Research on Design of Modular Apartment Building Product Platform for Manufacture and Assembly: A Case Study of the Modular Dormitory Building Design Project

Abstract

Currently, the global construction industry is facing challenges of stagnant efficiency and cost overruns. The potential of modular construction has not been fully unleashed due to the disconnection between design and manufacturing. This paper proposes a P-DFMA (Platform-Design for Manufacture and Assembly) building product platform architecture for modular apartments. The research establishes a three-level standardization framework of “modular unit-component-connector”, covering core residential modules, light steel keel systems, and high-strength bolt joints. Finite element simulation using SimSolid is employed to ensure manufacturing feasibility, and a standardized component library and a full-process collaborative P-DFMA architecture for modular apartments are developed. Verified through the case of the modular dormitory building project at Tianjin Chengjian University, the results show that compared with the traditional prefabricated construction mode, the P-DFMA platform mode achieves a cost savings rate of 54.8% in project design, production, and cross-link collaboration. This proves the feasibility and architectural advantages of the platform in improving the full-process efficiency and optimizing costs of modular buildings.