers enormous
opportunities
 Overcoming-- disadvantage of traditional construction,
 --Offering advantages in terms of;
 -- cost, time, quality, safety, environment, materials etc.
 Off-Site construction-- is a process that incorporates
 -- pre-fabrication and pre-assembly.
 --creating building components off site
 -- in a designated factory,
 -- shipping to plot/ land and
 -- installing the components to create a finished
structure
Off-site fabrication-- project strategy--
-- changes orientation of project process
--- from construction to manufacture to installation
-- offers numerous benefits for both owners/construction

18. Rise of Pre-
Fabrication/
Modular
Construction

19. Rise of Prefabricated
Building
 Prefab building - last real estate cycle/pushed such
construction to prominence
 Second world war, majority of skilled construction
manpower/joined war/ labourers left job,-- due to recession in
construction industry.
 led to shortage of manpower-
 -- large scale construction started after world war
 -- to replace buildings which suffered extensive damage during
war
 --Acute shortage of housing following second world war --led to
a boom in high rise apartments blocks,
 -- builders took to alternate recourse of methods of construction
involving;
 -safe, efficient, cost-effective,quality construction- minimum
manpower.
 -Build projects in-- limited time
-Provide workers-- with safer working conditions
 -- Solutions led to the emergence of prefabricated/ modular
construction.

20. Rise of Prefabricated
Building
 - Crystal Palace - Britain’s Great Exhibition of 1851- earliest example
of prefabrication/modularization.----design taking less than two
weeks-- construction in few months– using prefab light/cheap
materials iron, wood and glass,-- After exhibition-- palace taken
apart and moved to other location.
 - USA used Quonset huts-- pre-fabricated lightweight all purpose
buildings, for creating accommodation for military globally during the
war,-- which could be shipped anywhere and assembled without
skilled labour.
 U.S.A -- made extensive use of modular construction in
commercial buildings hotels/ offices/ hospitals/schools post ‘70s
when demand exceeded supply
 500-room deluxe Hilton Hotel in San Antonio for Texas World’s
Exposition of 1968-- designed, completed and occupied in just 202
working days. All rooms were placed by crane in 46 days.-- Still
in use, hotel is believed to be the tallest modularly constructed facility
in United States.
 New cruise liner Queen Mary 2--, one of largest/ most expensive
cruise liners in world-- also used modular passenger cabins / VIP
suites -- to ensure all cabins built to higher standards.

21. Crystal Palace
London
Crystal Palace - Britain’s Great Exhibition of 1851- earliest example of prefabrication/
modularization.----design taking less than two weeks- construction in few months
– using prefab light/cheap materials iron, wood and glass, After exhibition-- palace
taken apart and moved to other location.

22. lightweight
- USA used Quonset huts, pre-fabricated lightweight all purpose buildings, for
accommodation for military globally during war--could be shipped/ assembled without
skilled labour.

23. 500-room deluxe Hilton Hotel
Texas
for Texas World’s Exposition of 1968-- designed, completed/occupied in just 202
working days. All rooms placed by crane in 46 days. - Still in use, hotel believed
to be tallest modularly constructed facility in United States

24. Cruise liner Queen Mary
2
one of largest/ most expensive cruise liners in world-- used modular passenger
cabins / VIP suites -- to ensure all cabins built to higher standards.

25. Corbu Centre Chandigarh

26. Low Cost Government Housing-
Chandigarh

27. AKSHARDHAM TEMPLE- Delhi

30. Pre- Fab Concrete Panels

32. PRE-Fab Screen

37. Advantages of
Pre- Fabrication/
Modular
Construction

38. Pre- fabrication/Modular
Construction/off-site-
Advantages
 Building in Hazardous Area
 Assured Quality Construction
 Material Efficiency
 Cost- Efficiency
 Green Construction
 Flexibility
 Reduced Site Disruption
 Time Efficiency
 Safety

39. Pre- fabrication- Advantages
 Building in Hazardous Area-----Advantages in remote
area/disasters/ areas hit by disasters where-
 accessibility/manpower/transportation of materials/time
available major problems --best option for construction in
minimum time /cost.
 --In hill areas with extreme climatic conditions--pre-
fabrication help in creating well insulated structures/least
susceptible to extreme outside climate. -Leh, Ladakh,
Lahaul, Spiti
 Assured Quality Construction
 Construction of building components in industrial setting-
 ---- under highly controlled environment
 -- involving lot of quality checks and balances,
 - assured uniform quality unlike site-built structures.
 Modular buildings manufactured-- to code-making owners

40. Pre- fabrication/Modular
Construction/off-site- Advantages
 Material Efficiency
 Prefabricated buildings known for their material efficiency --both onsite /off-
site..
 -- do not produce waste--material for construction arrives in finished state .
 -- leave/ create very little waste during the manufacturing, assembly,
disassembly
 ---involves just putting together all components-- as per approved design..
 Cost- Efficiency
 Large Capacity to promote economy /cost- efficiency, through;
 -- large discounts received from material suppliers,
 -- reduction in construction time,
 --- mass production of components and
 -- Standardisation,
 ---repetitive nature of operations / large scale operations.
 --Reduction of wastage and in- house recycling of extra materials
 -- less storage cost ,
 -- less material loss
 -- saving on labour hours /manpower cost in construction

41. Pre- fabrication/Modular
Construction/off-site-
Advantages
 Green Construction
 -Modular buildings require less power compared to traditional
constructions,
 -- lot more eco-friendly-- both in long and short-term.
 --lower life cycle energy implications-- as compared to on-site
construction
 -have minimum use of water-absence of onsite watering of
brick/concrete
 -- Energy efficiency --achieved through using recycled materials
 -- Resource efficient and greener construction process-- due to
reduced material waste/ pollution --increased use of recycled
materials
 Flexibility
 Flexibility based on;
 -- easy dismantling /Relocation of buildings to different sites,
 - Using numerous individual parts–
 permit flexibility in building structure/ design

42. Pre- fabrication/Modular
Construction/off-site- Advantages
 Reduced Site Disruption
 Traditional construction-- involves major site disruption
 -- since all building processes performed on site
 --Require transporting/storage/mixing of materials/water storage/creating
residential space for labour etc
 --- In prefab construction majority of these disruptions taken away from site
 -- factory manufacturing - reduce traffic, equipment/ material suppliers around
construction site.
 Time Efficiency
 --- taking less than half time when compared to traditional construction
 --due to better planning, reduced site disruptions / quicker fabrication of multiple
components.
 -- Permits multiple projects simultaneously
 -- Reduced on-site construction manpower /supervision --leads to construction
efficiency.
 -- Minimum operation for finishing on site including watering of concrete/ brick walls,
seasoning of wood, painting and polishing of wood/door etc, which minimises time span
for construction
Safety
 Promote safety in building construction
 -including safety of workers at site during construction

43. Benefits of Pre- fabrication
 Mitigating the labour shortage:
• Already difficult for contractors to find labour
• - but construction still needs to take place.
• - on-site building - decreases labour productivity
• - as work continues piecemeal.
• -Prefabrication helps businesses speed up timelines,
• -- make best of on-site labour,
• -- improve efficiency/success in marketplace.
 . Lower environmental impact:
• --Accelerated offsite production of parts
• -- reduced emissions and work disruption.
• - preserves wetlands or protected areas nearby
• -- minimises local flora and fauna disturbance.
• -- due to dry environment of modular construction
• -- saves water consumption and
• -- allows scrap / other materials to be recycled.
• -- fossil fuel consumption reduced considerably
• -- with less on-site traffic and streamlined transportation.

44. Benefits of Pre- fabrication
. Flexibility:
-Easy to disassemble /move modular construction
 -- greatly decreases demand for raw materials
 -- minimises resources spent
 - Reduces overall time.
 -- allows versatility in structure’s design,
 -- allowing numerous possibilities.
 Prefabricated building units can be used in
aesthetics can be combined with almost any

45. Prefabrication
Construction-
Limitations

46. Pre- fabrication- Limitations
 While prefabrication solves some logistical problems, -- also carries limitations.
 -- Prefabricated components remain limited to a maximum size /weight
 -- since they are to be transported to jobsite.
 Monotony – Risking Choices in design
 Restricting additions and alterations
 Reduced Resale Value
 Roadblock in Financing
 Accuracy and Precision
 High Transportation Cost
 Specialised Machinery- Cranes etc at site for assembly
 Mass Production
 Skilled Manpower and Cost
 Delay/cost-overrun- Co-ordination
 High Initial Cost- higher initial time
 Leakage of joints
 Loss of local Employment- due to requirement of skilled labour
 Requiring high degree of cooperation between project parties- architects, structural engineers
and manufacturers.
• Increased level of depreciation- than standard site- --built housing due to their shorter
economic existence.

47. EMERGING
CONSTRUCTI
ON
TECHNOLOGI
ES

48. Emerging Construction Technologies-
2018
 1. Augmented Reality- instead of virtual reality using
augmented reality- you not only visualize real world through a
camera lens, but also add to it– offering endless opportunities
for construction industry
 2. Cloud & Mobile Technology- Being accessible from
anywhere/ connected online– emerging technologies valuable
in construction industry for remaining competitive in market.
 3. Connected Job-- Sites-To make engineers, managers,
surveyors, architects and construction workers connected-
growing software solutions enabling sharing graphics,
measurements / instructions to be passed more efficiently/
in real-time
 4. Construction Management Software—to help manage
business operations including job costing, service
management, project management, scheduling, budgeting,

49. Emerging Construction
Technologies
 5. Wearable Technology– to help keep workers safe; allows;
passing on the instructions; help track a worker in case of an
accident
 6. Drones-- Save time; quick surveying ; saving labour costs;
ensuring accuracy and precision in readings; less human
involvement necessary.
 7. Smart/Green Construction--If construction process is
streamlined using time / labour sparing technologies; using
solar/wind/ other sustainable energy- easily offset initial cost leading
to clients’ savings.
 8 BIM (Building Information Modelling- enables 3D and4D (time),
5D, 6D, 7D, 8D programming; cost as-built operation; sustainability;
safety--an intelligent, model-based technology -takes a project from
conception to completion
 9. 3D Printing- cost-prohibitive and time to finish a project by this
machine very slow-technology very important for construction
industry going forward.

50. Aussie brick-laying Robot working
20 times faster than human being

51. UK construction sector to employ
nearly 5,000 drones by 2030

52. 3D Printing
Technology

53. Stay Lean with Cloud Based
Technology

54. Virtual Reality-Google, Samsun
Apple/Facebook/Microsoft working on
technology

56. PMAY-Technology
Sub – Mission
- Global Housing
Technology
Challenge

57. Technology Sub-Mission
 A Technology Sub-mission under PMAY set up to; facilitate
adoption of;
 -- modern, innovative/ green technologies /building material
 -- for faster /quality construction of houses.
 - Technology Sub-Mission facilitate;
 -- preparation / adoption of layout designs/building plans
 --suitable for various geo-climatic zones.
 --assist States/ Cities in deploying disaster resistant/
environment friendly technologies
 -- coordinate with various regulatory /administrative bodies
 - for mainstreaming /up scaling deployment of
 -- modern construction technologies /material
 -- in place of conventional construction.
 --coordinate with other agencies
 --working in green /energy efficient technologies, climate
changes etc.

58. Technology Sub-Mission
 Sub-Mission will work on :
 • Design & Planning
• Innovative technologies & materials
• Green buildings using natural resources and
• Earthquake and other disaster resistant technologies and designs.
 Adopting Simple designs-- ensuring adequate sunlight / air
 - Centre/State to- partner with willing IITs, NITs/SPAs - for developing
 -- technical solutions, capacity building /handholding of States/ Cities.
 --State/ region specific needs of technologies /designs
 -- supported under this Sub-Mission
 A technical cell has been setup in the Building Materials and
Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC)
 54 innovative technologies across world - shortlisted in 6 broad
categories under Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-
India),
 Involving construction of over 1,000 houses --in six cities in a span of

59. Technology Sub-Mission
 IIT Madras made a 3D printed house.
 Indore-- Pre-Fabricated Sandwich Panel System
in place of Brick-and-Mortar Walls.
 Rajkot,- Light House -- made with French
Technology - tunnel Monolithic Concrete
construction technology
 Chennai-- Pre-cast Concrete system
technologies from America / Finland being used.
 Ranchi- houses to be built using 3D Construction
System of Germany.
 Agartala- technology from New Zealand a used that
can withstand major earthquakes -made with steel

62. WAY FORWARD

63. Way Forward
 India passing through an era of rapid and massive urbanisation
 coupled with government launching number of missions and yojnas
calling for
 --Housing for all by 2022’;
 -- constructed 6m HHtoilets/4.5 lakh public toilets – Nov3,2018 pan
India-SBM
 --creating markets for street vendors
 --creating home for houseless- 2.95 Mi in rural areas-Average Const
Time reduced from 314 to114 days – 12 Million houses to be const. in
urban areas
 --Skill development Centres for skilling India- under National Urban
Skill & Livelihood Mission;
 --Promoting Rural development under Ru-Urban Mission;
 --Development of 100 cities under Smart City Mission
 -- Development of 12 cities under HRIDAY and AMRUT,
 -- Demand for building is increasing many fold.
 - For achieving defined objectives under these innovative

64. Conclusion- Way Forward
 Prefabrication known to offer best solutions to
many problems hammering construction
industry.
 Government-- must come out with a well defined
innovative policy & provide incentives to
industry;
 -- to promote state of art construction
technologies.
 - to promote pre-fabrication/modular
construction
 -- Make it integral part of manuals
 - Make it Integral part of study curricula of the
Engineering/Architectural education
 - Create awareness about the pre-fabrication

65. Conclusion- Way Forward
 --Despite limitations-- prefabricated/precast
construction offers numerous benefits
involving;
 -- optimal materials usage
 - recycling of material/waste
 -- freedom from pollution,
 -- freedom from wind & rain;
 -- improved construction safety;
 -- year round fast construction,
 -- reduced pilferage; better quality control etc
 -- providing a real alternative to on-site
processes.
 --With improvement in manufacturing technology

66. Conclusion- Way Forward
 -- Committee of experts appointed by National
Research Council of USA identified—
 “Greater use of prefabrication/modularization” as a
key breakthrough opportunity to;
 -- significantly improve efficiency/ competitiveness
of construction industry
 --Overcoming acute shortage of onsite quality
skilled labour
 -- Making structures leaner
 - Making structures qualitative
 - For Making optimum use of prefab technology– --
Evolve/Develop components which can be applied
from project to project;
 --undertaking brain storming session with
client/design team;
 --taking decision to use pre-fab in the beginning of