IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIWE
 INTRODUCTION
Prefabrication is the Practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other Manufacturing
site and transporting complete assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to / be located. The
role of prefabrication in architecture has been lauded for its potential to increase productivity and efficiency
while not sacrificing quality. The values of better, faster and cheaper are applicable to developed countries
such as the U.S., Japan, and Europe, whose middle class continues to demand this equation in buildings
that range from the remarkable to the prosaic. Developing countries, including China, India, Africa and
many parts of South America, that are beginning to rely on prefabrication have the potential advantages of
realizing housing quickly and affordably; however, greater reliance on manufactured production has
possibly more disadvantages than advantages for these cultures.

With prefabrication, improved working conditions would seem to be agreeable to everyone: instead of
building in the weather, international fabricators supply controlled environments with ergonomically
considered equipment and yet in many fabrication environments, reliance on minimal skills, and a
disconnect with the community in which workers live, leaves little room for continued fostering of personal
and collaborative skills, culture, tradition and community building. The potential for prefabrication to be
used to create a bland, monotonous landscape is an issue that developed countries’ construction
professionals must grapple with. Countries such as India are undoubtedly suffering a greater banality in the
built environment by embracing prefabrication. Prefabrication is touted as offering a more sustainable
solution to building, but developing counties already rely on vernacular practices for design and
construction that require relatively low life cycle energy.(www.ijeffes.org) (Prof. Vjeran Mlinarić, Ph.D.
Civ. Eng., 2019)

 Principles: (Aims)
 To effect economy in cost
 To improve in quality as the components can be manufactured under controlled conditions.
 To speed up construction since no curing is necessary.
 To use locally available materials with required characteristics.
 To use the materials which possess their innate characteristics like light weight, easy workability,
thermal insulation and combustibility etc.

 Need For Prefabrication

 Prefabricated structures are used for sites which are not suitable for normal construction method
such as hilly region and also when normal construction materials are not easily available.
 PFS facilities can also be created at near a site as is done to make concrete blocks used in plane
of conventional Knick.
 Structures which are used repeatedly and can be standardized such as mass housing storage
sheds,
godowns, shelter, bus stand security cabins, site offices, fool over bridges road bridges. Tubular structures,
concrete building blocks etc., are prefabricated structures. (Prof. Vjeran Mlinarić, Ph.D. Civ. Eng., 2019)

EIABC 1
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

 Classification
The Prefabrication is classified as follow from the view of degree of Precast construction.
 Small prefabrication
 Medium Prefabrication
 Large Prefabrication
 Cast in Site Prefabrication
 Off-Site (or) factory Prefabrication
 Open system of prefabrication
 Closed system of prefabrication
 Partial prefabrication
 Total prefabrication
 Small Prefabrication
The first 3 types are mainly classified according to their degree of precast. Elements using in that
construction for eg.:brick is a small unit precast and used in building. This is called as small prefabrication.
That the degree of precast element is very low.
 Medium Prefabrication
Suppose the roofing systems and horizontal members are provided with pretested elements those
construction are known as medium prefabricated construction here the degree of precast elements are
moderate.
 Large Prefabrication
In large prefabrication most of the members like wall panels, roofing / flooring Systems, beams and columns
are prefabricated. Here degree of precast elements are high.
 Cast – In – Site Prefabrication: Off – Site (Factory) Prefabrication
One of the main factor which affect the factory prefabrication is transport. The width of mad walls, mode

 Open System Of Prefabrication

In the total prefabrication systems, the space framers are casted as a single unit and erected at the site. The wall
fitting and other fixing are done on site. This type of construction is known as open system of prefabrication.
 Closed System Of Prefabrication
In this system the whole things are casted with fixings and erected on their position.
 Partial Prefabrication
In this method of construction the building element (mostly horizontal) required are precast and then erected.
Since the costing of horizontal elements (roof / floor) often take there time due to erection of from work the
completion of the building is delayed and hence this method is restored. In most of the building sites this
method is popular more. Son in industrial buildings where the elements have longer spans. Use of double tees,
channel units, cored stabs, slabs, hyperboloid.(www.ijeffes.org)

EIABC 2
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

 TYPES OF PREFABRICATED BUILDING SYSTEMS

Precast systems are categorized according to the type of load-bearing structure. As such, there are four
types of precast systems: large-panel systems; frame systems; slab-column systems with walls and mixed
systems. These are discussed in the following sections:

 LARGE-PANEL SYSTEMS
The vertical and horizontal connection of large floor and wall concrete panels in a multi-storeyed buildings,
such that the panels form rooms by enclosing spaces in a box-like manner within the building, is referred
to as the large-panel system. The panels resist gravitational loads and provide flexibility in the interior
layout. Wall panels are usually the height of a single storey, while horizontal floor and roof panels span
one- or two-way slabs. With proper joints, the horizontal panels transfer

lateral loads to the walls. There are three possible configurations based on the wall layout:
 Cross-wall system: the gravity-resisting walls are placed in the short direction of the building
 Longitudinal-wall system: the gravity-resisting walls are longitudinally placed
 Two-way system: the placement of the walls is in both directions.
The advantage of this system is speedy construction, acoustic insulation, fire resistance and paint-ready
surface finishing. It is suitable for residential apartments and hotels.

Figure : Large-panel System Building in Brandenburg

 FRAME SYSTEMS
This system is better suited to buildings which require more flexibility, such as multi-level car parks,
shopping malls, offices, industrial buildings and sports facilities. Precast frames can be constructed in two
ways: spatial beam-column sub-assemblages and linear elements. The former construction allows the
placement of connecting faces away from critical regions but are difficult to form, handle and assembly,
and as such the use of linear elements (the placement of connecting faces at beam-column junctions) is
preferred.

EIABC 3
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

Figure: Precast Frame System in Construction

 SLAB-COLUMN SYSTEMS WITH SHEAR WALLS
In this system, the slab-column structure is used to resist gravitational loads while shear walls are relied
upon to sustain the effects of lateral loads. Two sub-systems in this category are
 Lift-slab system with walls: this consists of precast columns (two-storeys high) and
 Prestressed slab-column system: in this system, continuity is achieved using two-directional
horizontal prestressing.

Figure: A Construction Using the Vaughtborg Lift-Slab System

 CELL SYSTEM
This system is used for specific parts of a building, such as bathroom, kitchen and stairs. The advantage of
the cell system is speedy construction and high productivity, as the fittings and finishings are carried out at
the factory. (the britsh university in dubai Des 2012)., 2012)

Industrialization of manufacturing

Industrialized manufacturing of a product is the use of machines and repetition to achieve mass production.
During industrialization, traditional, crafts-based production processes are replaced with more
standardized, machine-based processes. This production improvement results in a higher quality product
that is more consistent and affordable. Industrialization has been implemented in many manufacturing
industries. (Luther, 2009; O'Brien et al., 2000)

EIABC 4
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

 Advantage of prefabrication technology

 prefabrication concrete is COMFORTABLE

The material has intrinsic properties of thermal inertia (allowing a more constant temperature both in cold
and hot regions) and acoustic insulation
.
 prefabrication concrete is SAFE
Everybody knows that concrete does not burn! Not only is the structural stability maintained for longer
periods, but concrete Construction prevents the spread of the fire from one building to another. It is
sufficiently strong to resist impacts, blasts and natural catastrophes like earthquakes, tornadoes and floods.

 prefabrication concrete is VERSATILE

Factory production allows a wide choice of surface finishing, colour range and special shapes. Precast
concrete has another advantage: its foldability which entails designers to copy classical details like
keystones and capitals or match the finish of materials like weathered stones. The precast concrete
industry can source a wide range of aggregates locally and offer a tremendous variety of colors and visual
effects.

 prefabrication concrete is HEALTHY

Indoor air quality is a concern for all of us. Precast concrete is stable throughout its life and does not need
chemical treatment to protect it against rot and insect attack: this means that there are no emissions in the
internal environment.(www.bibm precast- concrete)

 Aesthetic Variety
Precast concrete panels offer a wide range of styles. Panels can be produced in a variety of colors, textures
and finishes providing an almost endless range of aesthetic options. Precast panels can replicate granite,
brick or stone, achieving a strong, institutional image at a fraction of the cost.

 High Quality
CPCI members supply precast concrete components certified in accordance with CSA A23.4 Precast
concrete– Materials and construction. Tight control ensures that components are produced with uniform
consistency.

 Low Maintenance
Precast structures require less maintenance than buildings built using other materials. Incorporating the
architecture into the structure using large panel sizes, minimizes the number of joints.

 Interior Design Flexibility

Long-span precast concrete systems help building owners adapt to changing client needs in future years.
Hollow core slabs and double tees can span 14 to 16 m (45 to 50 ft) to match typical composite-steel framing
and minimize the need for interior columns required with cast-in-place systems. Precast can span as far as

EIABC 5
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

21 m (70 ft) to provide flexibility for challenging interior requirements. Precast also provides high loading
capacity at little added cost.

 All-Weather Construction
Contractors can minimize the added "cushion" created in schedules to accommodate bad weather
conditions, since precast components can be produced and erected all year round.

 Efficient Erection
Because precast concrete pieces are fabricated in precast plants under controlled conditions using high-
quality materials, designs more exactly meet specifications. Field adjustments are reduced, creating a
smooth erection process with minimal surprises.

 AII-In-One Components
Total precast concrete systems allow the architectural panels to serve structural functions, limiting the need
to incorporate multiple materials and trades. Combining architecture and structure provides efficiencies in
a building’s lateral support systems. Spandrel panels can support floor systems and windows while
providing architectural exterior finishes. Precast elevators and stair cores can support floor systems while
providing secure and fire rated enclosures.

 Comprehensive Drawing
A total precast concrete system ensures one-stop shopping for the entire core/shell design. CPCI members
can design and supply the entire system, generating a better coordinated set of drawings to allow
construction to proceed more efficiently. This eliminates the added effort needed to coordinate various
trades when using mixed systems controlled by different suppliers.

 Easy Handling
Site construction moves smoothly because no special equipment or techniques are required to transport or
lift a combination of structural and architectural components. These types of activities can often require
additional structural review and exposure to risk.

 Shape and Design

Precast/prestressed components are custom manufactured to match design requirements. Unusual shapes,
sizes and specific technical requirements are expertly fabricated in CPCI member precast plants. Repetition
of shapes and sizes will greatly enhance the economical use of precast components.

 DISADVANTAGES OF PREFABRICATION

As with any construction method, there are disadvantages associated with prefabrication. A main
disadvantage described is the inflexibility of prefabrication for changes in design. If the design is not set
during the development stage, consultants and clients may be reluctant to adopt prefabrication. The design

EIABC 6
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

development stage is also more time-consuming in prefabrication than in conventional construction .

Another disadvantage is higher initial construction costs.

If setting up a prefabricated housing factory, high capital costs will be required and the construction costs
may be higher until economies of scale are realized. When joining prefabricated building components,
leakage problems may occur; however, this is most likely due to a current lack of research, knowledge, and
experience on behalf of contractors. In some regions, lack of demand for prefabricated building components
may also pose as a disadvantage.
It is important to note that the incorporation of prefabrication into existing construction methods will not
be met without challenges. Challenges may be technical in nature, such as data handling, transportation of
products to site, or supply chain logistics, or they may be broader challenges such as obtaining financing or
dealing with negative public perceptions. The use of prefabrication in a project should be assessed based
on the nature of the specific project at hand.

 Careful handling of Prefabricated components such as concrete panels or steel and glass panels is
required.
 Attention has to be paid to the strength and corrosion résistance of the joining of prefabricated
sections to avoid failure of the joint.
 Similarly, leaks can form at joints in prefabricated components.
 Transportation costs may be higher for Voluminous. Prefabricated sections than for the materials
of which
they are made, which can often be packed more efficiently.
 Large Prefabricated Structures require heavy-duty cranes & Precision measurement and handling
to place
in position.
 Large group of buildings from the same type of Prefabricated elements tend to look drab and
monotonous.

 FACTORS DRIVING FUTURE USE OF PREFABRICATION/ MODULARIZATION

Lower project costs and project schedule improvements are the top drivers behind current users’ decisions
to use prefabrication/modularization in the future. Other top factors driving future use:
 Project quality improvements
 Cheaper labor costs
 Project safety improvement
 Saving time
 Owner demand
 Competitive market advantage

The fact that owner demand is a significant influence factor suggests that with more owner education on
the benefits of using prefabrication/ modularization, more adoption is likely in the future. Better education
and awareness as a driver for future adoption of prefabrication/modularization. This is currently needed, as
it will help the industry as a whole understand the key benefits of prefabrication/modularization and ways
it improves project productivity.

EIABC 7
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

BUILDING PROCESS COMPLICATIONS

In order to prevent time delays, when merging construction systems, it is of essential importance to have
highly organized production program with two way information flow between building site and production
site. If necessities are not considered production halts with high expenses.
Time delays usually occur when poor planning is done. Poor planning in precast construction
system usually means that time for monolith concrete construction to obtain its bearing capacity is not taken
in account. Although this may seem as basic civil engineering knowledge it is not rare that those facts are
left out while planning time schedule.

Figure : Completion of the precast construction depends on the completion of the monolith
construction

Figure : Completion of the stair case dictates the precast construction completion

BUILDING SITE AND PROJECT PROBLEMS

Delays and problems can be evoked with non synchronized project documentation (e.g. scaffolding plans
and precast mounting plans), by poor on site coordination, or poor on site control.

EIABC 8
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

Figure : Due to poorly perfected project documentation mounting of monolith beam was
impossible without additional processing of the precast element

Figure 4: Poorly perfected project documentation resulted with a need to additionally process
the precast element

 BENEFITS OF USING PREFABRICATION

Prefabrication system has a large number of benefits compared to conventional construction processes.
Some of the most important benefits are summarized as follows:

 Waste: Prefabrication in a controlled environment creates much less waste. Any stud material that
is left over, any gypsum sheathing that is left over can be reused for another project. The amount
of waste is minimal as there is no off-cuts etc. as everything is already made to size. Use of
prefabrication/modularization leads to less waste onsite and as a result less energy use.
 Construction Waste: The impact of construction on the environment is significant. The US EPA
estimates more than 135 million tons of debris from construction sites end up in landfills in the
U.S. each year. According to the industry, that waste can be effectively minimized through the use
of prefabrication/modularization. Not only does prefabrication help mitigate construction waste
and lead to a greener construction site, it can also reduce material use, increase recycling and allow
for greener material selection.
 Site Impact: The lack of scaffolding reduced the site impact. Site safety increases as there are fewer
site-based operations that happens on site.

EIABC 9
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

A. QUALITY: In the prefabricated panels minimizes deflection and thus helps the structural system
Quality control and factory sealing and design can ensure high energy efficiency. Prefabricating
components away from the site allows higher quality due to the controlled environment provided
by the manufacturing facilities.
B. Costs: Labor costs can also be a driver for prefabrication/modularization. Owners state that in
areas where the local labor costs are very high, prefabrication/modularization offers a less costly
alternative. Owners are able to shift some of the work to an off-site location and take advantage of
cheaper labor costs.
C. SAFETY: Almost all owners agree that overall project safety is improved through the use of
prefabrication and modularization. The risk to owners from worker accidents and lost time is
reduced when construction work is transferred away from the job site and into a controlled
manufacturing environment. Types of safety addressed by prefabrication/modularization include
less exposure to: Weather, Heights , Hazardous operations , Congested construction activities.

EIABC 10
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

EIABC 11
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH DESIGN
The determination of the most appropriate style to adopt depends on the type of research operation
(what, how, why, etc.), the degree of control that the researchers can exercise over the variables
involved and whether the focus of the research is on past or current events. Descriptive is to
systematically identify and record (all the elements of) a phenomenon, process or system. Such
identification and recording will be done from a particular perspective and, often, for a specified
purpose; however, it should always be done as objectively (accurately) and as comprehensively as
possible (this is important for later analysis). The research may be undertaken as a survey (possibly
of the population identified) or as case study work. Commonly, such research is carried out to
enable the subject matter to be categorized. (Richard and Anita, 2008). The researchers used
descriptive research method because, the researchers carried out Questionnaire form prepared with
company profile andconducted the survey to identify and record the impact of prefabrication on
building construction on Addis Ababa.
SOURCE OF DATA
Collection of data had been done through two different approaches. One approach was to look into
relevant authors who have written text books on the issues of impact of prefabrication on
profitability, accessing related relevant journals, books, articles on prefabrication, type, element,
impact causes, and so on. This was categorized as secondary data sources. Thus, in this study
sources relevant to the prefabrication, its origin, impact causes in the advent of its occurrence has
been reviewed. Nevertheless, primary data have been obtained for the purpose of assessing the
impact of prefabrication on profitability on Addis Ababa on building construction by questioner.
This data would be used to develop the classification of information needed to investigate the aims
of the research study.

EIABC 12
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

1.1.METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

The research study intends to examine the impact causes of prefabrication in construction projects
and determine its extent of impact to the overall total construction profitability. Having been
identified by researchers that many of the impact causes are due to use prefabrication, a better
method of investigating these causes could be a qualitative approach methodology. Accordingly,
the study begins with a review of the literature on the various definition of prefabrication; it then
goes on to identify the factors and classifications of prefabrication technology. Thereafter, a
collection of data through questionnaires were gathered which serves as the data and examining
the root cause(s) of the problem by a semi-structured interview with concerned staff. Afterwards,
a theoretical coding of the interviews and questionnaires (which served as the research method for
the research study) was adopted. Finally, the result of the investigation shows the causes and the
impact of the prefabrication technology on the total construction profitability on the project. In
total, the structure of the report comprises five chapters which are presented in a logical sequence
as the research progresses.

1.2.SAMPLING SIZE
To be able to carry out the research study, have been used probability sampling as a method of
sampling the researchers used random sampling method; many of those involved in the
construction project have been questioned through questionnaires in order to have a deeper insight
to the problem necessitating prefabrication on the on-going project. The participants are mainly
from the main contractor and include the site engineers, project manager, and supervisors, (100 in
professionals). It was necessary to give questionnaires many of the concerned as this would give
the right direction to the nature of the problem and ultimately lead to the root cause(s) of uses of
prefabrication technology as aimed in the research study.
1.3. METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS
In this section, the methods of analyzing all the data collected from the construction site are
explained. Firstly, the research methodology being an inductive qualitative approach, the method
of analyzing the questionnaires was done via an inductive coding. Thus, useful identification of
segments containing units of meaningful themes is formed, although the approach follows a cyclic
pattern in which at the initial stage, collection of descriptive items are formed into categories and

EIABC 13
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

are associated with links. Furthermore, these links are later re-categorized to form various
relationships that come in the form of network, hierarchical order or patterns. This enables the
research study to identify areas where much of the rework lies and helps to channel interview
questions in that area. Also, the categorization of the frequency of the rework equally helps to
determine the number of times such rework occurred, and this helps to determine the amount of
cost associated with such type of rework. It is important to note that the frequency has been denoted
with numerical value ranging from 1 to 5, with 1 as the minimum number of times the
prefabrication technology occurred while 5 signifies the highest number of times the perfabrication
has occurred.

EIABC 14
 IMPACT OF PREFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

References
Anon., 2012. wwwcvfvfv. [Online]
[Accessed 1 appir 2019].

Anon., june 2017. www.ijeff.org. [Online]

[Accessed Mar 2019].

Anon., n.d. http//www ripublication.com. [Online]

[Accessed Mar 2019].

Anon., n.d. www.bibum precast concrete. [Online]

[Accessed Marc 2019].

Prof. Vjeran Mlinarić, Ph.D. Civ. Eng., 2019. In: PROBLEMS IN LARGE SCALE PRECAST CONSTRUCTION.
s.l.:s.n.

the britsh university in dubai Des 2012)., 2012. (A Comparative Evaluation of the Environmental Impact
of Prefabrication versus Conventional Construction in UAE’s Construction Industry, dubai: s.n.

EIABC 15