National Conference on Alternative & Innovative Construction Materials & Techniques| 27-Sep-14 1

Prefabrication and its Adoption in India

Rachit Sharma, Kshitij Mudgal , Monil Shrivastava, Mohanish Gupta

- Undergraduate students at Department of Civil Engineering,

Jaypee University Of Engineering And Technology

Abstract
With the rapidly increasing population in our country, the housing problem today has assumed the
gigantic proportions. The traditional method of building construction can't deliver the goods, until we
bring a revolution in the construction field, which needs to be more massive than the Green
Revolution. This can be done by adopting prefabricated system. It should solve these problems to a
great extent by achieving speed in construction and economic use of building materials. This would
also reduce the waste generated at the construction site. The success of this prefab system would
require the government involvement in housing. This can be done by establishing building factories
located in various parts of the whole country. There should be a government policy of housing which
would strongly affect the building industry. The users needs to be educated too by ways of
advertisements, workshops etc. Here, we are discussing the prefabrication techniques and the material
classifications used in construction with some fascinating case studies.

Introduction
It would be so significant when a low cost house could stand tall within two days! Yes, this is the
current advancement in the construction technology and this great technique called Prefabrication has
emerged in the world at a rapid rate, leaving behind a large nation, India, which is still undergoing
construction in the conventional manner. Though some efforts have been made in this field in India
but they aren't in an organized manner . Bricks, concrete mortar, reinforced cement concrete, tiles are
the still same present scenario in India, which is all time consuming and very expensive. The need is
to shift our gears towards the prefabrication and pre-cast techniques which emphasis upon the reduced
time delay in construction and the increased productivity. Prefabrication would only affect the process
of construction and not the end-product. So, it is an alternative pathway towards contriving a building
and only affects the construction process.

Prefabrication, being of utmost necessity to a country like India, will offer opportunities for dealing
with the shortage of skilled labour and the declining workmanship standards. Site construction work is
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traditionally vulnerable to weather disruptions. By using prefabrication the site will be vulnerable for
lesser time and so the risk of delay and requirements for protection will be reduced. The quality of
construction is much higher when components are manufactured in a stable environment.

Classification[3]
The prefabricated system is classified based upon the weights of the prefab. units as follows:

` PREFABRICATION

LIGHT PREFAB HEAVY PREFAB

LARGE BLOCK MEDIUM PANEL CONSTRUCTION LARGE PANEL CONSTRUCTION BOX UNIT
CONSTRUCTION CONSTRUCTION

(a.)Light Prefabrication:

1). Large block construction-

The elements of this type are large enough to make pace in construction, but at the same time
are small enough to be handled with ease. Size of the blocks , in general, does not exceed one
square meter. They can be used in walls and floors.

2). Medium panel construction- These elements may stretch from floor to floor and wall to
wall. These are bigger in size having less number of joints. The width is one meter or lesser
than this.

(b.)Heavy Prefabrication:

1). Large panel construction-

They are heavier and bigger and cover the whole wall or roof of a room. Joints are
eliminated within the room except at corner. Here heavy mechanization is needed,
considering the large size of the panels.

2). Box unit construction-

There is a box like element in this construction which fully encloses a space in the form of a
room like bedroom, drawing room, kitchen, toilet in complete. There is a need for welding of
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boxes maybe side by side, one over the other or may be kept apart. Heavy mechanization is
required.

Materials
The prefabricated materials used in construction are majorly described as-

(1). Structural Insulated Panels(SIPs)

They are a composite building material consisting of an insulated layer of rigid core
sandwiched between two layers of structural board. This board can be of cement, plywood,
sheet metal etc. SIPs share the same structural properties as an I-beam or I-column. They can
be used for many different applications, such as exterior wall, roof, floor and foundation
systems.
(2).Insulating concrete forms(IRFs)
It is a system of formwork for reinforced concrete(RCC) made with a rigid thermal
insulation that stays in place as a permanent interior and exterior substrate for walls, floors,
and roofs. The forms are interlocking modular units that are dry-stacked (without mortar) and
filled with concrete.
(3). Prefab Foundation System
A prefabricated foundation is provided using concrete panels that are cast at a factory
location to a predetermined uniform form and size. These panels are of a general rectangular
shape and are positioned end to end forming a wall-like structure around the entire perimeter
of a prefabricated structure. The upper edge of the precast panels are locked in position
keeping them from moving in either an inward or outward manner thereby providing a stable
platform upon which a prefabricated structure can be placed.
(4). Steel Framing
Steel frame usually refers to a building technique with a skeleton frame of
vertical steel columns and horizontal I-beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the
floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame.
(5).Precast Concrete
It is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable mould or "form" which
is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and lifted into
place.
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Case Study
1. Dynamic Tower, Dubai[8]
It will be the world's first prefabricated skyscraper with 40 factory-built modules for each
floor.The 420-metre building's apartments would spin a full 360 degrees, at voice command,
around a central column by means of power-generating wind turbines.

90% of the tower will be built in a factory and shipped to the construction site. It will take
the entire building to complete in 22 months. The core of the tower will be built at the
construction site. Part of this prefabrication will lead to a decrease in the cost and number of
workers . The total construction time will be over 30% less than a normal skyscraper of the
same size. The traditional building and the dynamic architecture requires 2000 and 90
workers respectively. The majority of the workers will be in factories, where it will be much
safer. The modules will be preinstalled including kitchen and bathroom fixtures. The core
will serve each floor with a special, patented connection for clean water supply.

The entire tower will be powered from wind energy and solar energy. The turbines will be
located between each of the rotating floors. They could generate up to 1,200,000 kilowatt-
hours of energy. The solar panels will be located on the roof and the top of each floor.

2.Instacon,Mohali[9]
Being first in India, this building was completed in just 48 hours, for which the company-
Synergy Thrislington entered the Limca Book of Records for constructing this 10 storey
commercial building. With the help of three cranes and more than 200 high skilled workers,
this 48 hour masterwork stands tall in the vibrant city.
The external structure of the building comprises double-skinned PUF panel (PVDF
galvalume coated sheet) that ensures thermal insulation. The core material used for Instacon
is mild steel, which is lightweight, strong, flexible and environment-friendly.

The company made arrangements to ensure that around 80-90 per cent of the work was
completed in the factory under a controlled environment. In this system, different units of the
building such as wall panels, columns, etc, were produced within the factory and then placed
on a special vehicle that transported them to the actual site where 10-20 per cent of the work
was carried out by simply installing them. Only 10-20 per cent of the work was carried out at
the site, which reduced the amount of waste, carbon footprint and the impact on green spaces
at the actual site. The structure is also energy-efficient as it provides floor insulation using the
HVAC technique.

This great structure provides a hope that further upcoming mega structures can be built like
this brilliant technique, thus taking India to greater heights in the field of construction.
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CONCLUSION
For the success of prefabricated system, the govt. should come forward in establishing
building factories and they should be located in various places in the whole country. For
continuous flow of production a stable market must be created and govt. should fix the annual
quota for the construction of prefabricated houses for mass housing. Since the govt policy
affects the building history as it provides a large scale market both positive and attractive.
Another factor to keep in mind is there must be a proper understanding among manufacturers,
architects ,designers and builders. The architect and designers should go for standardisation
in planning and design. Also builders must be conscious about quality, strength and economy
of prefabricated components. So they must be educated by seminars, workshops,exihibition,
demonstration of prefabricated system etc.

We have to also raise the standards of teaching by enforcing this as compulsory in the subject
curriculum so that it can be implemented practically as well. Prefabrication has the capability
to make a difference within the Indian construction industry in economic, social and
environmental terms. The possibilities and opportunities are immense and what all needed is
a courageous step by entrepreneurs to make a change.

Where there is a will, there is a way!

REFERENCES

[1] www.sciencedirect.com

[2] http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/prefab/projects.cfm

[3] Construction Planning & Management by Dr. U.K.Shrivastav, Galgotia Publications Pvt. Ltd
ISBN 81-7515-246-X

[4] http://cm.be.washington.edu/Documents/Final%20Report_%20Skanska_08082013.pdf

[5] http://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=wood

[6] http://projects.bre.co.uk/prefabrication/prefabrication.pdf

[7] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132306002873

[8] http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/rotating-tower-in-dubai-dh2bn-2013-08-15-1.517668

[9] http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/10-storeys-built-in-two-days-in-mohali