A manufacturing process approach to construction: design and application of a composite system for modular buildings

Singapore Authorities are actively promoting construction industrialisation through the Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) method so as to reduce the city-state’s dependence on foreign labour. This paper features the technical options of the modular system that were engineered for the Ministry of Health Holdings’ Woodlands Crescent Nursing Home in Singapore. This system, developed in response to constraints imposed by the design disciplines, factory fabrication, transport, and site erection can be used on a wide array of building types, including high rise hotels and apartments. The paper presents the choices taken in defining the modular system; unconventional structure design, especially on the influence of transfer floors and module layout; fire proofing and corrosion protection; the methodology used for the module construction as well as erection; and finally, the further development of this system.