Construction techniques are on their way to modernisation. Soon, you would not only be able to buy houses but will also be able to buy ready-made rooms, which you could transport from one site to another! This has been made possible by prefabricated (or modular) construction.

Prefabricated construction is off-site construction in which various building elements like bathrooms, light fixtures, exterior walls etc. are built in a factory and then transported to the construction site. In India, this type of construction is already in use for office and commercial buildings and is now gaining momentum for the construction of residential buildings.

This technology facilitates quick and cost-effective construction, especially now when costs of traditional construction are rising.

How does the process work?

The technology today makes it possible to design the entire building using architecture software. Prefabricated structures of a house, such as walls and terrace blocks, are manufactured in factories using reinforced concrete and bricks and are used with components like dry-wall. These can be manufactured off-site based on the consumer's choice. After manufacturing, these are brought on-site where they are assembled.

Prefabricated construction techniques have now made it possible for multi-storey buildings to be built without pillars and concrete, using only steel frames. As an alternative, prefabricated construction methods can be used to make the interiors of the house while the main structure and outer walls are made through traditional means.

Advantages of prefabrication construction technology:

• Eliminates the need for supplementary activities like plastering, electrical wiring, and plumbing as these are done during the manufacturing stage
• Gives flexibility in terms of expansion and modifications- since most elements are independent blocks, they can be added or removed accordingly
• Is sustainable as it requires less material as compared to traditional construction methods
• Facilitates recycling of waste material in the factory itself, eliminating the need to dump it elsewhere
• Ensures a consistent quality since prefabricated manufacturing takes place in a controlled environment without any impact of weather conditions
• Is time-saving; experts say this type of manufacturing takes half the time when compared to the traditional ways

Builders and developers are now open to using a mix of prefabricated and on-site elements to achieve cost-effectiveness, better quality, and optimal productivity.