Modular Construction of Residential Buildings
Event details
| Date | 13.05.2011 |
| Hour | 12:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Mark Lawson, University of Surrey, UK |
| Location |
GC C3 30
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
During the last 10 years there has been great interest in the use of "off-site" manufacturing technologies in construction. One of these "off-site" methods is modular or 3-dimensional construction which has found markets in residential buildings hotels medical and educational buildings. In the UK it is estimated that 8000 modules are produced per year for use in permanent buildings (and many more in temporary buildings) and there are 5 main manufacturers. In Japan up to 100 000 modules were manufactured for use in housing.
There are two generic forms of modular construction in steel - one in which the modules are manufactured with light steel walls and floors that resist vertical and horizontal loads and one in which corner posts and edge beams of the modules provide the primary structure. In the first case the walls of the modules form the enclosed space and in the second case open-sided modules can be manufactured for use in schools hospitals etc. Modules can also be built in precast concrete and in wood for some applications.
The economic and sustainability argument for modular construction will be presented which is based on more efficient use of materials less waste higher quality and a faster and less disruptive construction process. Nevertheless the investment in an advanced manufacturing process can be relatively high which has to be balanced by achieving an economy of scale in manufacture. The overall costs of modular construction will be reviewed. Low energy design and use of renewable energy technologies will also be reviewed in the context of modular construction.
Bio: Mark is a graduate of Imperial College London and prepared his Doctorate thesis under Professor Eric Bryan at the University of Salford on the "Stressed Skin Design of Steel Folded Plate Roofs". He worked for Ove Arup and partners where he became a chartered civil and structural engineer in the UK and also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In 1981 he was an assistant at ICOM for 6 months and worked with Michel Crisinel on composite decking in composite construction. In 1987 he joined the Steel Construction Institute (SCI) in Ascot south west of London and has prepared over 30 SCI publications including many on light steel and modular construction. In 2004 he became Professor of Construction Systems at the University of Surrey which is a part-time role and he also is a technical consultant to SCI.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Contact
- Prof. Jean-Paul Lebet