FEASIBILITY OF PREFABRICATED BUILDING STRUCTURES IN BHUTAN

Abstract

Studies and research on the arena of prefabrication have prodigiously reported faster project delivery, improved quality and safer working conditions. More prominently, reduction in waste materials at project sites without any implications to environmental aspects has been a major breakthrough. Prefabricated building structures have been progressively recognized as a substitute to the conventional methods of construction at a rapid rate, however, there is a knowledge vacuum and inadequate data on the adoption of prefabrication in Bhutan. Hence, in the current study, the feasibility of Prefabricated Buildings in Bhutan with a case study was carried out. The study focused on the benefits, constraints and way forward of prefabrication works in Bhutan through field survey and questionnaire survey. In addition, economic, environmental assessments and insulation performance were carried on a Pre-Engineered building with prefabricated materials and subsequently compared to a conventional building. From the study, the major benefit found to be ease of construction whereas the constraints pertaining to the design and planning phase of the project were deemed to be the major constraint. In particular for prefabricated construction, the cost was found to be 24.18% higher but the duration of the project can be reduced by 25-31% and the environmental impact was found to be 20.81% less than for the conventional building. Therefore, adopting prefabricated construction will depend on the requirements of a particular project, the availability of funds and environmental standards to be followed. However, the use and acceptance of prefabrication in the construction industry can be improved by better advocacy and public awareness.