Browsing by Author "Lu, A"

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item: Conference-Abstract
Applications of design for excellence in prefabricated building services systems
Samarasinghe, T; Mendis, P; Lu, A; Vassos, T
Prefabrication is a sought after area in the AEC industry for manufacture of building components in an off-site controlled environment. Although, most of the structural element such as panels and modules are efficiently prefabricated and assembled onsite, prefabrication of complete mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems is not achieved in many cases. This is mainly due to the limitations during assembly of different systems, poor implementation of building information modelling (BIM) and lack of standards for offsite manufacturing. The research will introduce the concept of Design for Excellence (DFX) which is currently used efficiently in the automotive, aerospace and shipbuilding industries. Applications of the DFX concept for building services in residential buildings were studied. This paper presents the overall concept of holistic approach to arrive at an optimum solution for design integrated building services systems for prefabricated buildings.
item: Conference-Abstract
Identifying wider economic benefits of prefabricated houses in australia
Yokota, AK; Lu, A
Prefabricated houses have been at the forefront for the delivery of buildings with less onsite construction time and safer for the workers. Significant savings in terms of cost and reducing waste are some of the primary direct benefits. In addition, other direct positive impacts such as higher quality can be easily achieved due to improvements in terms of processes offsite. However, indirect benefits of prefabricated houses are not still well defined and quantified. The consideration of wider economic benefits (WEBs) would provide the opportunity to quantify the value which is useful for decision-making. Urban renewal and growth, commercial activity influx, and employment opportunities are the examples of WEBs due to the prefabricated houses industry. WEB concept has been applied in the area such as transport and infrastructure during the decision-making. Nevertheless, there is no evidence that this concept has been applied in the prefabrication industry. This paper identifies and categorise the potential WEBs of prefabricated houses through a literature review and communicating with the industry in Australia. The WEBs relevant to prefabricated houses are identified. The potential methods for quantifying these benefits are discussed.