Pre-Fabricated Architecture For Urban Adaptability: Factory Built Constructions – Sustainable & Flexible Urban Solutions

The aim of this thesis is to study the fundamentals of pre-fabricated modular construction and comprehensively device strategies pertaining to the application of pre-fabricated construction system for flexibility, adaptability and sustainability in context to multi-functional urban needs. The research explores applications of various prefab techniques and systems, core materials, assembly and method of executions through case studies catering to user needs and contexts. The research focuses on the usage of prefabricated construction techniques to provide sustainable, flexible and adaptable urban solutions for high density urban tissues. The research initially investigates the evolution of prefabricated building systems through out history and draws a comparision between the on-site and off-site constructon systems in order to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each system. The preliminary study is majorly focused on two pre-fab systems, viz ‘Timber Pre-fab Construction’ and ‘Steel Pre-fab construction’. The approach is to understand the properties of materials, main structural elements, construction, connection and assembly of elements, advantages and applications of each construction system respectively. To develop a better understanding, case studies of different projects are carried out and formulated into a comparative matrix which would become a guiding element in devicing a set of strategies that can be adapted to cater to the different and changing needs of an urban fabric. Furthermore, to evaluate the probable applications of Pre-fab construction in high density settings, city of Chennai (India) is selected as a case in point to device strategies for shared community architecture in compact urban centres where scarcity of land, open- green spaces and community infrastructure are common denominators of concern. Thus, a model of co-living, co-working and shared public spaces is developed which can become a prototype reference for development in various urban zones with high density. The end goal is to design a prefabricated, flexible, adaptable and multi-functional integrated model for the urban fabric that caters to the urban needs of public infrastructure and various socio-cultural aspirations of the residents.