32nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 32) - Auckland, New Zealand - 2024

https://doi.org/10.24928/2024/0137

Defining Interfaces to Facilitate Building Module Change

Peter Zieth1 & Cecilia Gravina da Rocha2

1PhD Student, School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), City Campus, Broadway, Bldg 11, Lv 11, NSW 2007, Australia, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0008-9546-2895
2Senior Lecturer, School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), City Campus, Broadway, Bldg 11, Lv 11, NSW 2007, Australia, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-2649-2432

Abstract

Modular construction in the building industry remains largely misunderstood, despite numerous studies on the subject. With confusion around what constitutes a module, how it is defined and differentiated from other modules, and how they interface. This study examines interface characteristics; types, standardization, and reversibility (three measurable categories based on Fixson (2005) function-component allocation (FCA) tool for product architecture assessments) and assesses product architecture interfaces to apply them to building product architecture. The intent of this examination is to understand the interface’s role in any transfer of module functions across modules. Defining interfaces to better differentiate building modules from each other should ultimately facilitate the identification of what specific functions of the building component modules that need to be designed, manufactured, assembled, changed, and disassembled. From the examination, the discussion arising seeks to advance on how a building spatial module function designation might transfer functions at an interface, to provide clarity on the functional requirements for component modules to meet.

Keywords

Modular construction, prefabrication, flexible manufacturing, interfaces.

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Reference

Zieth, P. & Rocha, C. G. 2024. Defining Interfaces to Facilitate Building Module Change, Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 32) , 845-856. doi.org/10.24928/2024/0137

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