Prefabrication in architecture is gradually becoming a popular choice in the construction process, owing to the advancement in technology and convenience that it offers. It refers to a type of construction system where the whole or part of the project is made or assembled offsite. Today, precast concrete elements, timber, and steel members are mass-produced in many sizes, which are used in the industry as standard members.
The reason being that prefabrication in architecture reduces the cost and time of the construction process by a significant margin. Along with that, this system ensures quality construction as everything is machine-made and not dependent on somebody’s skill. The assembly of such a structure will therefore require less labour, especially skilled ones. By design, such structures are compact and easy to assemble or disassemble. Due to such simple and basic design, these structures can’t be restricted to a particular function, the interior can be modified to suit any purpose, making it a more sustainable choice.
Even after innumerable benefits of prefabrication, it is largely associated with smaller scale structures and still its preference is limited to faster construction. It is usually mentioned in the housing context of remote areas, disaster-affected areas or difficult terrain. Gradually, architecture firms have begun to actively explore and adopt prefabrication technology, especially in parametric structures and even in some capacity in everyday construction. Below are some case studies that show how prefabrication can be used in architecture in different contexts and address different problems.
Darwin Bucky, Ahmedabad
A multi-functional project, inspired by Buckminster Fuller, was designed by Andblack Design Studio in 2021. It is a modular structure that can be transported to the site as a flat pack and assembled on the site (Hopkins, 2023). The studio intended it as a decent-sized modular light-weight structure that can be easily assembled on any flat surface or even airlifted in remote areas. It doesn’t require a plinth, hence can be placed on the site without any major intervention. It is built with thin metal panels that can be recycled and reutilised for other purposes if damaged (Hopkins, 2023).
Such a project can also be used to provide quick shelter in case of emergency need, especially in areas of poor road connectivity. Prefabrication in architecture has offered a sustainable solution to the need for temporary structures which can easily be repurposed for a completely different purpose or can be packed into a box, if not required.
Fire Station 67, Southern California
This fire station was built by an architecture studio named Wittman Estes. The major concern around this project was the reusability of the structure as the majority of such steel cubes end up in landfills after their purpose is solved. Such constructions are usually not meant for years, hence something that can be easily reused and reconfigured is needed (McKnight, 2024).
The fire station was supposed to be converted into an environmental research centre in ten years. The situation demanded the fire station be set up as soon as possible. The firm was able to streamline the whole process and it took only six months to fabricate ten steel modules of variable sizes (McKnight, 2024).They prefabricated the steel modules and assembled them with the telescopic forklift on the site in a single day (archello, 2025).
To meet the requirements of this structure, prefabrication made it possible to make it in a year whereas a conventional project of this scale would take years to be built.
Macquarie University Incubator, Sydney
This was a temporary structure required by the university, designed by an architecture firm named Architectus in 2017. It was designed to be flexible in terms of its function and placement so that it can easily be relocated within the university campus. The timber structure was built in just five months on a tight budget (ArchDaily, 2019).
Prefabricated technology was chosen for faster construction and because of the complex profile of the beams. It made the structure of the roof possible, therefore allowing for an open plan. Prefabrication in architecture does not always mean boring and repeated design, it is perhaps a technology that allows it to be more efficient.
Due to a lack of finances to set up the infrastructure for prefabrication, the use of this technology is minimal for housing. Prefabricated structures come with their own set of problems like transportation costs and lack of skilled labour for the construction of these elements. These are just a few of many projects that are testimony to the potential of prefabrication in architecture and are encouraging countries to invest in such infrastructures to benefit from it.
References:
- Hopkins, R. (2023). Darwin Bucky dome acts as demountable events space in India. [online] Dezeen. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2023/09/05/darwin-bucky-dome-andblack-design-studio-ahmedabad-india/ [Accessed 16 Apr. 2025].
- archello (2025). Fire Station 67 | Wittman Estes | Archello. [online] Archello. Available at: https://archello.com/project/fire-station-67 [Accessed 15 Apr. 2025].
- McKnight, J. (2024). Wittman Estes creates ‘rapid assembly’ fire station in southern California. [online] Dezeen. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2024/03/05/wittman-estes-rapid-assembly-fire-station-california/ [Accessed 15 Apr. 2025].
- ArchDaily. (2019). Macquarie University Incubator / Architectus. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/916189/macquarie-university-incubator-architectus.
Image References
- Sumner, E. and Panjwani., V. (2023). Darwin Bucky is a parametric metal tent designed by Andblack Design Studio. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2023/09/05/darwin-bucky-dome-andblack-design-studio-ahmedabad-india/ [Accessed 16 Apr. 2025].
- Lehoux, N. (2024). The ‘rapidly deployable steel cubes’ were created for speed. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2024/03/05/wittman-estes-rapid-assembly-fire-station-california/ [Accessed 16 Apr. 2025].
- Boardman, B. (n.d.). Macquarie University Incubator / Architectus. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/916189/macquarie-university-incubator-architectus/5cca1277284dd1283b0001c7-macquarie-university-incubator-architectus-photo?next_project=no [Accessed 16 Apr. 2025].
