Theater Talk
Theater Talk
Theater Talk

Factory-Based Construction and the Possibilities of Prefabrication

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Prefabrication can bring industrial levels of precision and productivity to construction. Raghi Iyengar of Manufacton explains.



 
Taking Construction Off-Site (video: 1:25 min.)
Mitigating Risk with Factory-Based Construction (video: 1:33 min.)
Challenges for Prefabrication (video: 1:48 min.)
Overcoming Shifts in Construction (video: 1:25 min.)
These videos were recorded on-site at Autodesk University.

 

When you think about it, the building site isn’t necessarily the best place to do every aspect of construction. After all, it’s usually outdoors and exposed to the elements for much of the process. In cities, space is limited for both materials and people. And there are countless interdependencies that can mean long work interruptions. By moving fabrication of certain modules into factories, the work gets easier and safer—and far more predictable. Productivity can approach industrial levels for those components and waste can be reduced and recycled, rather than sent to the landfill. Prefabrication certainly creates challenges in terms of logistics and coordination, but with proper planning and cloud-based collaboration, you can achieve new levels of efficiency. Raghi Iyengar of Manufacton shares his perspective on the challenges and opportunities for prefabrication today.

About the speaker

Raghi Iyengar is the founder and CEO of Manufacton, a company focused on bringing the benefits of manufacturing to construction. He has developed software at Intel and was a pioneer in virtual design and construction at the Center for Integrated Facility Engineering (CIFE) at Stanford University. At Autodesk, he helped to develop the collaborative construction application BIM 360.

Related learning

Ready to learn more about the possibilities of prefabrication? Check out this related content:

Planning and Execution for Prefab—Bringing the Best of Manufacturing to Construction

Raghi Iyengar and Kevin Bredeson share their process for planning and coordinating construction projects using prefabrication, including how they use QR codes to ensure just-in-time delivery.

Prefab, Status Tracking, Inventory Management, and Cost Control on the Job Site

John Difiglio and Nathaniel Coombs walk through best practices for ordering, fabrication, and installation of prefabricated parts, with a particular focus on using Revit custom families for the creation of assembly build sheets.

MEP Mechanical Room Prefabricated with Revit—Make Your Own Prefabrication Package

Kenneth Verlinden shows the workflow to design, make, and deliver an MEP mechanical room using prefabrication workflows, including how to generate cut length sheets and BOMs, then how to identify pieces and field connections after delivery.