The attachment of concrete reinforcement to structural members before delivery to the site is another time saving innovation. Self forming steel members are used to construct composite steel concrete structures. A sandwich panel system developed in Austria and used in the U. S. features a welded wire fabric surrounding a foam insulation core. These lightweight panels are assembled to form the outer shell of a house and then shotcreted to obtain an exterior concrete finish.
In fact, a number of social factors are also pushing the construction industry toward industrialization of the construction process. The demand for high quality buildings is growing in the whole world and the rest of the world. As they become more educated about energy conservation, lighting, indoor air quality, and other health and comfort related issues, consumers (homebuyers and commercial property owners) increasingly want their buildings to be built to the highest standards. Prefabrication of building components using mechanized, computer controlled tools is one way to consistently achieve high quality. Almost all building materials will be manufactured industrially in the near future, and it is natural to expect more and more assembly of these materials in a controlled environment away from the building site.
Continued growth in communications technologies, consumer electronics, and other creature comfort systems will make building construction more complex.computer controlled heating and ventilation and multi room access to entertainment and communications are some of the features that will be incorporated in future "smart" houses and buildings. Assembling and installing these technologically advanced systems in an exposed, site built structure will not please the owner.
Construction labour force is aging and shrinking as progressively fewer young people enter the industry. If demand for labour remains the same and the supply decreases, costs will increase. This pressure will lead builders to industrialized construction, which requires fewer specialized trades and people.
Industrially produced buildings have come a long way from the repetitive boxes most people associate with the word "prefabrication". The move to industrial construction is inevitable, and designers and builders should pay attention to its opportunities now.
1. International Council for Building Research, Studies and Documentation (CIB). Trends in building construction techniques worldwide. Special report for CIB '89.
2. Gregerson, J., Architectural precast can play a structural role. Building Design & Construction, January 2002.
3. KDC Consultants. Construction a challenge for the european industry. Voorburg, The Netherlands, 2001.
4. http://irc. nrc-cnrc. gc. ca/practice/gen1_E.html (Originally published in "Construction Canada" 34 (3), May 1992, p.25-26, 28)
5. http://www.reddawn.com/constructfaq.html