Modular and Offsite Construction of Piping: Current Barriers and Route

To investigate current practices and identify challenges of piping prefabrication, this paper conducts a comprehensive survey to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) contractors. This paper is performed in three main steps. First, the current state of piping prefabrication, the attitude of MEP contractors to piping prefabrication, and the challenges of piping prefabrication are identified through a comprehensive data collection process that included semi-structured interviews, case studies, site visits, and questionnaires. The second step included suggesting a pattern and roadway of piping prefabrication. The results showed that: (1) The attitudes to feasibility of piping prefabrication differ in piping systems, piping connector modes, and types of project; and (2) building information modelling (BIM) promotes the adoption of piping prefabrication. Integrated project delivery (IPD), and distributor’s early involvement into projects have significant effects on the successful implementation of piping prefabrication. (3) The main barriers and challenges were identified including the low level of standardization of design, lack of preferential policy, economies of scale, low-skilled workers, as well as the availability of fittings and valves. In the final step, a four-phase route of piping prefabrication is suggested for MEP contractors to expand the prefabrication capacity incrementally. The main contributions of this paper include: (1) This paper proposes a route for MEP contractors to improve their piping construction through the Modular and offsite construction (MOC) method. (2) This paper finds that the level of feasibility of piping prefabrication differs in piping systems, connection modes, and types of project. Challenges and barriers of piping prefabrication are firstly identified.

[1]  Min Liu,et al.  Using Last Planner and a Risk Assessment Matrix to Reduce Variation in Mechanical Related Construction Tasks , 2012 .

[2]  Sy-Jye Guo,et al.  The Application of MEP Systems Installation for Interface Integration in Building Construction , 2013 .

[3]  A. J. Whittle,et al.  Collection and recycling of plastics pipes in demolition and construction waste stream , 2007 .

[4]  Lars Stehn,et al.  Industrialised house building , 2019, Offsite Production and Manufacturing for Innovative Construction.

[5]  Hisham Said,et al.  Modeling and Likelihood Prediction of Prefabrication Feasibility for Electrical Construction Firms , 2016 .

[6]  Zhen-Zhong Hu,et al.  Construction and facility management of large MEP projects using a multi-Scale building information model , 2016, Adv. Eng. Softw..

[7]  Peter F. Court,et al.  Modular Assembly with Postponement to Improve Health, Safety, and Productivity in Construction , 2009 .

[8]  Yi Peng,et al.  Exploring the challenges to industrialized residential building in China , 2014 .

[9]  Jun Wang,et al.  Building information modeling-based integration of MEP layout designs and constructability , 2016 .

[10]  Lincoln C. Wood,et al.  Quality function deployment modelling to enhance industrialised building system adoption in housing projects , 2015 .

[11]  Boyd C. Paulson,et al.  Multi‐Agent Distributed Coordination of Project Schedule Changes , 2003 .

[12]  Burcin Becerik-Gerber,et al.  Understanding Construction Industry Experience and Attitudes toward Integrated Project Delivery , 2010 .

[13]  James T. O'Connor,et al.  Standardization strategy for modular industrial plants , 2015 .

[14]  Andrew R.J. Dainty,et al.  Perspectives of UK housebuilders on the use of offsite modern methods of construction , 2007 .

[15]  David K. H. Chua,et al.  Preemptive Constraint Analysis in Construction Schedules , 2015 .

[16]  Burcu Akinci,et al.  Analysis of modeling effort and impact of different levels of detail in building information models , 2011 .

[17]  Frédéric Bosché,et al.  Tracking the Built Status of MEP Works: Assessing the Value of a Scan-vs-BIM System , 2014, J. Comput. Civ. Eng..

[18]  Antonio Rodolfo,et al.  Construction and demolition waste as a source of PVC for recycling , 2012, Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA.

[19]  M. J. Mawdesley,et al.  PREFABRICATION FOR LEAN BUILDING SERVICES DISTRIBUTION , 2002 .

[20]  Martin Fischer,et al.  Knowledge and Reasoning for MEP Coordination , 2003 .

[21]  Ron Wakefield,et al.  Drivers, constraints and the future of offsite manufacture in Australia , 2007 .

[22]  Mohamed Al-Hussein,et al.  Construction Industrialization in China: Current Profile and the Prediction , 2017 .

[23]  Ping Wang,et al.  Flow Production of Pipe Spool Fabrication: Simulation to Support Implementation of Lean Technique , 2009 .

[24]  Hamid Noori,et al.  Automating measurement process to improve quality management for piping fabrication , 2015 .

[25]  Jonghoon Kim,et al.  Parallel vs. Sequential Cascading MEP Coordination Strategies: A Pharmaceutical Building Case Study , 2014 .

[26]  Hisham Said,et al.  Prefabrication Best Practices and Improvement Opportunities for Electrical Construction , 2015 .

[27]  Hossein Zabihi,et al.  Definitions, concepts and new directions in Industrialized Building Systems (IBS) , 2013 .

[28]  Li Wang,et al.  Formalized knowledge representation for spatial conflict coordination of mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems in new building projects , 2016 .

[29]  Michael S. Bisesi,et al.  Evaluation of Safety Orientation and Training Programs for Reducing Injuries in the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry , 2000, Journal of occupational and environmental medicine.