Prefabricated construction is advancing in vertical segments from hospital to government, and hospitality to office and beyond. Prefabrication firms are expanding, and new design-build business models, including their own prefabrication factories, are disrupting traditional building approaches with significant success. The benefits of prefabrication, including time savings and improved quality over traditional on-site construction methods, are now being extended to larger components of construction projects including interior and exterior walls and the building envelope. This session will explore how prefabrication can address common issues associated with traditional building envelope construction including weather delays, crew safety, quality control, labor shortages and subcontractor scheduling. We’ll examine how traditional methods of WRB-AB application in prefabrication impact lean manufacturing productivity objectives. We’ll explore the impact integrated sheathing solutions have on prefabrication productivity due to the integration of the WRB-AB during product manufacturing. Because transport and delivery of undamaged prefabricated building envelope panels is a notable challenge, we’ll compare the risks associated with externally applied WRB-ABs and integrated sheathing options.

Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP, is a nationally known architect, consultant, continuing education presenter, and prolific author advancing building performance through better design. www.linkedin.com/in/pjaarch, www.pjaarch.com