Welement

Prefab

Prefab is short for prefabrication and although it has many synonyms, it basically means adding value to a building offsite, usually in a factory environment.

Methods of Prefab Value Creation

Methods of Prefab Value Creation

The degree of prefab β€” how much value can or should be added offsite β€” can vary quite a lot and depends on the architectural characteristics, target cost, site distance from the factory etc. The highest degree of prefab can be achieved with a modular volumetric approach, but it poses strict limitations for design. A panelized prefab solution allows for more architectural freedom, but more work is done on site.

Why Prefab?

Improved Quality

IMPROVED QUALITY

Quality is managed in a systemized way to optimize work processes onsite.

Factory Setting

FACTORY SETTING

Factory conditions preclude weather factors that may complicate construction.

Installation Speed

INSTALLATION SPEED

Precisely made parts of the house allow quick installation on the site.

Prefab house

Prefab house or prefabricated house provide a unique solution for controlling quality in an improved and systemized way. The quality of onsite work is most often people-based, relying heavily on the craftsmanship of the site crews. A prefab house is made in a factory setting, where the weather is always the same and quality management is process-based.

Building with prefab

Building with prefab

Why is the construction industry talking about building with prefab and the use of timber so much recently? There are several reasons and they are strongly interlinked with each other. Firstly there is an increasing lack of skilled labour which affects productivity and quality. There is also a growing demand for housing yet at the same time there is a push to cut costs since young people just can’t afford to buy a home. And of course we can’t forget that the building industry is a huge contributor to the increasing global CO2 levels.

Offsite construction allows for more control over the variables β€” quality, productivity, material logistics, waste management and energy consumption. It is the sum of all these parts that make building with prefab a modern method of construction.

Prefab walls

In theory every building can be made with prefab parts, the only question is whether it is reasonable and makes sense financially. Although Welement makes all the main structure types β€” walls, ceilings, roofs etc. β€” we often find the best scope of delivery together with our clients.

Generally speaking an external timber frame prefab wall can be divided into 5 main parts: External facade layer, Wind barrier layer, Insulation/Main supportive frame layer, Vapour barrier layer, Inside decorative layer. This basic logic also applies to the roof structure, with the first layer being a weather proof final cover etc.

Prefab house price

The cost of a prefab house is mostly defined by the architectural form and details β€” long ceiling spans, type and size of windows, roof complexity and material choices. Here are the factores that shape the prefab house price:

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Architectural aspects

Architectural form
Material & details
Design

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Logistics & supplychain

A significant part of the cost is related to services like logistics, design and assembly.

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The size & number of prefab parts

For some sites building with modular units could be impossible because of lifting restrictions or site accessibility.

Prefab construction

Prefab construction is not a new invention and has been around for over a century since Bauhaus and their contemporaries envisioned the first concepts of industrializing construction and architecture. Looking at prefab construction from just the perspective of productivity is too narrow. By shifting the commonly used supply chain setup, it also disruptis how construction perceives planning, decision management, logistics and consistency of quality.

Project
types

Apartment buildings
Rowhouses
Private houses
Facade systems

Prefab manufacturer
capabilities

Terrace & balcony
Roof elements
Ceiling elements
Floor elements
Internal wall elements
Facade & external wall elements

Lauri

Lauri Tuulberg

CEO

With prefabrication, the sooner you involve an offsite construction specialist, the smoother and cost-effective the whole process will be.

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