Design Decisions for a Buildable Prefabricated Modular High-Rise Structure with Customized Geometry: A Case for Honolulu, HI

Abstract

The current status of high-rise buildings is dependent on generating the maximum profit for developers. This is limiting design freedom in high-rise structures and creating cities of extruded boxes as a result. Therefore, high-rise buildings are conforming to economic feasibility which excludes customizations. While prefabricated modules are typically used in low quality low rise structures with rigid orthogonal geometries, they have the ability to produce high quality high-rise structures that have customized forms enabled by mass customization strategies that also produce more economically feasible solutions compared to conventional construction. Designers and developers need a system that can assist them in the important decisions that must be made to construct a prefabricated modular high-rise building with customized geometrical forms that retains economic feasibility. This research develops a procedure of important decisions that can be followed from start to finish that enable a prefabricated modular building to be constructed as a high rise with a customized geometry. This is then implemented to a case in Honolulu,HI to generate a prefabricated modular high-rise building with a customized geometry that allows an ‘apples-to-apples’ comparison to be made with a conventionally constructed high-rise building with a customized geometry. Furthermore, the economic feasibility is accessed by demonstrating the financial implications that contribute to the overall cost savings.