Glossary of Industrialized Construction terms

Advanced building products

Manufactured products that reduce onsite operations.

Advanced building products are typically ordered from stock that eliminate an interface or an operation from a traditional construction process, reducing waiting time, curing time, hot works, work at height, etc. Examples include Victaulic pipe couplings that mechanically joint pipework without the need for welding or Blaze frame that integrates fire stopping material into steel framing.

Data for manufacturing and assembly

Dynamic data provided by supplier(s) that enables ease of making and integrating a prefabricated or productized component.

Design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA)

A design methodology to enable and optimize prefabrication using a set of design choices (principles).

Originates from manufacturing terms:

Design for Manufacture (DfM) - the optimization of manufacturing of individual parts that make an assembly
Design for Assembly (DfA) - the optimization of how parts are assembled

DfMA principles can be generic (e.g., design parts for multi-use) or specific to a type of prefabricated element (e.g., bathroom pod has specific principles for location of drainage connections).

Flying factory

Location for prefabrication that takes place on or near the construction site. Can be temporary or reusable.

Industrialized Construction

The application of manufacturing techniques to the built environment. The application of manufacturing techniques to planning, design, make, and operate.

Umbrella term encompassing delivery types (the physicality, e.g., prefabrication), manufacturing methods (e.g., 3D printing) and design/data principles (e.g., DfMA).

Modern methods of construction (MMC)

An umbrella term for prefabrication delivery types and manufacturing methods.

Originated in the UK as an umbrella term for prefabrication and DfMA and could be used as equivalent to "Industrialized Construction".

Multi trade assemblies

A prefabricated element combining multiple trades.

Multi trade assemblies combine two or more trades in a coordinated fabrication made away from the site workface (but not necessarily offsite. These will require more co-ordination, engineering, and design input than single trade assemblies and will be configured to suit a particular project's needs.

Examples include hospital headwalls, prefabricated plantrooms, MEP racks/risers and bathroom pods.

Can be volumetric (i.e., you can stand in it or on it) or nonvolumetric in nature.

Offsite

Location-specific prefix applied to prefabrication.

Used as a term to describe prefabrication but is specific to an offsite location.

Prefabrication continuum

The range of prefabricated elements that can be delivered – the physicality of prefabrication.

The continuum is made up of:

Advanced building products
Single trade assemblies
Multi trade assemblies
Volumetric modular

This is not a hierarchy where, for example, volumetric modular is considered to be "better" than single trade assemblies. Projects can comprise a combination of elements within the continuum to best suit project type or location. Elements of the continuum can also be nested (e.g., volumetric modules can contain single and multi-trade assemblies).

Productization

Shifting from bespoke prefabricated elements to defined, managed, and optimized, manufactured products at scale enabled through digitization.

Single trade assemblies

A prefabricated element consisting of a single trade.

Single trade assemblies are fabricated by the joining or casting of single trades materials away from the site workface (but not necessarily offsite). They will conform to certain standards to enable assembly away from the workface but will be configured to suit a particular project's needs.

Examples include prefabricated steelwork, precast concrete, pipe spools, and electrical whips.

Volumetric modular

A multi trade element that forms the envelope and structure of a building.

Volumetric modular is a large-scale method of prefabrication where individual units (modules) can be stacked to form the structure and often the envelope of the building. Typically applied to the residential or hotel sector.

Modules can be built from several material types including engineered timber, concrete, cold and hot formed steel.

An introduction to Design for Manufacturing (DfMA)