Learn how modular construction can reduce risks, costs, and delays, improve quality and safety, and enhance collaboration and communication for site supervision.

Supervising a modular project requires a shift in mindset from a construction waterfall approach, to a manufacturing agile and lean approach. It is crucial for the QMS to identify quality check points in the factory and the ones that will carry out at site. The whole purpose behind modular is delivering prefabricated, prefinished, and preinspected units to site greatly reducing manpower requirements at site by shifting in to factory controlled environment. With that in mind, factory supervision will focus on performance, quality of assembly and material installation, and verfication against the design, and supply chain. On the other hand, site supervision will focus on logistics, errection quality,and building performance verification.

How can modular construction streamline site supervision?

Modular construction is a method of building that involves assembling prefabricated units or modules off-site and then transporting them to the final location. This can offer many benefits for site supervision, such as reducing risks, costs, and delays, improving quality and safety, and enhancing collaboration and communication. In this article, you will learn how modular construction can streamline site supervision and what are some of the best practices to implement it successfully.

1 Reduce risks, costs, and delays

One of the main advantages of modular construction is that it can reduce the exposure to weather, theft, vandalism, and other external factors that can affect site supervision. By building in a controlled environment, you can avoid delays and rework caused by damaged materials, faulty equipment, or poor workmanship. You can also save on labor, transportation, and storage costs, as well as minimize waste and environmental impact. Modular construction can also reduce the complexity and duration of site supervision, as you only need to oversee the installation and connection of the modules, rather than the entire construction process.

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Debjyoti Paul, C Eng, MIE.

I am engaged in learning the In and out activities of offshore engineering works from FEED to Construction.
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Modular construction is not a new thing. It is being used in the offshore industry for decades. Onshore industry has opened the door for this type of construction due to higher wages and logistics charges being paid at construction sites. Modular can be used where following problem do exists: a) construction environment is hostile. b) high material and logistics cost. c) higher cost of workmanship. d) tighter project schedule.

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Swapan Chakraborty

Passionate about Green energy , mentoring , digitization,National Design Research Forum, India Technical Advisor
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Given the present-day circumstances, modularisation is the key concept adopted for any large or small projects across all the industry sectors. Rising skilled labour cost and truncated project time line this concept is finding lot of relevance in modern construction method. This also helps just in time concept and keeping the activities away from the construction place where space is always a constrain. It also reduces the risk associated with in-situ construction at height. The use of Roll on / Roll off jetties also helps in handling and transportation to the final location. Fewer mobilisation of resources required at site In India this concept has gained lot of traction and the overall cycle time is reduced ( e. g the metro projects)

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Cristian Zangaro

Software Engineer Team Lead en Cloud Studio IoT
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La construcción modular agiliza la supervisión de la obra al simplificar los procesos. Al implementar módulos prefabricados, se reduce el tiempo de construcción y se facilita la gestión de recursos. Los componentes estandarizados permiten una supervisión más eficiente, control de calidad y monitoreo de etapas específicas, optimizando el seguimiento de la obra y agilizando su progreso.

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2 Improve quality and safety

Another benefit of modular construction is that it can improve the quality and safety of the project, both on-site and off-site. By using standardized and tested modules, you can ensure consistent and high-quality performance, as well as compliance with codes and regulations. You can also reduce the risk of accidents and injuries, as you can eliminate or minimize the need for scaffolding, ladders, cranes, and other hazardous equipment. Modular construction can also improve the safety and comfort of the workers, as they can work in a more ergonomic and climate-controlled setting, rather than in harsh or unpredictable conditions.

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3 Enhance collaboration and communication

A third advantage of modular construction is that it can enhance the collaboration and communication between the site supervision team and the other stakeholders, such as the designers, contractors, suppliers, and clients. By using digital tools and platforms, such as BIM (Building Information Modeling), you can coordinate and integrate the design, fabrication, and installation of the modules, as well as monitor and track their progress and performance. You can also communicate more effectively and efficiently with the off-site team, as you can share real-time data, feedback, and updates. Modular construction can also foster a more collaborative and transparent culture, as you can involve the clients and end-users in the decision-making and feedback process.

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4 Best practices for modular construction

To successfully and efficiently implement modular construction and streamline site supervision, you need to plan ahead and align the expectations and goals of all the parties involved. This includes defining the scope, schedule, budget, and quality standards of the project, as well as the roles and responsibilities of each team member. Additionally, you should choose a suitable site and module design that can accommodate transportation and installation of the modules. You should also select a reliable and experienced modular manufacturer that can deliver the modules on time, on budget, and on quality. To ensure this, check their credentials, portfolio, references, capacity, capability, and compatibility with your project. Furthermore, it is important to coordinate with the off-site and on-site teams, as well as other stakeholders. Utilize digital tools such as BIM to share information related to the project. Additionally, establish clear communication channels and protocols with frequent updates, along with contingency plans for risk mitigation. Finally, inspect and test the modules before fabrication and installation to ensure they meet specifications, standards, codes of the project, as well as expectations of clients and end-users. By following these best practices for modular construction you can reduce risks, costs, delays, improve quality and safety while enhancing collaboration and communication to achieve better outcomes for your project.

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Basel Tachwali

Construction Tech. & Innovation Advisory | Tech. Implementation & Governance Strategy | MMC | Automation & 3D Printing | BIM & VDC | Construction Data Management | ESG | Continuous Improvement | DfMA | Industry 4.0
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Supervising a modular project requires a shift in mindset from a construction waterfall approach, to a manufacturing agile and lean approach. It is crucial for the QMS to identify quality check points in the factory and the ones that will carry out at site. The whole purpose behind modular is delivering prefabricated, prefinished, and preinspected units to site greatly reducing manpower requirements at site by shifting in to factory controlled environment. With that in mind, factory supervision will focus on performance, quality of assembly and material installation, and verfication against the design, and supply chain. On the other hand, site supervision will focus on logistics, errection quality,and building performance verification.

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Ilie Petre-Lazar

Chef de Service Offres et Intégration Technique
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One of the requirements of the modular construction is to consider this at the design stage. The modules require a regular layout and modules should be as similar as possible.

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Pankaj Bansal

Piping And Project Engineering | Green Hydrogen | LNG | Subsea Pipeline | CBM & SPM| Interface management
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Modular concept facilitates parallel work at both places i.e. site and yard which is a great provision in terms of timely delivery and short schedule of present and future projects

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How can modular construction streamline site supervision?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Reduce risks, costs, and delays

2 Improve quality and safety

3 Enhance collaboration and communication

4 Best practices for modular construction

5 Here’s what else to consider

Construction

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How can modular construction streamline site supervision?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Reduce risks, costs, and delays

2 Improve quality and safety

3 Enhance collaboration and communication

4 Best practices for modular construction

5 Here’s what else to consider

Construction

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