Modular Units may be used for a wide range of building types from residential buildings to complete fitted-out buildings such as fast food restaurants. Modular construction should be differentiated from temporary or re locatable buildings, which, although similar in volumetric concept, differ greatly in It is often thought that modular construction is by definition more expensive than traditional construction. While this may be true for “one-off” buildings, there are considerable economies of scale that can be obtained from greater refinement of the design (often by testing) and by investing in mechanized and possible automated production.

The Japanese house building market is dominated by modular construction, and over 150,000 are produced annually in modular form. The high degree of sophistication at the design state permits considerable input by the purchases into the choices of finishes and even into the internal layout. A typical large Japanese house is shown below. The extremely high cost of land in Japan creates an economic imperative to build quickly and to achieve rapid pay-back, which could not be achieved by a conventional program.terms of their quality, structural design, use of cladding materials, and general performance criteria.

In the UK , many major companies choose to go the “modular route” because of the greater control they can exert over quality, speed and reliability, which are all business related benefits. Good examples of the move from conventional to modular have been in hotels and fast food restaurants, where on-site construction times can be reduced by over 60%.

Modular construction may be combined with other constructional systems including:

• Framed construction. Modular units can be inserted on the floors or roofs of framed structures constructed of beams and columns.
• Panel construction. Modular units can be used for the more highly services elements, while the remaining structure is built from two-dimensional wall and floor panels.

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