Offsite Construction Technology: Gamechanger in Post-Covid World

Bosch

Nejeeb Khan, Country Head, Katerra, India
From quality assurance to faster completion, Offsite Construction Technology can be a gamechanger in the post-Covid world, says Nejeeb Khan, Country Head, Katerra, India

India has set an ambitious target of providing housing facilities to all by 2022. With the country’s fast-paced urbanization, 25 million affordable housing units will be required by 2030. Both these facts indicate the mammoth task ahead for all construction industry stakeholders - both government and private. The question no longer is - can traditional methods of construction solve this problem? The answer to that has been an industry-wide resounding, “No.” Demonstration of this is seen across India in numerous delayed, poor quality and high-cost overrun housing projects. If this is a known challenge, what are the constraints the industry is facing to achieve a real technology transformation?

Construction Technology Knowledge and Application
One of the critical challenges facing the industry is an in-depth understanding of construction technology and its application both among end consumers and many practitioners. One such technique is offsite construction.

What is offsite construction technology?
Offsite construction technology is when concrete elements are assembly-line factory manufactured and delivered onsite for assembly. The term “Offsite” denotes that the building is being manufactured in a factory instead of onsite as done traditionally.

Step1: Value-Engineering Design for DfMA (Design for Manufacturing Assembly)

The first step in offsite construction is to value engineer and break it down to repeatable components that can be assembly-line produced.

Standard elements in a building include walls, columns, beams, roofs, bathrooms, MEP systems, and staircases. In traditional construction, each staircase is designed and built uniquely, leading to inconsistencies and poor quality.

In offsite construction, once a design is value-engineered, the factory has data on the exact number of walls, beams, and other elements with exact dimensions needed for the building. These computer-generated drawings are fed to machines in the factory, and the machines produce these elements with minimal human intervention.

Step 2: Industrialized Factory Construction
A high-end offsite construction factory is fully automated. Machines read the drawings fed to the computer and start the automated production function of building the element.

Factory produced elements are consistent in quality, have minimal chances for errors, and optimally use material and water, ensuring minimal waste.

High-end offsite construction factories like Katerra’s can produce both 2D or 3D concrete elements. 2D elements include roof slabs, wall panels, beams, columns, and even floors. 3D elements include staircases and fully functional rooms like bathrooms, kitchens that come factory-fitted with MEP and all fixtures, including taps, basins, bathtubs, cabinets, etc.

KMCH Hospital

Step 3: Onsite Assembly
Factory produced elements are transported to the construction site and fitted together using high-end connections that are durable and more earthquake-resistant than traditional monolithic structures.

These connections are vital to ensuring the stability and durability of the structure, and many companies, including Katerra, have an IP (Intellectual Property) on connections. Connections are usually a mix of dry and wet connections, depending on the building codes and requirements.

Advantages of Offsite Construction
Offsite construction has several advantages in comparison to traditional construction methods.
  • Factory construction means there is minimal disruption onsite, no dust, no pollution, and no noise. This construction is better for communities and people around the site.
  • Factory produced elements have better quality, consistency, and durability, unlike a traditional building, which depends on individual workers skills
  • No material waste since machines optimize all the material used and there are minimal errors
  • +50% faster than conventional construction, since all elements are machine-made and not labor dependent.
  • Offsite construction is safer, it also allows for skill development of unskilled labor and can help create better quality jobs
  • More sustainable - factory produced elements are steam cured utilizing 70% less water in the process
Fully-controlled all variations and changes, every aspect of the construction process is measured, mapped, and controlled, bringing in transparency to the entire process.

Katerra Krishnagiri Factory

Future Prospects
Let’s now evaluate how these advantages of offsite construction technology fit into the Indian scenario. Firstly, post-implementation of RERA (Real Estate Regulations and Development) Act, real estate firms are penalized heavily for the delay in project delivery apart from facing legal liability. So, offsite construction technology can be a critical element of the timely completion of projects.

Offsite construction also saves realtors from unnecessary cost overruns due to faulty construction at the site by workers. Higher savings in material cost and timely delivery of projects can add both better cash flow and credibility for realty firms, which is beneficial to the bottom line of the realty firms.

Secondly, this is a highly scalable technology that can help deliver the housing numbers we need on time. As the government eyes ‘housing for all’ with millions of homes in affordable housing space, offsite construction technology will be critical to realizing this dream. Even recent government decisions to build affordable rental housing complexes (ARHCs) for migrant workers can make way for the massive adoption of this technology. In the infrastructure sector, offsite construction can be deployed for faster creation of hospitals, bridges, airports, and other critical projects. Offsite construction can also solve the labor shortage challenges faced amid ongoing COVID pandemic.

Moreover, more offsite factories will spur construction activity in the country, boosting the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” mission of India and creating more skilled jobs.

Challenges
Ironically, the adoption of offsite construction technology remains slow despite its advantages. A host of factors is behind this phenomenon, but the lack of knowledge about offsite construction is the first and most critical factor. Apart from this, the upfront investment in technologies and the lack of government intervention is also a significant deterrent. The government has to actively support private players to set up offsite factories with tax breaks and other incentives, which will encourage more companies to adopt this technology at scale.

As India looks to bridge the critical gap in infrastructure, offsite is a must for timely and cost-effective delivery of projects.
NBM&CW August 2020

No comments yet, Be the first one to comment on this.

×

Terms & Condition

By checking this, you agree with the following:
  1. To accept full responsibility for the comment that you submit.
  2. To use this function only for lawful purposes.
  3. Not to post defamatory, abusive, offensive, racist, sexist, threatening, vulgar, obscene, hateful or otherwise inappropriate comments, or to post comments which will constitute a criminal offense or give rise to civil liability.
  4. Not to post or make available any material which is protected by copyright, trade mark or other proprietary right without the express permission of the owner of the copyright, trade mark or any other proprietary right.
  5. To evaluate for yourself the accuracy of any opinion, advice or other content.
Prefabrication for Affordable Housing Projects: Trimble Solutions

Prefabrication for Affordable Housing Projects: Trimble Solutions

Harsh Pareek, Regional Sales Director, India and SAARC, Trimble Solutions, highlights the transformative potential of prefabrication in the affordable housing sector, paving the way for a more efficient and sustainable future in construction.

Read more ...

Concrete 3D Printing Technology: Potential & Problems

Concrete 3D Printing Technology: Potential & Problems

A. V. Rahul, Assistant Professor & Divya S. Kurup, Research Scholar, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, IIT Tirupati, discuss the progress being made in 3D Concrete Printing, applications worldwide, and the ongoing

Read more ...

Innovative Construction Technologies for PMAY-U Light House Projects

Innovative Construction Technologies for PMAY-U Light House Projects

Urban India is undergoing a rapid transformation, driven by initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U), which aims to provide housing for all. To meet this ambitious goal, it's crucial to shift from traditional

Read more ...

3D Concrete Printing: A Look at Challenges & Future of Construction

3D Concrete Printing: A Look at Challenges & Future of Construction

Construction industry is the economic backbone of a country. The productivity of the projects in the construction industry is significantly influenced by formwork systems that consume huge project resources such as time, cost, material and

Read more ...

Boosting Precast Construction with Augmented Reality

Boosting Precast Construction with Augmented Reality

Blending virtual information with the real-world view, AR has become an effective tool in construction management to improve project planning, execution, and delivery. Bhavin Lakhani, Project Controls Specialist Lead, PMP, and CCM

Read more ...

3DXB Group Sets Guinness World Record for Largest 3D-Printed Villa in Dubai

3DXB Group Sets Guinness World Record for Largest 3D-Printed Villa in Dubai

3DXB Group, a leading innovator in 3D printing solutions for the construction industry, unveiled its achievement in making the world’s largest 3D-printed villa in Dubai. This groundbreaking project signifies a pivotal moment in the UAE

Read more ...

Rapidcast Boundary Walls: Best Quality Concrete Precast Textured Walls

Rapidcast Boundary Walls: Best Quality Concrete Precast Textured Walls

Rapidcast LLP brings to you for the first time in India the best quality concrete precast elements such as RCC precast compound walls and RRC precast stormwater UDrains. The new generation Rapidcast boundary wall/fence is a high quality precast

Read more ...

Elematic's Large Precast Concrete Plant for My Home GRAVA Project

Elematic's Large Precast Concrete Plant for My Home GRAVA Project

Hyderabad is witnessing the construction of Asia's tallest towers with a planned built-up area totalling 3.7 million sqm. The two 180-meter towers, each comprising 43 storeys, will be accompanied by six more similar towers. With each tower

Read more ...

Benefits of Shear Keyed Surfaces in Precast Building

Benefits of Shear Keyed Surfaces in Precast Building

Depending on the finish of the concrete surface, different coefficients are assigned by international codes in the calculation of shear resistance. The American Concrete Institute Code ACI318, Nov.19, states the following: Chapter 16.2.1.1 – Transfer of forces by

Read more ...

Revolutionizing Precast Industry with Advanced Tracking of Precast Concrete Elements

Revolutionizing Precast Industry with Advanced Tracking of Precast Concrete Elements

The precast concrete industry is undergoing a transformative change with innovative software solutions that offer enhanced tracking of precast concrete elements. One of these pioneering software solutions is StruSoft’s Impact Precast, which aims

Read more ...

Emerging Trends & Growth of the Prefab Industry

Emerging Trends & Growth of the Prefab Industry

Prefabricated technologies are becoming increasingly popular in the construction industry, particularly for large-scale construction. As prefabricated structures continue to evolve and improve, they are being used to construct warehouses, factories

Read more ...

Precast RCC Structures versus Pre-Engineered Steel Structures

Precast RCC Structures versus Pre-Engineered Steel Structures

A comparative study on Industrial Building Adopting Structural Frames as Precast RCC and Structural Steel Frames with Prestressed Precast Hollow Core Slabs as Flooring Slabs, presented by C. A. Prasad, Director, METEY Engineering Consultancy, Hyderabad

Read more ...

My Home Mega Project Shows Potential of Precast Construction Technology in India

My Home Mega Project Shows Potential of Precast Construction Technology in India

Storey by storey, Asia’s tallest precast towers with a total planned built-up area of 3.7 million sqm are rising towards the sky in Hyderabad. These two 180-meter towers of 43-stories each will be followed by six more similar towers. With each tower

Read more ...

Mekuba: A Leader in Mould Releasing Agents for Concrete

Mekuba: A Leader in Mould Releasing Agents for Concrete

With over 47 years of experience in the petrochemicals industry, and an expert in the formulation and production of mould-releasing agents, Mekuba Petro Products is growing rapidly in the construction chemicals segment with a daily production

Read more ...

Dextra Groutec Coupler - A Unique Solution for Reliable Joints in Precast

Dextra Groutec Coupler - A Unique Solution for Reliable Joints in Precast

Dextra has added yet another customer-centric, innovative, and custom engineered product - the Groutec Coupler - an efficient product that has been qualified and tested successfully on several major infrastructure projects in the recent past. With the

Read more ...

India an Important Market for TOPWERK

India an Important Market for TOPWERK

Sachin Shetty, India Head – Operation & Sales, and Rajesh Jha, India Head - Sales & Market Development, TOPWERK INDIA, discuss the potential of precast concrete construction in India, localization of non-critical components to bring down cost, and the possibilities of digitalization

Read more ...

Vollert: Building A Stronger India with Precast

Vollert: Building A Stronger India with Precast

Vollert India has recently expanded its production capacity in Sikandrabad (UP) India. As a global leader in precast concrete components, systems, and machine solutions, Vollert’s investment in India indicates a growing interest among German companies

Read more ...

Precast India Connector - Helping Precasters Overcome Cost & Time Overruns

Precast India Connector - Helping Precasters Overcome Cost & Time Overruns

Precast India Connections, a new entity of Precast India Infrastructures, has innovated and patented a method of achieving a Dowel-Sleeve connection that functions even in the horizontal direction. Kapilesh Bhate, MD, Precast India Connections, shares

Read more ...

Prensoland Modern Precast Floors Appearance of the iHCS

Prensoland Modern Precast Floors Appearance of the iHCS

Pre-stressed concrete hollow core slabs used for building floors are unidirectional members; they are laid one next to the other until the complete carpet area is covered. In the presence of lateral loads like wind, or due to seismic episodes, they behave

Read more ...

To get latest updates on whatsapp, Save +91 93545 87773 and send us a 'Saved' message
Click Here to Subscribe to Our eNewsletter.