A little over a week after construction started, the two-storey, 366,000 sq-ft Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan began accepting its first patients. Three days later, China opened a second hospital in the city – the 1,600-bed Leishenshan.
Introduction
The two hospitals – part of China’s battle with the coronavirus – were built in record time using prefabricated modules. This impressive feat of design, engineering and construction, is exceptional, but prefabricated and modular forms of construction are becoming much more prevalent, with important implications for risk and insurance.
The two hospitals – part of China’s battle with the coronavirus – were built in record time using prefabricated modules. This impressive feat of design, engineering and construction, is exceptional, but prefabricated and modular forms of construction are becoming much more prevalent, with important implications for risk and insurance.
Faster, safer and more flexible
Prefabrication can be as simple as manufacturing sections of walls or roofing, right up to complete modules that come with services plumbed in. These modules can be stacked together like Lego blocks to build multi-storey apartments and offices - two 44-storey tower blocks currently under constructed in Croydon, London, are set to become the world’s tallest modular buildings. At the extreme, 3D printing
technology is being developed to manufacture entire homes – a Russian company recently completed the largest 3D printed building yet.
Few buildings can be built as quickly and on such a scale as the two hospitals in China. However, the use of prefabricated and modular construction methods is expected to accelerate in coming years.
In the UK, prefabricated buildings are thought to be essential for meeting current government housebuilding targets and last year Japanese modular building pioneer Sekisui House agreed a deal with the government to build modular homes in the UK.
Prefabricated buildings are a faster and less resource intensive way to meet growing demand for new
buildings.
Crucially, much of the construction work is carried out offsite. This means potentially less disruption for local communities and a safer environment for workers. The Huoshenshan hospital took just 10 days to build. Using traditional methods, a similar building could take many months, if not years to construct.
Prefabrication can be as simple as manufacturing sections of walls or roofing, right up to complete modules that come with services plumbed in. These modules can be stacked together like Lego blocks to build multi-storey apartments and offices - two 44-storey tower blocks currently under constructed in Croydon, London, are set to become the world’s tallest modular buildings. At the extreme, 3D printing technology is being developed to manufacture entire homes – a Russian company recently completed the largest 3D printed building yet.
Few buildings can be built as quickly and on such a scale as the two hospitals in China. However, the use of prefabricated and modular construction methods is expected to accelerate in coming years.
In the UK, prefabricated buildings are thought to be essential for meeting current government housebuilding targets and last year Japanese modular building pioneer Sekisui House agreed a deal with the government to build modular homes in the UK.
Prefabricated buildings are a faster and less resource intensive way to meet growing demand for new buildings.
Crucially, much of the construction work is carried out offsite. This means potentially less disruption for local communities and a safer environment for workers. The Huoshenshan hospital took just 10 days to build. Using traditional methods, a similar building could take many months, if not years to construct.
Building resilience
The two hospitals in Wuhan are a great example of how prefabricated and modular buildings can increase resilience. There are obvious applications in emergency response, such as field hospitals, temporary shelters or rebuilding quickly following a natural disaster, such as floods or major storms.
Modular buildings could also increase the flexibility of the construction industry, and therefore its resilience and ability to respond to the needs of society.
The two hospitals in Wuhan are a great example of how prefabricated and modular buildings can increase resilience. There are obvious applications in emergency response, such as field hospitals, temporary shelters or rebuilding quickly following a natural disaster, such as floods or major storms.
Modular buildings could also increase the flexibility of the construction industry, and therefore its resilience and ability to respond to the needs of society.
Changing risk profile
The trend towards prefabrication and modular building will have big implications for the construction industry’s risk profile.
Significantly, it has the potential to de-risk the onsite construction process, transferring activities to a safer and more controlled factory environment. Construction sites can be hazardous places to work, but with prefabrication the time spent onsite can be greatly reduced, as can the number of workers.
However, much of the risk will shift to manufacturers, while prefabrication could increase the risk of supply chain disruption. A fire or flood at a factory, or damage to modules during transportation, could result in long delays onsite. Modular buildings also typically require more heavy lifting. With more cranes comes a higher wind exposure, which could mean a greater number of days lost onsite to bad weather.
Fire is another concern. The design, installation and testing issues seen with some types of external cladding are a red flag for potential risks of modern construction. Where modules are finished or assembled onsite, there is a risk that fire protection could be compromised, while the potential for voids inside prefabricated walls could enable fire to spread.
The trend towards prefabrication and modular building will have big implications for the construction industry’s risk profile.
Significantly, it has the potential to de-risk the onsite construction process, transferring activities to a safer and more controlled factory environment. Construction sites can be hazardous places to work, but with prefabrication the time spent onsite can be greatly reduced, as can the number of workers.
However, much of the risk will shift to manufacturers, while prefabrication could increase the risk of supply chain disruption. A fire or flood at a factory, or damage to modules during transportation, could result in long delays onsite. Modular buildings also typically require more heavy lifting. With more cranes comes a higher wind exposure, which could mean a greater number of days lost onsite to bad weather.
Fire is another concern. The design, installation and testing issues seen with some types of external cladding are a red flag for potential risks of modern construction. Where modules are finished or assembled onsite, there is a risk that fire protection could be compromised, while the potential for voids inside prefabricated walls could enable fire to spread.
Design risk
Prefabrication and modular construction could increase design risk. New designs and construction techniques have caused problems in the past, especially where developments have been rushed to meet demand for more homes.
The post-war boom in non-traditional building and the government-subsidised prefabricated homes of the 1960s and 1970s, for example, experienced well-documented failings and defects.
Design flaws in prefabricated buildings would likely pose a systemic problem that could affect far more buildings than traditional bespoke developments.
Recent experience has also shown durability issues with new modular systems. Buildings initially perform well, but later suffer issues with connections between modules and weather-proofing. The Oxley Woods prefabricated development in Milton Keynes, for example, won awards for innovation, but later experienced a catalogue of problems related to water ingress and damp.
Insurers will want to see that systems have been properly tested against field conditions, such as environmental testing, computer modelling and full-scale tests, including fire. Underwriters will want comfort that systems meet the intent and requirements of building regulations, and not simply particular aspects of the approved documents. In particular, insurers will want to understand how access will be gained to remedy defects and whether voids introduced into modules, or onsite activities and DIY, could negatively impact fire performance.
Quality control is likely to be an important factor in the success of new modular builds. Robust control processes in a factory environment could raise quality standards, but rigorous monitoring and verification of materials, workmanship and testing in the supply chain will be critical. Experienced management could also be essential, especially where skilled onsite trades are replaced by semi- or unskilled factory workers. The development of detailed process specifications for the installation of modular elements on site, as well as the training and monitoring of the workforce carrying out these activities, will be critical.
Prefabrication and modular construction could increase design risk. New designs and construction techniques have caused problems in the past, especially where developments have been rushed to meet demand for more homes.
The post-war boom in non-traditional building and the government-subsidised prefabricated homes of the 1960s and 1970s, for example, experienced well-documented failings and defects.
Design flaws in prefabricated buildings would likely pose a systemic problem that could affect far more buildings than traditional bespoke developments.
Recent experience has also shown durability issues with new modular systems. Buildings initially perform well, but later suffer issues with connections between modules and weather-proofing. The Oxley Woods prefabricated development in Milton Keynes, for example, won awards for innovation, but later experienced a catalogue of problems related to water ingress and damp.
Insurers will want to see that systems have been properly tested against field conditions, such as environmental testing, computer modelling and full-scale tests, including fire. Underwriters will want comfort that systems meet the intent and requirements of building regulations, and not simply particular aspects of the approved documents. In particular, insurers will want to understand how access will be gained to remedy defects and whether voids introduced into modules, or onsite activities and DIY, could negatively impact fire performance.
Quality control is likely to be an important factor in the success of new modular builds. Robust control processes in a factory environment could raise quality standards, but rigorous monitoring and verification of materials, workmanship and testing in the supply chain will be critical. Experienced management could also be essential, especially where skilled onsite trades are replaced by semi- or unskilled factory workers. The development of detailed process specifications for the installation of modular elements on site, as well as the training and monitoring of the workforce carrying out these activities, will be critical.
Insurance
The growing use of non-traditional construction methods like modular buildings will have important implications for insurance. Policy wordings will need to reflect changes in risks, such as the increase in offsite construction and transport exposures, to ensure that insurance responds. Risk engineering will also need to adapt to offsite construction and the proto-type nature of new materials and methods.
The growing use of non-traditional construction methods like modular buildings will have important implications for insurance. Policy wordings will need to reflect changes in risks, such as the increase in offsite construction and transport exposures, to ensure that insurance responds. Risk engineering will also need to adapt to offsite construction and the proto-type nature of new materials and methods.
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