Designing out waste in high-rise residential buildings: Analysis of precasting methods and traditional construction

The construction industry is a major generator of waste material. Construction waste should be minimized at source and if we are to significantly reduce the level of construction waste designers should consider reducing construction waste during the design process. The majority of construction waste is generated from the concreting process. In general, any reduction in on-site concreting leads to waste reduction. Precasting and prefabrication therefore offers significant opportunities for the reduction of waste. If precasting is adopted there are significant implications for the design phase of the project. Additional information is needed by design staff and construction expertise is required as part of the design process. This paper shows how information modelling and Design Structure Matrix (DSM) techniques enable designers to model and understand the implications of such decisions within the detailed design process.