Pre-fabricated Construction and Wall Structure for Warehouse Q3

Q.
a) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of pre-fabricated construction. (10 marks)

b) With the aid of suitable labelled diagrams, suggest a suitable type of wall structure for a large single storey warehouse. (15 marks)

(25 marks, 2012 Q3)

A.
(a)
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located. The term is used to distinguish this process from the more conventional construction practice of transporting the basic materials to the construction site where all assembly is carried out.

Advantages

Moving partial assemblies from a factory often costs less than moving pre-production resources to each site
Deploying resources on-site can add costs; prefabricating assemblies can save costs by reducing on-site work
Factory tools - jigs, cranes, conveyors, etc - can make production faster and more precise
Factory tools - shake tables, hydraulic testers, etc - can offer added quality assurance
Consistent indoor environments of factories eliminate most impacts of weather on production
Cranes and reusable factory supports can allow shapes and sequences without expensive on-site falsework
Higher-precision factory tools can aid more controlled movement of building heat & air, for lower energy consumption and healthier buildings
Factory production can facilitate more optimal materials usage, recycling, noise capture, dust capture, etc.
Machine-mediated parts movement, and freedom from wind & rain can improve construction safety

Disadvantages

Transportation costs may be higher for voluminous prefabricated sections than for their constituent materials, which can often be packed more densely.
Large prefabricated sections may require heavy-duty cranes and precision measurement and handling to place in position.

(b) Suitable wall structure for a large single storey warehouse

[Wall structure, is not types of wall material/finishes as it would be impossible to draw out the material distinguishing metal, wood, gibson, polycarbonate, or vinyl curtain. Hence, I would suspect the question asks for 'structure' and not the types of material as wall.]