PREFABRICATION AND

MODULAR COORDINATION
STRUCTURAL DESIGN ASSIGNMENT
 MODULAR COORDINATION
MODULAR COORDINATION IS A CONCEPT OF COORDINATION OF DIMENSION AND SPACE IN WHICH
BUILDINGS AND COMPONENTS ARE DIMENSIONED AND POSITIONED IN TERM OF BASIC UNIT OR MODULE.
-THE BASIC MODULE IS KNOWN AS IM WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO 100MM.

MODULAR COORDINATION WAS FIRST EXPLORED AS AN AID TO DESIGN SHORTLY AFTER THE INTRODUCTION
OF PREFABRICATION IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN THE INDUSTRIALIZATION.IT WAS CONCEIVED AS
A FURTHER STEP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SYSTEMATIC DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE
BUILDING.THIS SUBJECT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED AND ATTEMPTED IN AN ACTUAL BUILDING EXPERIMENT IN
PRACTICALLY EVERY DEVELOPED COUNTRY.

MODULAR COORDINATION WAS FIRST STUDIED IN SINGAPORE IN EARLY SEVENTIES.THE HOUSING AND
DEVELOPMENT BOARD IMPLEMENTED THE CONCEPT IN 1973 IN THE NEW GENERATION
FLATS.PREFABRICATION AND STANDARD COMPONENTS WERE SUBSEQUENTLY INTRODUCED.MODULAR
BLOCKS AND BRICKS WERE INTRODUCED IN 1983.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF MODULAR COORDINATION

THE PRINCIPLE OBJECTIVE OF MODULAR SYSTEM ARE TO PROVIDE PRACTICAL AND COHERENT SOLUTIONS FOR
COORDINATION OF THE POSITION AND DIMENSIONS OF ELEMENTS,COMPONENTS AND SPACE IN BUILDING DESIGN. THIS
PROCESS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASE DESIGN FREEDOM AND IMPROVED BALANCE BETWEEN QUALITY AND COST IN
MANUFACTURE AND CONSTRUCTION.

BASIC PRINCIPLE OF MODULAR COORDINATION

THE MAIN PURPOSE OF MODULAR COORDINATION IS TO ACHIEVE THE DIMENSIONAL COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN THE
BUILDING DIMENSIONS.SPAN OR SPACES AND THE SIZE OF COMPONENTS AND EQUIPMENTS BY USING RELATED MODULAR
DIMENSIONS.
-MODULAR COORDINATION GENERALLY PROVIDES THE EASY GRASPED LAYOUT OF THE POSITIONING OF THE BUILDING
COMPONENTS IN RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE BUILDING AND FACILITATES COLLABORATION BETWEEN
PLANNERS,MANUFACTURES,DISTRIBUTORS AND CONTRACTORS.
STANDARD RULES IN MODULAR COORDINATION
MODULAR COORDINATION IS ESSENTIALLY BASED ON THE USE
OF MODULES (BASIC MODULE AND MULTI-MODULES) AND A
REFERENCE SYSTEM TO DEFINE COORDINATING SPACES AND
ZONES FOR BUILDING ELEMENTS AND FOR THE COMPONENTS
WHICH FORM THEM.
IS:7922-1987: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MODULAR
COORDINATION IN BUILDING INDUSTRY

PURPOSE OF MODULAR COORDINATION:

• TO REDUCE THE COMPONENT SIZE PRODUCED; • TO ALLOW
THE BUILDING DESIGNER OF GREATER FLEXIBILITY IN THE
ARRANGEMENT OF COMPONENTS. 

BASIC MODULAR GRID

SQUARE GRID

MODULAR GRID MULTI-MODULAR GRID

RECTANGULAR GRID

TARTAN GRID
BASIC MODULAR GRID TARTAN GRID
• THE FUNDAMENTAL MODULAR GRID,IS
THAT IN WHICH THE INTERVALS • INTERRUPTED MODULAR
BETWEEN CONSECUTIVE PARALLEL PLANNING GRID
LINES IS EQUAL TO THE BASIC • INTERVALS OR BANDS OF
MODULE,SMALLEST PLANNING GRID INTERRUPTION ARE
REGULARLY SPACED IN
BOTH DIRECTIONS
MULTI-MODULAR PLANNING • PATTERNS MAY BE USED
GRID IN VERY REGULAR PLANS
LIKE THOSE WITH
• IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC COLUMNS AT CONSTANT
MODULAR GRIDS,MULTI-MODULAR INTERVALS THROUGHOUT
GRIDS IN WHICH THE INTERVALS THE FLOOR
BETWEEN CONSECUTIVE LINES
ARE A MULTI-MODULAR MAY BE
USED
NOTATION AND SYMBOLS
MODULE

MODULE: IT IS THE STANDARD UNIT OF

SIZE TO COORDINATE BETWEEN DIMENSIONS
OF BUILDINGS AND COMPONENTS

BASIC MODULE

BASIC MODULE: IT IS THE FUNDAMENTAL UNIT OF

SIZE ‘N’ MODULAR COORDINATION. THE BASIC MODULE IS
REPRESENTED BY THE LETTER ‘M’.
1M = 100MM

MULTI MODULES

MULTI MODULE : IT IS STANDARDISED BY ALL THE

MULTIPLES OF THE BASIC MODULE. THE INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD VALUES OF MULTI- MODULES FOR HORIZONTAL
COORDINATING DIMENSIONS ARE
3M, 6 M, 12M, 30M, 60 M.

SUB-MUDULAR MODULE
• VERTICAL COORDINATION
i. Mv = M (100mm)

ii. FLOORS ARE PLACED WITHIN AMODULAR FLOOR ZONE OF nxM INCREMENTS

iii. FLOOR TO FLOOR HEIGHT ARE VERTICALLY PLACED nxM INCREMENTS

• SUB MODULAR INCREMENT

i. SUBMODULAR INCREMENT IS AN INCREMENT OF SIZE ,THE VALUE OF WHICH IS SELECTED FRACTION OF THE BASIC MODULE

ii. THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDIZED VALUE OF THE SUB MODULAR INCREMENT IS M/2=50mm

iii. IT IS TO BE USED WHERE THERE IS A NEED FOR AN INCREMENT SMALLER THAN THE BASIC MODULE .DETERMINING THE
DISPLACEMENTS OF DIFFEREN MODULAR GRIDS.

iv. MODULAR COORDINATION IS THE BASIC FOR A STANDARDIZATION OF A MASS PRODUCTIONOF COMPONENT

• ADVANTAGES OF MC
i. FACILITATE COLLABRATION BETWEEN BUILDING DESIGNERS , MANUFACTURES DISTRIBUTERS AND CONTRACTORS

ii. STANDARD SIZE BUILDING COMPONENTS DIFFERENT TYPES OF BUILDINGS

iii. SPEED CONSTRUCTION

iv. MINIMIZE THE WASTAGE OF MATERIALS , TIME AND MANPOWER IN CUTTING AND TRIMMING ON SITE

v. BALANCE BETWEEN QUALITY AND COST

• DISADVANTAGES OF MODULAR COORDINATION

i. COST LEAD TO PROBLEM WHEN MODULES ARE LINKED BECAUSE LINK MUST THROUGHLY TEST

ii. IT IS DIFFICULT TO MANUFACTURE TO PRODUCE COMPONENTS BASED ON mm TOLERANCE

 THANK YOU
GROUP 1- AMANA V.A , ARDRA DEVI, RINCY PETER, SNEHA HARIDAS, AARON SIMON
, ABHISHEK PRASANNAN