Prefabrikation

Prefabrikation, or prefabrication, is a construction method in which building components are manufactured in a controlled factory environment and transported to the final site for assembly. By moving much of the production off site, prefabrikation aims to improve quality, shorten construction time and reduce on-site disruption compared with traditional on-site building.

Components produced in prefabrikation include volumetric modules (complete rooms or sections), panelized elements (walls, floors, facades), and hybrid systems that combine modules with panelized parts. The process typically follows design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA): design, standardized production, logistics planning, on-site assembly and finishing. Materials commonly used are concrete, steel, timber, and composites.

Advantages: improved quality control, faster erection, better safety, reduced waste, less weather-related delays, potential for lower lifecycle costs. Challenges: requires up-front investment, complex logistics and transport constraints, structural and interface coordination, limited by site access and crane capacity, regulatory and standardization issues, potential for higher unit costs if volumes are low.

Applications: residential housing, student or healthcare facilities, schools, hotels, commercial and industrial buildings, as well as infrastructure and disaster-relief housing. Prefabrikation supports sustainability through material efficiency, reuse of forms, recycling, and reduced construction-site energy use and emissions; however, transport and factory energy use must be balanced.

History and trends: Prefabrikation has deep roots in industrialized building methods developed in the 19th and 20th centuries and gained momentum with mass-production techniques after World War II. Today it is supported by digital design tools such as BIM, modular standards, and supply-chain collaboration, and is increasingly integrated with modular construction and off-site manufacturing strategies.