Modular Building

Claeren · #1 Posted **Dec 29, 2006, 11:18 PM**

I am curious if anyone here knows of modular buildings going up in the world made of concrete and/or steel?

I know a lot about wood frame modular but it has its own set of limitations.

I hear a lot about modular buildings in utopian type articles, but what are the generally understood engineering limitations of modular building? No one ever talks about them... ?

Claeren.

CGII · #2 Posted **Dec 30, 2006, 12:54 AM**

It isn't new, but here's the Hilton San Antonio, built modular to be finished for the World's Fair in time...

All the rooms were finised and furnished and hoisted into their positions on a steel cage.

Claeren · #3 Posted **Dec 30, 2006, 12:57 AM**

Do you know how they were moved off of the cage and into position?

Are they just stacked from the ground up, or are support pillars added?

How are they linked together? bolts?

Did each apartment come in one huge piece? What about the hallways, elevator shafts, and staircases?

Thanks!

Claeren.

Coldrsx · #4 Posted **Jan 2, 2007, 9:18 PM**

There is a low rise 6/7 storey concrete and steel one going up here in Edmonton which had the elevator shaft preconstructed as well as stairwells with the individual rooms go up prefab'd and hoisted into place. There didnt appear to be any skeleton so i assume structural elements are in place in the rooms already and simply connected.

Claeren · #5 Posted **Jan 4, 2007, 12:41 PM**

^ So was each room moved into place seperately? Not one whole unit at a time?

Claeren.

Coldrsx · #6 Posted **Jan 5, 2007, 12:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claeren

^ So was each room moved into place seperately? Not one whole unit at a time?

Claeren.

bingo...and from the looks of it was slow and painful...im curious to see if it made the project any better, well at least in this case.

Claeren · #7 Posted **Jan 5, 2007, 1:15 AM**

And each piece was completely fabricated of concrete?

Claeren.

Coldrsx · #8 Posted **Jan 5, 2007, 1:19 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claeren

And each piece was completely fabricated of concrete?

Claeren.

nope....floors, but not walls

Claeren · #9 Posted **Jan 5, 2007, 6:11 AM**

So the walls were steel framing?

And the interior of the suite was already finished right?

Claeren.

Coldrsx · #10 Posted **Jan 5, 2007, 5:16 PM**

floors - concrete it appeared, but could have been steel with concrete to anchor?

walls - steel stud with drywall in place and it looked like the interior was finished as it was wrapped in heavy duty plastic wrap.

hard to tell how it was connected to each other

SFUVancouver · #11 Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 2:39 AM**

Habitat from Expo 67 was modularly constructed. Each "house" module was pre-fabricated on the ground (poured in place concrete) and completely fitted out with appliances and finishings, and then lifted into place by crane.

zilfondel · #12 Posted **Apr 2, 2007, 9:56 AM**

Look up Richard Rogers (they just changed their name). He did lots of stuff using prefab & modular systems... as he has been and is the preeminent technologist architect in the world (besides Foster).

wikipedia

Lloyd's of London, built in 1986 - http://www.rsh-p.com

Buckminster Fuller as well, although about the only thing he built were prefab single houses and his geodesic domes:

wikipedia