POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
STA. MESA MANILA, PHILIPPINES

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF

MODULAR CONSTRUCTION IN HIGH-RISE
BUILDINGS IN METRO MANILA
Presented By : Beny B. Sahagun Jr. –MSCM 2a
Modular Construction
• Modular construction generally describes the aspect of building
construction that is carried out in a factory and delivered to site for
assembly for the end-user. This process involves planning, designing,
fabricating, transporting and assembling building elements 5 for rapid
site assembly to a greater degree of finish than it is in traditional
piecemeal on-site construction (Davies et al., 2018).

• Modular construction as defined is a construction method to construct

a building using three-dimensional or modular units, which are
assembled and produced in a factory. Modular construction also
includes the logistic and assembly aspect of it, done in proper
coordination through planning and integration (Musa M.F et. al, 2015)
Problem Statement

• Metro manila is one of the most densely populated area in

the world with 20,785 people/sq. km (PSA Census, 2015) with
high demand for residential/ Commercial spaces.

• Lack of available space for staging area and other existing

problems on site such as safety concerns and productivity
issues in the region causing Project delays particularly during
pandemic.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
SCOPE: Identifying the Opportunities and Challenges for the adoption
of Modular Construction in high-rise buildings in Metro Manila to help
the recovery of construction Industry and keep up with fast pace
demand of residential and office spaces.

LIMITATION: As there is no high-rise building in Metro Manila yet that

has been known to be fully built through modular construction for case
studies, most of the content of these study will be theoretical and
based on other researches in other countries applicable in the region
and from the modular construction companies in Metro Manila
Significance of the Study

This research might give an overview to the players in the construction

industry here in Metro manila on the viability of modular construction as an
alternative to the conventional construction method after weighing the
opportunities and challenges on its adaptation and hope to see it as way to
keep up with not just the growing demand for the construction of high-rise
buildings but also with the innovative ways resolve project delays
 Related Literature

• Advantages of Modular Construction:

• Modular buildings done inside a factory can greatly improve labor productivity as large
number of construction workers shift from open work to factory workers. This not only
reduces labor costs, greatly shortens the production cycle, but also enables all-weather
construction (Zhong. T, Zhang, Y. & Wu, X., 2020).
• On the one hand, Modular Construction has the characteristics of high turnover and
easy construction, on the other hand, it is easy to transform and reuse, which provides a
way of thinking for low-carbon and sustainable development of buildings (Peng, C.,
2021).
• Modular construction according to Construction Industry Institute is revealed to
decrease construction project costs of by 10 - 25%. Several factors contribute to the
lower coast such as material transportation of on-site labor (Salama, T. et. al, 2017).
• Challenges in Modular Construction:
• Even though the actual cost of construction is less for an off-site construction
method, it requires the establishment of a fabrication plant (Ferdous W., et. al,
2019).

• Needs extra coordination and communication among shareholders as it is the

most critical constraint of modular buildings. L. Luo et. al 2019)

• Lack of standards, government policy and support is also seen as a challenge of

modular construction. Without any policy and support from the government,
widespread adoption of modular construction method is taking a hit in most part
of the world (Choi, J.O et. al, 2019).

• Modular construction is also seen as bit inflexible when it comes to design changes.
this refers to the fact that once construction starts using MC method (Ogege,2018)
• Modular Construction on High-Rise Buildings
• Regardless of the benefits prefabrication, conventional construction is still commonly used in high-rise
construction due to the uncertainties and misconceptions generated by prefabrication (Carriker, M. &
Langar, S. 2014).

• Currently, several innovations and development has been done in modular construction as necessarily to
keep up with the demand. Presumably one of the leading innovators in this regard is China with the use of
Advanced Modular Technology (AMT). (Gharenhbaghi, K. et. al, 2021).
• Another study conducted in Australia where high-rise modular buildings are emerging with the slow pace of
development concluded that a total of 27 constraints throughout the whole life cycle of modular
construction including “Lack of coordination and communication among stakeholders”, “Higher cost”,
“Lack of government support”, “Lack of experience and expertise”, “Lack of building codes and
standards”, “Poor supply chain integration”, and “Complexity of connection”. (Sun, Y., et. al., 2020).

• A case study done by R. Mark Lawson (2012) also concluded that modular construction can be used for
high-rise buildings up to 25 stories high, where provided stability is achieved by a concrete or steel framed
core.
Methodology
Thank you