Internal wall systems continue to rely on labour intensive and wasteful on-site processing despite advances in prefabrication and other aspects of multi-residential construction. Described performance requirements rely heavily on craftsmanship and supervision ‚when these fail, significant and costly legacy issues arise.
Through a design-led, systems-thinking approach, this project explored componentised and connected internal wall alternatives, ranging from the improvement of BAU construction to the separation of performance core and surface, to plug-n-play installation.
The investigation revealed a series of design principles for costing legacy and life-time value, allowing services and performance-based criteria to be integrated in a controlled, off-site environment.
Researchers on this project included: Dr Laura Harper, Dr Lee-Anne Khor, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Ivana
Kuzmanovska, Dr Victor Bunster, Jean-Paul Rollo, Daniela Tinios, Prof. Tuan Ngo, Dr Yousef Alqaryouti & Dr Xuemei Liu.
Date commenced and duration
July 2021 - January 2022Lead researcher
Industrialisation
Building Materials & Systems
Theme coordinator

Dr Rackel San Nicolas
Projects
#61 Building Productivity – Product, Process, People
#41 New Materials for Windows of the Future – Phase 2
#60 Mass Timber Wellness in Workplaces
#32 Acoustic flanking performance of mid-rise light gauge steel (LGS) structures
#15 Using the Whole Tree for Future Timber-Based Construction – Scoping Study
Life Cycle Assessment
Theme coordinator

Dr Victor Bunster
Projects
Light House Project #6: Malvern East Apartment Development
#59 Innovative Steel–Timber–Concrete Composite StrongFloor
#28 Componentised Internal Wall Systems for Multi-residential Applications
#27 Environmental Decision-Support for Structures
#11 Environmental Credentials for Building Technology Platforms
Keywords
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Architecture and Building Design
- Building Operations
- Business Processes
- Circular Economy
- Facility Management
- Industrialised Construction
- Materials
- Prefabrication
- Workforce Management