Prefab – technology using light steel thin-walled structures and prospects for its development in Ukraine

Abstract

Foreign experience testifies to the widespread use of prefab – technologies using light steel thin-walled structures, due to a significant economic effect, which is achieved by reducing the loads from the dead weight of structures, reducing transport costs, and reducing construction time. A comparative analysis of the normative and technical base shows that national standards bodies in European countries, unlike Ukraine, maintain the relevance of a sufficiently large package of existing standards for prefab technologies and create new ones to meet the needs of the construction industry. The introduction of design standards for structures made of thin-walled cold-formed elements in Ukraine occurs with a delay of several years, and for prefabs there are no standards at all. In order to structure a wide range of prefab – structures made of light steel thin-walled structures and improve the ability of the construction industry to assess the effectiveness of various design and technological solutions, their classification according to the degree of completeness and enlargement is presented. The analysis of the available experience allowed us to form the areas of effective application of prefab – systems for buildings for various purposes, considering the characteristic requirements. The difficulties that the construction industry of Ukraine may face in the implementation of this technology are predicted: due to the persistent image of low-quality prefabricated houses of the Soviet era, the consumer prefers traditional technologies, the size of the initial investment repels developers, the lack of specific skills related to modular construction among designers and works contractors, the low competitiveness of Ukrainian companies in this sector against the background of foreign companies operating at the international level reduces the economic benefits of the state. Steps are proposed for the introduction of prefab – technologies in Ukraine: improvement of normative and technical and budgetary bases, training of engineering personnel, adaptation of business models, planning and financing of a modular approach, creation of an appropriate coordination center.