Relocatable Modular Buildings for a Short-term International Event: the Pyeong-chang Winter Olympic Games

Modular methods based on the use of prefabricated structures are increasingly popular for construction projects as they contribute to sustainability by reducing waste and maintenance costs as well as improving time efficiency. For short_term international events, the use of relocatable modular buildings is a potential solution to the problem of “White Elephant” structures built specially for the events that serve no useful purpose once the event is over. This paper focuses on a representative relocatable modular project created for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea using a single case study approach to develop an in-depth understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of relocatable modular construction from a practitioner’s perspective and examine how this approach supports sustainability and the Olympic legacy. Important considerations are identified for each of the five main stages: 1) planning, 2) design and engineering, 3) manufacturing, 4) construction and 5) disassembly and reconstruction. These findings show how the use of relocatable modular facilities can be a useful approach for international events.