How prefab solutions will help to quickly rebuild Ukraine

Most of the examples of modular residential buildings of the last century are related to reinforced concrete. Currently, the use of ready-made modular structures made of metal is popular in the world.

Metal has many advantages – it is light, durable and strong, it allows you to realize the most daring architectural forms. In addition, metal is almost 100% recyclable and is considered a greener building material than concrete. And most importantly, it allows you to build quickly, because reinforced concrete structures, even in factory conditions, need time to gain design strength. You can work with metal immediately after smelting.

Disadvantages of metal, such as susceptibility to corrosion or high thermal conductivity, can be corrected using special coatings and modern insulation materials.

Both industrial facilities and residential or office buildings and social infrastructure facilities can be built from ready-made metal structures. Such construction can take place in almost any weather conditions and even in winter.

World records for the speed of construction of high-rise buildings belong to modular buildings made of steel. For example, a 30-story hotel was built in China in 15 days. And with all communications, exterior and interior decoration and even furniture.

The Chinese built a 57-story skyscraper with 800 apartments in 19 days, using ready-made metal platforms. Thanks to this technology, the builders had time to build and equip 3 floors in a day.

In addition to speed, one of the advantages of prefab metal construction is economy. The cost of materials is, as a rule, the same as in conventional construction, but savings are achieved due to the speed of construction and fewer workers on the site. And this involves lower costs for labor, renting machinery, equipment, etc.

The construction of the same 30-story hotel in China involved about 200 construction workers and only one tower crane and a few trucks to transport the finished structures.

It is clear that the efforts of the Chinese to meet such construction deadlines are primarily related to the desire to set a record, so the work was carried out around the clock. But even under normal conditions, taking into account the time required for the manufacture of modular structures, such construction is much faster.

For example, an eight-story building with a metal frame, which was designed by Ukrainian architects for the Steel Dream project, can be erected in just nine months, while construction from reinforced concrete can take 2-3 years. According to the designers’ calculations, a kindergarten can be built twice as fast as using traditional construction methods.

Buildings made of metal weigh 3-4 times less than similar ones made of reinforced concrete or brick. This allows you to reduce the costs of foundation work and save up to 30% of the cost.

Modular structures are suitable both for dense construction, as they do not require a large construction site, and for construction in the middle of a field, as the Chinese often like to do.

Among the disadvantages of modular construction are the limitations of planning decisions due to transport dimensions and more expensive logistics.

In general, the demand for such construction is growing in the world. In 2022, the size of the modular and prefab construction market will exceed USD 147 billion. By 2032, this market is expected to grow by an average of 6.5% annually and reach a capitalization of US$285 billion.