While the world’s tallest prefabricated towers are set to rise in Singapore, the individual modules of the skyscrapers are being built in Malaysia.
Dubbed Avenue South Residences, the residential project by ADDP Architects will feature two 630 feet towers, comprising 988 apartment units that are formed from nearly 3,000 vertically stacked “modules”, reported CNN.
The six-sided modules are cast in concrete in a factory in Senai, Malaysia, before they are transported to a Singapore facility where they are fitted out and furnished. The units are then moved to the construction site.
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ADDP Architects noted that the units are already 80% complete when they arrive. The boxes are then lifted into position and “stitched up” to form a strong frame, said Markus Cheng Thuan Hann, an associate partner at ADDP Architects. Thereafter, final touches, like doors, are added.
“It’s like a car manufacturing concept, but for the building industry,” he told CNN in a phone interview.
Known as Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC), the building method is less labour-intensive and can help reduce noise and waste pollution, said ADDP Architects. This is especially helpful given that the project is situated in Bukit Merah, a residential district in Singapore.
In light of the Covid-19 outbreak, another benefit was seen – that is fewer people are needed on-site at any one time.
“It’s easier to control safe distancing and logistical planning in the factory, rather than having all the (workers) on site,” explained Hann.
Although the prefabrication industry first boomed in America and Europe, the Asia-Pacific region is increasingly dominating the market for prefabs.
In fact, Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority has encouraged the use of PPVC, citing a 40% boos in productivity compared to traditional construction methods and 8% cost savings. The agency even made the use of PPVC a requirement for certain sites.
Construction works at Avenue South Residence has already commenced, with the developers expecting to complete the project by 2023.
It is set to overtake the world’s current tallest prefab tower, which is also found in Singapore, the 459-feet high Clement Canopy. The development is also designed by ADDP Architects.
Other tall modular buildings across the world include a 443-feet tower in Croydon, South London and a 359-feet high residential development in New York.
Image source from CNN Style
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