2. Reducing Costs and Increasing Efficiency Through Prefabrication | 2
An Effective Solution to Familiar Problems
Anyone who has been involved in a building project
knows that the construction schedule is one of the most
important, and most challenging, aspects of a project to
manage. Building owners often push for an aggressive
timeline, in hopes of reducing labor costs and occupying
their new facility as quickly as possible. However, fast-
tracked schedules can lead to a variety of problems,
including reductions in work quality, unbudgeted
overtime, and missed deadlines.
Fortunately, there is a way to accelerate a construction
timeline without sacrificing quality or putting the budget
in the red. Prefabrication, especially when implemented
through Integrated Project Delivery, can dramatically
reduce project installation times and labor costs.
While prefabrication is not a new concept in electrical
contracting, it has not seen wide adoption until recently.
In the past, the traditional design/bid/build process kept
contractors out of the loop until plans were finalized, at
which point there was little time or opportunity to find
possibilities for prefabrication.
Today, the Integrated Project Delivery model brings design
and construction teams together earlier in the process,
allowing team members to identify building components that
are good candidates for prefabrication. Building Information
Modeling (BIM) software gives project teams the ability to
generate detailed models of prefabricated elements such
as lighting boxes, equipment panels, and even entire walls,
including all the specifications needed for offsite production.
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Why Prefabricate?
Prefabrication offers many benefits in comparison to
traditional stick-build installations, especially when combined
with effective use of BIM modeling and an integrated
approach to project delivery. Studies of prefabrication use in
recent construction projects have identified improvements in
a variety of areas:
Faster Installation: Prefabrication can significantly reduce
the time needed for installation of electrical systems and
components at the construction site. “We have done time
studies comparing traditional installations to prefabricated
installations on actual projects,” says Lou Rotello, President
at The Morse Group. “Our research shows that effective
prefabrication, coupled with a collaborative BIM program,
can result in 10%-20% savings of direct labor costs.”
Reduced Congestion: Prefabricated assemblies are built
offsite; typically at a contractor’s own facility. This reduces
the number of contractor employees who need to be present
at the construction site, which in turn reduces the demand
for site resources like loading docks and elevators. Reduced
congestion can also lower the risk of accidents and injuries
at the site.
Greater Efficiency: Rather than working at the
construction site, which often involves extensive movement
between installation sites and frequent trips for materials,
prefabrication crews complete their assemblies in their
own facility, in work areas that are specifically designed for
the task at hand. “We’ve found that working in a controlled
environment on high repetition tasks allows the use of lean
manufacturing techniques, greatly increasing efficiency,”
says Lou Rotello of The Morse Group.
Lower Labor Costs: The most significant labor savings
associated with prefabrication typically come from reduced
installation times. However, prefabrication also presents
opportunities for labor savings in other areas, such as the
utilization of apprentices, whose labor costs are typically
lower than those of other employees.
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Labor Savings Example: Hotel Guest Room Rough-In
Build and Install — Two double duplex receptacles/data assemblies per room
— One switch/thermostat assembly per room
Installation Method
Stick Build/No
Prefabrication
Prefabricated Assemblies
Prefabricated
Assemblies Installed in
Prefabricated Walls
Assembly Build Time
Per Room
0.5 hour 1 hour 1 hour
Installation Time Per Room 2 hours 1.5 hours 1 hour
Total Build+Install Time
Per Room
3 hours 2.5 hours 2 hours
Labor Savings Per Room 0 .5 hours 1 hour
Labor Savings Per Hotel
(200 rooms)
0 100 hours 200 hours
Additional Benefits — Prefabricated assemblies are built offsite, reducing
workforce congestion at the job site.
— Assembly costs may be reduced through use of apprentice
labor and lean manufacturing techniques.
The example below
demonstrates the
potential savings in
installation labor
that prefabrication
can generate when a
project requires a large
number of similar or
identical components.
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BIM: The Key to Effective Prefabrication
The increased use of Building Information Modeling
software in recent years has generated a new wave of
interest in prefabrication. While large-scale prefabrication
was often impractical in the past, BIM now allows project
teams to identify opportunities for prefabrication in the
design phase and incorporate prefabricated installations
into the construction schedule.
Finding opportunities for prefabrication becomes even
easier when construction projects are managed using an
Integrated Project Delivery approach, in which owners,
designers, and contractors work together throughout the
project to share expertise and collaborate on key decisions.
A typical prefabrication process consists of the
following phases:
BIM analysis: As the project model takes shape,
contractors and designers work together to identify
frequently occurring building elements that are good
candidates for prefabrication.
Prefabrication modeling: The project team uses BIM
software to create families (groups of objects with similar
properties and uses) to represent the elements that will be
prefabricated. These families are configured so that the
necessary information (materials, sizes, quantities, etc.)
can be provided to the offsite prefabrication team.
Schedule review: The project team reviews the
construction schedule to determine the appropriate timing
for installation of prefabricated assemblies.
Prefabrication: The prefabrication team builds the
assemblies in an offsite facility, allowing for more efficient
manufacturing and reducing the number of contractors
present at the construction site.
Installation: Prefabricated assemblies are installed at the
construction site, usually resulting in a significant labor
savings compared to stick-build installation.
6. Planning
Before assembly could begin, the project team created detailed BIM models of the electrical rooms, including the components
within the rooms as well as the connections between the rooms and the rest of the building’s systems.
The team also evaluated the construction schedule to identify the correct timing for installation of the completed rooms.
Assembly
The prefabricated electrical rooms consisted of multiple systems, each of which was assembled and installed in the rooms
before delivery to the construction site:
Case Study: Prefabricated Electrical Rooms
The Power of FIVE | 6
Electrical panels Building management panels Fire alarm panels
Final preparations included installing conduit and stubbing through walls to allow connections to the rest of the building.
Installation
Once the prefabricated rooms were complete, The Morse Group installed them at the site of the client’s new campus.
The rooms were lifted into place as building floors were completed, resulting in a significant reduction in the project’s
installation schedule.
The Morse Group recently applied BIM modeling and prefabrication to deliver an innovative solution
for a client who needed to accelerate their installation schedule. “Our client was experiencing rapid
growth, so they asked us to find ways to shorten the installation schedule for their multi-building
campus,” says Alan Franseen, Project Manager at The Morse Group.
After a review of the project’s BIM models, the Morse project team determined that entire electrical
rooms could be prefabricated offsite, greatly reducing the onsite installation time per room.
The Challenge
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Opportunities for Prefabrication
VFD Racks
Lighting Boxes
MEPF RacksLight Fixtures
Panelized WallsFire Alarm Panels
Prefabrication is applicable to a wide range of
electrical systems and components, and can be
used effectively on small single-building sites as well
as large multi-building or multi-campus projects.
A few examples of prefabricated elements from
recent projects are listed below.
Building Automation System Panels
