It isn’t magic..

To create a well-orchestrated assembly line with productive workers carrying out pre-determined, standardised and well-understood tasks in predictable timeframes..In short, we want construction sites to be more like factories.. Off-site and modular construction: are factories really all that great?.

Prefabrication in factories (off-site construction) is often thought of as a panacea, a sure-fire way for construction sites to achieve greater productivity.However, factories can also be run inefficiently, and if traditional construction methods are simply shifted into a factory setting, the benefits of MMC can be diluted or lost..In some cases, building off-site in a factory may even be less efficient than on-site construction.

For example, prefabricated 3D modules (used in modular construction) involve many additional costs compared to conventional build.These include transportation (a pre-fabricated room is mostly air, after all) and heavy plant for lifting modules into place.

Unless modules are fabricated on a just-in time basis they also have to be stored which costs money, especially if that storage needs to be sheltered from the elements.

3D modules also occupy large amounts of factory floor space and therefore absorb a high proportion of factory overheads..These types of drawings are often created at RIBA Stage 2 then never carried through the project, but it’s vital information which develops the basis for the calculations and lab design.

For labs we will therefore update this drawing at every design stage and use for quick reference..Maintaining the client lab equipment list with all the necessary services is a must.

As the information becomes more detailed, the list should be updated to reflect the latest information.Most issues we come across on a project are due to missing services or undefined duties within the laboratory equipment list.. Labs without extracting equipment can follow the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) guidance for air change rates, with supplementary cooling required from internal units such as fan coil units.