Portable Core Facility Module for Prefabricated Building Construction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current building construction methods require separate trades to install electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, leading to inefficiencies, increased costs, and complexities in construction scheduling, particularly due to the need for on-site coordination and inspections, and existing modular solutions are limited by size and aesthetic preferences.
Innovation Solution
A pre-fabricated portable core facility that integrates labor-intensive aspects like bathrooms, mechanical rooms, and kitchens into a single, factory-assembled unit using epoxy and press-assembled bracing walls, anchored to the foundation with corner castings, allowing for intermodal transport and resistance to shear and uplift forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If separate trades install electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems on-site, then each system can be installed with specialized expertise, but construction time increases and coordination complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the building into modular units (core facilities) that contain complete, pre-installed systems. Each module is constructed separately with all electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems integrated within it, allowing parallel fabrication of multiple modules while maintaining high installation quality through controlled factory environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs system installation in advance during module fabrication. All electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems are installed within the core facility modules before they are transported to the construction site, eliminating on-site installation delays and coordination requirements while preserving specialized installation quality.
2Ease of manufacture
If separate trades work independently on building systems, then each trade can focus on their specific requirements, but construction scheduling and coordination complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems into integrated core facility modules. Each module is designed as a complete, self-contained unit where all systems are coordinated and installed together during fabrication, eliminating the need for complex on-site coordination between separate trades while maintaining specialized installation quality.
3Productivity
If modular housing uses intermodal shipping containers, then portability is improved and construction cost is reduced, but aesthetic appeal deteriorates and room width is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses non-container modular units with dimensions optimized for standard shipping infrastructure. The core facility modules are designed as rectangular prisms that can be transported on conventional flatbed trailers and rail cars, avoiding the aesthetic and dimensional limitations of intermodal containers while maintaining portability through standardized transport interfaces.
4Volume of moving object
If modular units are made larger to provide greater living space, then habitability is improved, but transportability deteriorates due to oversize load restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs core facility modules with dimensions that fit within standard transport constraints (under 102 inches for easy transport). Larger living spaces are achieved by assembling multiple modules together rather than creating single oversized units, maintaining both transportability and habitability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent nests complete functional systems (electrical, plumbing, HVAC) within compact core facility modules. This allows maximum utilization of transportable volume by efficiently packing all necessary systems into the module space, achieving greater functional capacity without increasing external dimensions.
5Adaptability or versatility
If traditional building methods are used with separate trade installations, then flexibility in system customization is maintained, but construction time and labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs system customization during module fabrication in controlled factory settings. Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems are configured and installed according to specific building requirements before transport, allowing full customization flexibility while eliminating on-site installation time and coordinating delays.
Data Source
AI summary
A prefabricated building module constructed at a central location and delivered to a construction site via shipping using the intermodal freight transport system and having cold formed wood bracing walls to resist forces in shear and uplift while providing a continuous load path to the foundation system. The module may include interior walls to section the module into rooms and further comprises mechanical, electrical, utility and plumbing aspects of a building, capable of inspection and certification prior to delivery to the construction site. Once arrived at the construction site the building module is anchored to the building foundation and the remainder of the house is built around the building module.