#31 Demystifying Volumetric Construction: A Study of the Bathroom Pod
The potential benefits of volumetric construction include faster builds, improved quality, and reduction in waste.
However, increased transportation costs, structural redundancy, and increased overheads can dilute these benefits, limiting their uptake. Within the Australian construction industry, the bathroom pod is one of the few volumetric assemblies that has become commonplace, and considered an acceptable method of delivering bathrooms in multi-storey buildings.
However, the degree to which manufacturing methodologies have been adopted in the design and delivery of bathroom pods varies.
This project unpicks the complexities of a volumetric construction through the lens of the bathroom pod, examining business models, design approaches, and production strategies.
Researchers on project include: Dr Ivana Kuzmanovska: Dr Lu Aye, Marcel Gono, Dr Felix Hui,
Mohaimeen Islam, Dr Lee-Anne Khor, Enzo Lara-Hamilton, Yimin Li, Dr Xuemei Liu, Dr Duncan Maxwell, Dr Robert Moehler, Prof Tuan Ngo, Mark Romei, Karen Tanfield, Dr Tanja Tyvimaa, Prof Clevo
Wilson & Darcy Zelenko.
Date commenced and duration
July 2021 - September 2022Partners
Industrialisation
- Building Design and DFMA
- Business Model Innovation
- Construction Management
- Platforms and Process
- Supply Chain Management, Logistics
Building Design and DFMA
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#71 Automated decision making for interdisciplinary coordination during early-stage building design
#95 The Homes NSW MMC R&D Program
#61 Building Productivity – Product, Process, People
Light House Project #13: Mixed Reality Carpentry Demonstration
Light House Project #3: NCHA Independent Living Lab
Business Model Innovation
Theme coordinator
Robert Moehler
Projects
#95 The Homes NSW MMC R&D Program
#93 US Research Tour 2024: San Francisco and Greater Bay area
#65 European Research Tour 2023: Berlin – Copenhagen – Malmö
#25 Operational Excellence framework of steel fabrication and processing in the OSM and prefabrication sector (Phase 1)
#3 Projects to Platforms: Investigating New Forms of Collaboration – Scoping Study
Construction Management
Theme coordinator
Dr Mehrdad Arashpour
Projects
#68 Development of a solution for high-rise mass timber residences through a Post & Plate system – Phase 1 feasibility study
#21 Regulatory Reform for Industrialised Building
#61 Building Productivity – Product, Process, People
Light House Project #13: Mixed Reality Carpentry Demonstration
#31 Demystifying Volumetric Construction: A Study of the Bathroom Pod
Platforms and Process
Theme coordinator
Dr Duncan Maxwell
Projects
#95 The Homes NSW MMC R&D Program
#93 US Research Tour 2024: San Francisco and Greater Bay area
#53 Process Engineering, and Design and Estimating Automation of Fleetwood’s Product Platform
#61 Building Productivity – Product, Process, People
Light House Project #6: Malvern East Apartment Development
Keywords
- Bathroom pods
- design for manufacturing and assembly
- DfMA
- Modular construction
- Productisation
- Volumetric construction