Prefab Architecture: A Guide to Modular Design and Construction

"Prefab Architecture . . . is beyond theory, and beyond most of what we think we know about pods, containers, mods, and joints. This book is more than ′Prefabrication 101.′ It is the Joy of Cooking writ large for the architecture and construction industries." —From the Foreword by James Timberlake, FAIA The definitive reference on prefab architecture for architects and construction professionals Written for architects and related design and construction professionals, Prefab Architecture is a guide to off–site construction, presenting the opportunities and challenges associated with designing and building with components, panels, and modules. It presents the drawbacks of building in situ (on–site) and demonstrates why prefabrication is the smarter choice for better integration of products and processes, more efficient delivery, and realizing more value in project life cycles. In addition, Prefab Architecture provides: A selected history of prefabrication from the Industrial Revolution to current computer numerical control, and a theory of production from integrated processes to lean manufacturing Coverage on the tradeoffs of off–site fabrication including scope, schedule, and cost with the associated principles of labor, risk, and quality Up–to–date products featuring examples of prefabricated structure, enclosure, service, and interior building systems Documentation on the constraints and execution of manufacturing, factory production, transportation, and assembly Dozens of recent examples of prefab projects by contemporary architects and fabricators including KieranTimberlake, SHoP Architects, Office dA, Michelle Kaufmann, and many others In Prefab Architecture, the fresh approaches toward creating buildings that accurately convey mature and expanded green building methodologies make this book an important voice for adopting change in a construction industry entrenched in traditions of the past.

Foreword: James Timberlake, FAIA vii Introduction xi Acknowledgments xv PART I: CONTEXT 1 Chapter 1 History of Industrialized Building 3 Chapter 2 History of Industrialized Architecture 21 Chapter 3 Environment, Organization, and Technology 47 PART II: APPLICATION 75 Chapter 4 Principles 77 Chapter 5 Fundamentals 99 Chapter 6 Elements 127 Chapter 7 Assembly 181 Chapter 8 Sustainability 217 PART III: CASE STUDIES 249 Chapter 9 Housing 251 Chapter 10 Commercial 295 PART IV: CONCLUSION 333 Chapter 11 Conclusion 335 Endnotes 341 Illustration Credits 353 Index 357

Ryan E. Smith is Director of the Integrated Technology in Architecture Center (I TAC), an interdisciplinary research consortium at the University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning in Salt Lake City, Utah (www.itac.utah.edu). Smith′s research and teaching focuses on promoting integration that leads to sustainable and lean design and construction practice.