INGENIEUR
Emerging Technology in
Housing Construction:
Prefabricated Volumetric
Module
By Zuhairi Abd Hamid, Nurulhuda Mat Kilau,
Maria Zura Mohd Zain and Intan Diyana Musa
Construction Research Institute of Malaysia
T
hroughout its history, the construction
industry has made great strides and
advancements, and today it is undergoing
a significant paradigm shift. The industry is now
experiencing a growing trend towards multi-trade
prefabrication. Recently, Dubai ‘3D-printed’ an
office building in just 17 days, and spent only
two days in on-site assembly. Many construction
industry experts believe that this practice will
continue to grow in the coming years, especially
since cost and time are no longer so prohibitive.
This does not mean, however, that there are no
issues, it just means that the issues are being
addressed in ways that will help propel the
industry forward (GenieBelt, 2018).
Another growing trend is off-site construction,
also known as Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric
Construction/Volumetric Modular Construction
using Prefabricated Volumetric Modules (PVMs).
PVM construction entails the prefabrication of
whole building units under controlled conditions.
These units are then transported to the
construction site on a low-loader and lifted into
their final location on a foundation that has been
constructed ahead of delivery.
This trend is similar to prefabrication in that
many people predict it to grow in popularity
over the next several years. There are already
some progressive construction companies that
have started implementing these strategies in
the way they run their operations—especially
manufacturing companies. These companies use
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standardised processes to assemble as much
as possible off-site before they complete the
construction project on site. The benefit here lies
in the fact that standardisation cuts down costs
and lead times (GenieBelt, 2018).
All these processes are very beneficial since
they are quite eco-friendly. In addition, when
working on construction in a factory, any unused
materials can easily be recycled. This scenario
is much better than the traditional construction
practices — many of which often involve sending
large amounts of waste to landfills. The PVM
construction process saves a lot of money
because construction companies can get bulk
discounts on materials. The process also saves
time, which in turn, saves money. Since all the
work occurs in a factory-controlled environment,
problems typically associated with moisture,
environmental hazards, and dirt, will be less likely
to occur. Additionally, construction workers and
the project’s eventual tenants are also less likely
to be exposed to weather-related health risks.
Figure 1 show a summary of the benefits of using
PVM for housing construction.
Types of PVMs in Housing Construction
PVMs can be produced using various materials
such as steel modules, prefab concrete modules,
reused shipping containers, timber-based modules
or other suitable materials. These materials are