“…Although prefabrication in not new and has been used for several years, the recent technological advances contributed for the prefabrication increase, such as computer-aided design and manufacturing, and automation of the construction process. The need to optimize all construction process to reduce costs, time and consumed materials, as well as the demand to increase recycled used material, are also important reasons for the increase of prefabrication (Tavares et al, 2021a). Figure 3.Prefabrication/Modular construction market, by application (Global Market Insights, 2022).…”
Extreme events, with natural or manmade causes, such as floods, pandemics and wars, have recently brought the need to provide shelter and field hospitals in a very fast and affordable way. Prefabrication can play an relevant role in this context, by offering several advantages compared to on-site construction. The precast structural wall system is a paradigmatic example of how precast structural members can contribute to speed up construction and reduce costs. A new research project was defined to develop with the aim of delivering a new product, a precast structural concrete wall system, where the design of the wall itself and connections are key, keeping in mind not only the above requirements, but also the new demands created by the recent challenges of the construction sector. To reach this goal, first is necessary to survey the existing commercial solutions and developed by researchers and analyse the main scientific and technical documents about precast structural wall systems. Herein, a comprehensive review is presented, aiming at identifying the most relevant aspects regarding precast structural concrete walls and connections. The main advances made in the past and that are being developed in the present are also highlighted. The growing concerns of the prefabrication sector about durability and sustainability were identified as mandatory for new generation of products. To produce prefabricated solutions with less environmental impact is required, beyond the optimization related with cement consumption, connections that are easier to use, to maintain and that allow disassembly, for future deconstruction and reuse. So, innovative improvements are proposed, namely, dry connections and concrete composite walls to be addressed in future work, with the goal of correcting some of the drawbacks found in existing solutions.
“…Although prefabrication in not new and has been used for several years, the recent technological advances contributed for the prefabrication increase, such as computer-aided design and manufacturing, and automation of the construction process. The need to optimize all construction process to reduce costs, time and consumed materials, as well as the demand to increase recycled used material, are also important reasons for the increase of prefabrication (Tavares et al, 2021a). Figure 3.Prefabrication/Modular construction market, by application (Global Market Insights, 2022).…”
Extreme events, with natural or manmade causes, such as floods, pandemics and wars, have recently brought the need to provide shelter and field hospitals in a very fast and affordable way. Prefabrication can play an relevant role in this context, by offering several advantages compared to on-site construction. The precast structural wall system is a paradigmatic example of how precast structural members can contribute to speed up construction and reduce costs. A new research project was defined to develop with the aim of delivering a new product, a precast structural concrete wall system, where the design of the wall itself and connections are key, keeping in mind not only the above requirements, but also the new demands created by the recent challenges of the construction sector. To reach this goal, first is necessary to survey the existing commercial solutions and developed by researchers and analyse the main scientific and technical documents about precast structural wall systems. Herein, a comprehensive review is presented, aiming at identifying the most relevant aspects regarding precast structural concrete walls and connections. The main advances made in the past and that are being developed in the present are also highlighted. The growing concerns of the prefabrication sector about durability and sustainability were identified as mandatory for new generation of products. To produce prefabricated solutions with less environmental impact is required, beyond the optimization related with cement consumption, connections that are easier to use, to maintain and that allow disassembly, for future deconstruction and reuse. So, innovative improvements are proposed, namely, dry connections and concrete composite walls to be addressed in future work, with the goal of correcting some of the drawbacks found in existing solutions.
“…The United States has put forward the requirements of personalization and comfort for its prefabricated buildings, and its building ratio is 90% [4]. France has pioneered industrialized buildings, and its building ratio is 85% [5]. In these typical countries, the United States' prefabricated building development scale is more rapid.…”
Section: Evaluation Of the Development Of Prefabricated Buildingsmentioning
Prefabricated building construction is an important method of enhancing construction productivity and promoting sustainable development in the construction industry. Evaluating and predicting the development performance of prefabricated buildings will contribute to identifying and implementing the most effective responses to promote prefabricated building technologies. Based on the Drives–Pressures–States–Impacts–Responses (DPSIR) framework, 14 evaluation indexes are determined to evaluate the development level of prefabricated buildings. The entropy weight method was used to determine the weight of the evaluation index, and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method with improved grey correlation was applied to comprehensively evaluate the trend of the index. The grey model (GM(1,1)) was developed to predict the development trend of prefabricated buildings. The development of prefabricated buildings in Shandong province, China, is employed as a case to apply the developed method and investigate development experiences. The results demonstrate that the case has achieved significant progress and has great potential in promoting the use of prefabricated buildings. The development recommendations include developing a policy and regulation system, strengthening a prefabricated building talent pool, and enhancing the investment in technological innovation. This study innovatively formulated the evaluation and prediction system based on the DPSIR, TOPSIS and GM(1,1) models, which could be used for evaluating development performance between social and environmental factors among various cause-effect relationships.
“…Eckelman's work emphasized the potential of design for deconstruction designs in mitigating environmental impacts through component reuse, accentuating the importance of prioritizing reuse over recycling. V. Tavares [58] explored the potential of prefabricated buildings to meet EU environmental targets and reduce costs. Employing an inventory-based approach, this study assessed the costs and impacts of conventional and prefabricated construction systems in European cities, highlighting the potential of prefabrication to align with EU targets and enhance sector productivity.…”
Section: Introduction To Performance Research On Energy-efficient Bui...mentioning
Prefabricated building construction has emerged as a transformative technology in construction engineering and the building industries. However, owing to its research characteristics, the relevant literature on prefabricated buildings is diverse and fragmented. This study offers a comparative review of relevant 21st century literature on prefabricated buildings using VOSviewer1.6.18 software. The research progress and future opportunities about prefabricated buildings were comprehensively analyzed, which provides recommendations for its subsequent development. Through keyword searches on the Web of Science, 3214 documents were identified, and an overall analysis of co-citations and co-authorship was conducted. Additionally, a comparative co-occurrence analysis highlighted the differences between China and other countries. Further elaboration of research hotspots is provided, and three future research directions are proposed: (1) energy conservation and reducing the environmental impact of prefabricated buildings, (2) improving the performance of prefabricated building components, and (3) deepening the understanding of the behavior of prefabricated structures under seismic and dynamic conditions. This study provides practitioners and scholars in the field of construction engineering with a comprehensive overview of the literature on prefabricated buildings and paves the way for future advancements in the industry. The findings of this study can be used to promote prefabricated buildings in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries.
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