Newsletter of the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University
Jorge Vanegas, dean of Texas A&M's College of Architecture, touts the idea of modularization as one way to significantly advance construction efficiency and productivity in an interview published on a construction management firm's website.
Modular building involves prefabricated structures consisting of multiple modules manufactured in a remote facility and delivered and assembled onsite.
"I would tell any design professional, whether an architect, an engineer or an architectural engineer, who may dismiss modular construction because they feel it limits design that, in my opinion, it is the other way around: not exploring alternative techniques and processes such as prefabrication, preassembly, modularization and offsite fabrication actually limits design more," said Vanegas in an interview published on The Warrior Group's website.
In 2008, Vanegas was asked to join a committee that provides advice for advancing the competitiveness and productivity of the U.S. construction industry.
The committee identified the use of modularization as one of five avenues with the greatest potential to increase construction efficiency, cut waste in time, costs, materials, energy, skills and labor, and improve the quality, timeliness, cost effectiveness and sustainability of construction projects.
"In the capital facilities sector of the industry, such as commercial, high-rise and multifamily residential, industrial and infrastructure projects, as well as in the residential sector of the industry, which includes single-family and low-rise residential projects, there is a pervasive mindset that design is always a unique, one-of-a-kind effort. In my opinion, this is not completely true," said Vanegas.
He added that although every design project responds to very specific requirements, attributes, characteristics and contexts, there are many elements that could benefit from modular construction, from specific building systems and components to full-scale facilities.
"The computer industry and the automotive industry provide great examples of how a general modular approach does not preclude individual customization," he said.
Vanegas is part of the Committee on Advancing the Competitiveness and Productivity of the U.S. Construction Industry, which was formed by the National Research Council in response to a request from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a federal agency that develops and promotes measurements, standards and technology.
For the text of the full interview, visit http://www.warrior-group.net
- Posted: Jan. 12, 2010-
