Green Prefab [Booklet]

a production by Our mission statementTo offer an integrated and collaborative system to international real estate operators, that brings together all of the prefabricated building industry’s processes from building conception to end-user.

Our visionThat everyone can live and work in modern, ecological and affordable buildings.

Our core valuesTo establish new networks and relationships.To produce innovative architecture.To protect the environment.

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who we are

Headquarters at the Scientific ParkVEGA in Venice Italy

Based on a community of 10,000architects (www.architecture.it)

Main developer of the Green Prefab network

Partner of MACE, a European Commissionfunded project

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who we are

Collaboratorio is a company based in Venice (Italy) with headquarters at the Scientific Park VEGA, Venice Gateway for Science and Technology for the promotion of innovative business enterprises (see Appendix 1). Collaboratorio is a new word that stands for “Laboratory for Collaboration”.

The company focuses on new trends in contemporary architecture, with expertise in industrial prefabricated buildings, new ecological materials, renewable energy, energy savings, building automation, interaction design, and digital tools for architectural design.

Since 2000 Collaboratorio has been producing the www.architecture.it Internet portal (see Appendix 3). The web station is a reference point for a large group of young innovative architects and promotes daily new emerging values in architecture. Currently the network is based on a community composed of more than 10,000 architects. Within that network Collaboratorio curates research projects, exhibitions, international symposia, architectural trips, and training courses involving international partners. Collaboratorio was present at the International Exhibition “Biennale di Architettura di Venezia” in 2000, 2002, 2006 (see Appendix 2) and will be present again in 2008.

With www.architecture.it, Collaboratorio is now an official partner of the mace (Metadata for Architectural Content in Europe, see Appendix 4), a project partly funded by the European Union, which is going to integrate in a single common web collector website a huge amount of metadata coming from academic research centers, digital public and private archives, and the most famous European websites.

For two years Collaboratorio has been developing the Green Prefab network, in order to produce a new generation of buildings based on a process led by software management facilities and factory production. Green Prefab will significantly impact the world scenario concerning architecture and building construction processes and will become a reference point for the growing community active in these domains.The first pilot case is going to be built in China under the participation of Chinese and international private and public stakeholders.

Collaboratorio is a member of the Italian Chapter within the International Alliance for Interoperability, producing the ifc Industry Foundation Classes (see Appendix 5) interoperable standard. The ifc is the interoperable standard adopted in Green Prefab.

who we are not

We are neither a real-estate company, nor an architectural firm; neither a building contractor, nor an industrial supplier.

Green Prefab would like to set up, with your participation and suggestions, a Chinese network comprising the above professions in order to innovate and improve the building process. In this way Green Prefab wants to innovate the building construction domain, using state of the art and innovative digital tools, to give people buildings of high quality, which are more comfortable, more environmentally responsive, more energy efficient, more sustainable, and more intelligent.

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global and local scenarios

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Global and local needs create new trends in the Real Estate world market

how can we protect the fragile eco-system of the World?

how can we share differentcultural models to live together peacefully?

how can we supportnational economiesin the global market?

75% of the population in big cities by 2050

Multicultural influences

Global cities

Web revolution

New life styles

New balance of power

Convergence of digital and physical

Rhizome economy

Climate change

Global pollution

Fossil fuel

Water supply

Building construction = 35%waste of global resources

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global and local scenarios

We have been working in the field of architecture and construction for several years, and we can say that we are at this time living in a revolutionary period. Green Prefab was set up because moreover the world is facing rapidly changing circumstances and needs.

We believe that there are three major questions for the world, each of which relate to the phenomenon of Globalization:> how can we protect the fragile eco-system of the World?> how can we share different cultural models to live together peacefully?> how can we support national economies in the global market?

These issues push new trends in the Real Estate world market and produce new goals for the final users. We have to find answers to environmental, social and economical questions if we are to lead innovations in this sector.

New environmental problems create new issues. There are several environmental problems that can not be neglected or postponed if we want our world to survive. The following is a short list of the problems at stake in the global scenario:> climate change;> global warning;> increasing global pollution;> presence of lead in gasoline;> fossil fuel;> water supply;> soil erosion;> destruction of tropical rainforest.

Some global initiatives are striving to work out these problems. One of them is the Kyoto Protocol (a protocol ratified by 172 nations on 11 December 1997), which has the objective of reducing Greenhouse gases, that cause climate change, and of finding a solution for the aforementioned global problems. As a consequence, new rules will be soon taken in order to avoid these problems, and they will surely affect the way we live, work, and, -above all- produce.

The buildings construction sector is very well known waster (because of its inefficiencies) as one which wastes of global resources, it employs: from 30% to 40 % of the natural and energy resources in the post-industrial countries. When we refer to the building construction sector we mean not only the construction phase, but also the production of building materials, land occupation, building management and building use.

Globally, according to the Worldwatch Institute, construction activity consumes or is responsible for:16-17% of fresh water withdrawal;20% of virgin timber harvest;30% of raw material consuption;25% of chlorofluorocarbon emission;40% of global CO2 emission;50% of material extracted from the earth’s crust;20% of municipal solid waste destined for local landfill (450 million tons of waste derives from the building construction and demolition).(cit. from G.C.Magnoli, Verso un ambiente costruito sostenibile (Towards a sustainable built environment), P.R.IS.M.A. Project Final Report, 2005, pp. 41; 83. PRISMA is a project, co-funded by the European Community, devoted to innovation in building construction sector)

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We are a node of a web-based community that is producing and mapping new values in architecture worldwide: a new sensitivity toward the natural environment; new styles of life; new attitudes towards consumption. New architectural forms follow all these things. In the new generation of architects there is a remarkable growing interest in renewable energy, energy saving, the reduction pollution and human health, but also in faster and cheaper ways to build and provide accommodation.

There are social and economical issues that are developing, as well. During the next few years there will be a great deal of people concentrated in big cities, especially in developing countries like China, who need houses and other buildings. Building industry has to be ready for new requests of places to live and work in, and it will face the problem of how to provide a large amount of good buildings in a short time for millions of people, most of whom are not wealthy.

Finally, there is another ongoing social change: even common people are increasingly aware of the aforementioned problems, which threat the survival of humankind itself, and are looking for solutions at an individual scale. In the developed countries, people want to live and work in, and, above all, buy, buildings that are environment-friendly, made up of natural, recyclable, and ecological materials, energy sufficient and performative, and from a individual point of view people want to live in houses that they can personalize or change along their unique life.

Needless to say, the building industry has to change and innovate, in order to become more efficient and, therefore, environment-friendly.

The building industry has to make a great leap forward!

New encouraging technologies are now emerging: eco-friendly building materials, building automation systems, software for designing and supporting product life cycle of the building and the Web as place for information and collaboration.

However the new emerging values and these technological tools today are not integrated.

mapping new values

Green Prefab has been monitoring and mapping new emerging values and needs in the architectural domain for years; among them:Sustainability, recyclability (of materials ad buildings), building automation systems, domotics, enhancement of energy efficiency in relevant sectors of the national economy (in particular in the building sector), renewable forms of energy, encouragement of appropriate reforms in relevant sectors aimed at promoting policies and measures more environment-friendly (to limit or reduce emissions of greenhouse), greener and more efficient production processes, reduction or phasing out of market and production imperfections, green architecture, green buildings, prefab architecture, modular building, affordable building, environmental architecture, low maintenance, high-tech materials, materials with high performances, light materials, alternative energy, ecology, industrial process, innovation, interactive architecture, building life cycle management, new materials, modern style, prefabrication, renewable resources, technological transfer.

Below the eco-friendly checklist compiled by James Wines in his seminal book, Green Architecture, became a reference for whoever has an environmental attitude:

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Recycling (of materialsand buildings)

Renewable and alternativeforms of energy

Reforms promoting more environmental friendly policies

Green buildings

Building automation systems

Domotics

High-tech materials

Ecology

Interactive and intelligentarchitecture

Modern styles

Greener and more efficientproduction processes

Prefabrication

Affordable buildings

Low maintenance

Building life cyclemanagement

Technological transfers

New sensitivity towards the natural environment

New styles and forms for life

New commercial values

mapping new values

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> use of recycled and renewable materials (“… guaranteeing intelligent choices which have recycling potentials as a result of their production and technology);> use of low-embodied-energy materials (“the objective here is to select construction materials with the attention to the entire biography of their production”);> use of harvested lumber (“avoid all imported exotic wood as much as possible”);> water catchment system;> low-maintenance;> recycling of buildings (“a commitment to salvaging existing structures and sponsoring adaptive reuse may define the most innovative are of architectural practice in the future”);> reduction of ozone-depleting chemicals;> preservation of the natural environment;> energy efficiency (“This refers to an increased use of diverse sources of energy as passive solar, wind power, water power, etc.”) > a reduction of the dependence on fossil fuels, and the construction of architecture in response to regional climate and existing contextual influences”);> solar orientation;> access to public transportation.

People and politicians are increasingly sensitive to these issues and want their working and living places more in tune to these new needs that will soon become requirements. Moreover, people are looking for more efficient production processes, no one wants to pay for buildings, and products in general, which offer a low performance and are of a sub-standard quality.

Such new needs and requests can be very profitable for everyone involved in the building market, who are willing to renew the old building processes.

using new tools

Green Prefab is continuously monitoring the market looking for new tools, in particular digital tools, technologies, and materials that can affect, improve, and make more efficient the building construction industry and its processes.

Nowadays there are several digital tools and materials on the market, that can be effectively applied to the building construction domain:

> PLM softwares PLM (project life cycle management) is a suite of integrated softwares that enables the control of a process where a lot of files of different formats are produced and have to be managed by the various people involved. This suite of softwares makes it possible to share, archive, and integrate the whole stream of files in a collaborative and interoperable way, avoiding the loss of files and overcoming the difficulties related to the management of a great deal of information related to a particular complex project (such as, for example, the building process, that involves so many diverse operatives and so many different documents). But what is mainly avoided is the loss of time and money because the processes are smoother and seamless. In brief, as Neil Gershenfeld wrote in his book “FAB”: “All the padding that architects, engineers, and contractors built into their schedules and budgets to cover the unpredictability of their communications was removed, because they were all sharing the same computer files rather than generating drawing at each stage”. And again, summarizing: “PLM provides a collaborative, consolidated environment in which multiple cross-disciplinary teams (such as, for example, Structural Analysis, Fluid Dynamics, NVH and Materials Research) can conduct and evaluate simulations in support of product and/or process development. The collaborative nature of the environment promotes cross-functional insight, innovation, speed and quality in design”.

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using new tools

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using new tools

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> Engineering softwares and production tools Because the development and tooling expenses for the production of a new type of airplane or car can reach billions of dollars, sophisticated engineering softwares have been developed in these fields, so that it is possible to carry a design from conception, through simulated testing, all the way to production, without ever appearing on paper. This new generation of 3D softwares is now applied in the building construction sector in order to enable designers to test every single aspect (structural, lighting, piping, bioclimatic, etc.) of a building before the construction phase; in this way many flaws, typical of bad designing and engineering, can be avoided. After the engineering phase, all the files are electronically transmitted to the companies that fabricate the components. Steel frames and skins, for example, are cut and bent to shape under computer control, and then assembled on the job site like a giant “Lego”. The mix of engineering design and production tools into the building construction process challenges the whole division of labour between designing and constructing a building. Once the designer has made a model, he can push a button to transmit the design all the way through the construction process. The real creative work is done by his hands; the rest is relatively automated. In this way it is possible to realize buildings in a very effective and efficient way, guaranteeing great savings for everyone involved in the process.

> Prefab and industrialized production processes Green Prefab is prompting a technology transfer from aerospace, automotive, and naval industries toward the building construction domain. Green Prefab realized that, in these sectors, more complex than building construction, production is very efficient and effective because it is based on prefabrication. A ship, for example, which is, more or less, as complex as a building (both for the number of people involved during the design, calculation, construction, verifications,

and tests phases, and for the great quality of manufactured components) is the sum of different fully integrated, industrialized, and prefabricated elements produced by specialized manufactures, in their own factories (even from different countries), that provide the pieces that are then assembled in the supply chain. By means of industrial prefabrication it is possible to manage and master a highly complex process such as the construction of a ship. Green Prefab is learning from these domains and is striving to transform the building construction field from an Arts&Crafts process to an industrial and prefabricated one;

> New products for the building industry The market is supplying new materials, such as composites and plastic-wood, that can be used in the building construction industry even if they were not originally intended for architecture. These new materials are lighter than wood or concrete or steel, but in some cases, much more performative, resistant, energy efficient, recyclable, and reusable.

> Building automation system or domotics Advanced technology provides instruments that can constantly check the performance and behavior of a building, allowing the owner to use it at its best. In particular, these systems save the owner money both because he can intervene (before it is too late) where the building shows faults, and because he can check the energy performance and optimize it depending on the way he is using the building. Domotics allow the owner to supervise his building along its life cycle. The building automation tools manage the different uses of the building, checking the maintenance program and safety of zones and materials in real time, suggesting better use in order to achieve comfort and save energy. Those tools are based on interactive sensors, between the building and the external environment and the between building andthe inhabitants, and are able to express artificial intelligent responses.

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merging new values and new tools

Green Prefab realized that it is possible to accomplish these new values and issues only through the renovation and optimization of the building industry process (more efficient and effective) by means of new digital tools. Green Prefab main aim is to integrate the above mentioned values and tools into a single operative platform.

The keypoint of Green Prefab is a dedicated digital suite provided by Collaboratorio.

We imported a class of product life cycle management processes acquired from aerospace, automotive and naval disciplines, into Green Prefab. The idea reproduces innovative design tools managed by few world known architectural firms (such as, for example, Frank Gehry Associates or Norman Foster + Partners), and brings them into medium or small firms which would not otherwise be able to afford and handle such resources (in terms of specialists, professionals, outfits, equipments, catalogues, and softwares).All the stakeholders of the building industry, investors at first, will take huge benefits from this optimized and renovated process.

There are several phases in the building process proposed by Green prefab; all the phases are managed by a collaborative digital platform capable of joining the stakeholders of the building process around a common real time decision making suite.The digital platform is composed of a group of technical softwares, already available on the market, inserted as clusters around the collaborative system. Each piece of software performs specific tasks in the codified phases of: digitalization, design, engineering, normative, production, construction, and maintenance.

Green Prefab is growing as an international network of selected Real Estates, building enterprises, prefab producers, designers, academies, and research centers working to innovate contemporary architecture towards an industrial model.

Green Prefab buildings will be ecologically correct, experimental with materials and interactive automation, very fast to build, cheaper, cost effective, and, of course, will have a high architectural value.

So, how does Green Prefab work?

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merging new values and new tools

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phase 1: database

Digitalization phase, the first phase in Green Prefab, consists of the enrichment of the database which contains a set of digital prefab elements, the ones that are essential to design any kind of building. The set of elements was defined by an international building construction standard that Green Prefab adopted, i.e. the CI/SfB -that stands for Construction Index/Samarbetskommitten for Byggnadsfragor- a Scandinavian system of classification that was originally set up in 1959 and specifically designed for the construction sector.Each prefab element is provided by suppliers which are partners of Green Prefab consortium; every element uploaded in the database has a standard digital format capable of describing all its characteristics (dimensional and mechanical).

The set of prefab elements are compatible. They are reproduced in a digital catalogue in different cad formats, designers can manage and integrate in their software of choice.

Main stakeholders involved: Real-Estate, Industrial suppliers, Engineering TeamSoftware in use: 3D CAD, Tools

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phase 1 database

prefab elements database(under development with VEGA MDM project with Massimo Colomban + Favero e Milan Engineering)

CI/SfB classification systemdigital catalogue

1 Ground and foundation2 Building elements (primary)3 Building elements (secondary)4 Building elements (finishes)5 Services (piped ducted)6 Services (electrical)7 Fixed furniture8 Fixed furniture (special)

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phase 2: design

The second phase concerns design conception. Designers can use their usual 3D design tools or adopt the suggested concept cad software, provided by Green Prefab for free.The software actually adopted for this phase is: Sketch-up. It is easy to understand and user friendly, and implements the same basic useful features and commands of the best known and widely used softwares. The software helps designers conceive their own project, providing a full integration with an interoperable database of prefab elements. The softwares is capable of suggesting whether and how different elements can be combined together in order to design the entire building. Otherwise the designers can choose to use their own favourite software.The design delivered by such a process is a virtual building, which Green Prefab calls “the master model”, which is made up of different prefab pieces that you can imagine as a sort of “Lego”.

Main stakeholders involved: Real-Estate, Design TeamSoftware in use: 3D CAD, Sketchup by Google

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phase 2 design

Raw definition of the master modelusing the database catalogue

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phase 3: engineering and testing

The third phase is the engineering one. The master model is checked by means of the suite of technical softwares provided by Green Prefab.

The expert engineers review the master model, in an integrated and collaborative way. Green Prefab provides an integrated software that covers the following areas:> the form; immersive rendering tools available in Green Prefab use specialized softwares, available on the market, to check the position of the prefab elements, make renderings, animations, and 3D virtual world integrations, so that the stakeholders can view or walk through the building before its construction;> structural; to calculate the physical performance; piping and plumbing; to define the position of every single pipe of the building;> electrical; to design electrical plants;> energy; to calculate the energy performances of the building;> heating and ventilation; to design heating and ventilation plants;> lighting; to verify how natural and artificial light affects the building;> production and realization; to simulate the production and construction activities;> computation of cost; connected to the database of costs.

After these verifications the master model is delivered to the designer so that he can verify whether it is consistent to his very original idea. If the design has undergone any modification the designer can correct it and send this new release to the engineers for new technical tests, and the process restarts.

All these tests are done in order to avoid any kind of fault (faults = waste of time and loss of money) and to check the viability of the design.

The third phase output is a master model (a file or a set of files) –a sort of digital mock up of the building– which contains the whole amount of formal and technical information. In fact, the master model is the building itself, albeit in a digital format.

The rendering tools available in Green Prefab use specialized softwares (widely available) to make renderings, animations, and 3D virtual world integrations, so that the stakeholders can view or walk through the building before its construction, in order to check the viability of the design. The system derives from the 3D master model all the technical designs for approvals and production. Those interfaces are available through the web or in housing solutions.

In general, Green Prefab, in this phase, uses a large suite of softwares, plugins and digital tools. The main softwares are Archicad by Graphisoft and Digital project by Gehry Technologies.

In order to guarantee the possibility to exchange files of different formats without loosing any information, the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) format is adopted into the system.The IFC standard (whose codes are free and developed by an open source community) is the leading emerging international interoperable standard and it is already implemented by the most commonly used cad softwares in the world.

Main stakeholders involved: Real-Estate, Design Team, Engineering TeamSoftware in use: 3D CAD, IFC, Tools, Digital Project by Gehry Technologies, Plug-in, Archicad by Graphisoft

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phase 3 engineering and testing

FormStructuralPiping and plumbingElectricalEnergyHeating and ventilationLightingProduction and realizationComputation of costs

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phase 4: executive output

Three different kind of documents are extracted from the final master model:> the 2D documents requested to accomplish the city regulation and norms;> the detailed drawings of each prefab element to be produced by Green Prefab suppliers;> the detailed drawings for each non-prefab element (Gehry Technologies is the software used for this task by Green Prefab).

Main stakeholders involved: Real-Estate, Design Team, Engineering TeamSoftware in use: 3D CAD, Tools, Plug-in

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phase 4 executive output

Four different kindsof documents are extractedfrom the final master model:

2D documentscity regulations and norms

Standard elementsnumber of pieces

Non-standard elementsdetailed drawings

Production and realizationscheduling

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phase 5: production off-site

The detailed digital drawings, extracted from the final master model, are sent to suppliers or directly to supplier’s computer controlled machines, via a cad/cam communication system, which carry out the physical fabrication of each single piece off site (at the factories).

In this way there are no uncertainties for suppliers because they do not have to interpret anything; they receive any specification with the precision required by a machine rather than the ambiguity accepted by a person. As mentioned earlier, a lot of hindrances can be avoided because all the people involved in this process (designers, engineers, suppliers, and contractors) are sharing the same computer file rather than generating drawings at each stage. This method of working has already proved faster and cheaper than traditional one. Furthermore the quality of every prefab element is manufactured and controlled by specialized and skilled labour.

Main stakeholders involved: Real-Estate, Industrial suppliers, Engineering TeamSoftware in use: 3D CAD, Tools, Plug-in

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phase 5 production off-site

Standard elementsproduction of elementsand macro-components

Non-standard elementsproduction of elementsand macro-components

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phase 6: realization on-site

When all prefab elements are ready, they are combined in macro-components off site and then sent to the building site, where they are assembled by contractors. The building site has to be prepared (excavations and foundations have to be carried out) before starting the assembling phase and laying down macro prefab components.

There are several advantages, determined by prefabrication, in this kind of building site: the number of contractors, subcontractors, and workers is reduced to the minimum; the impact of construction at the building site is lowered by minimizing the staging area; on-site waste generation is reduced simply because most of the construction is taking place elsewhere (off site, at the factories). Furthermore, it is much easier to control waste streams in a factory, where waste can be easily separated for recycling at the point of creation on an assembly line, than at a building site where material separation is often difficult to achieve.

Main stakeholders involved: Real-Estate, Building contractor, Industrial suppliers, Design Team, Engineering TeamSoftware in use: 3D CAD, Tools, Plug-in

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phase 6 realization on-site

Excavation and foundation

Assemblingof prefab macro-components

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phase 7: use

Building automation tools (or domotics) manage the different uses of the building, checking the maintenance program and safety of zones and materials in real time, suggesting better use in order to achieve comfort and save energy.These tools are based on interactive sensors, between building and external environment and between building and inhabitants, able to express artificial intelligent reactions. Domotics work by recording various aspects of the building’s use during its everyday life.

Another important aspect related to a prefab building is the possibility of changing some elements or enlarging any construction. Prefabrication guarantees the opportunity of rapidly substituting or adjoining elements because each piece is interchangeable with those contained in the database and the digital master model lets anyone know any feature and characteristic of the building.

Finally, as Kieran Timberlake states, “prefabrication lends itself to recycling of the buildings themselves as well, till its dismantling, since factory-built elements are more easily removed and interchanged and components can be designed with whole life cycle costs taken into account. One can imagine a trade in used house modules, which might offer an alternative to families who find their basic housing needs changing but who do not necessarily want to buy a new home. This would be a sea change in the way that consumers view houses which are generally perceived by the public as both static and complete. There have been attempts to investigate type of scalability in the earlier part of the century, although with an emphasis on easy expansion rather than easy contraction. Our cultural inability to contract when necessary, the way that natural systems do when placed under stress, often leads to poor distribution of available resources”.

Main stakeholders involved: User, Real-Estate, Industrial suppliers, Engineering TeamSoftware in use: Tools, Plug-in

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phase 7 use

Building automation toolsmaintenance, safety,comfort, energy saving

Dismantlingrecycling of building elements

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summarizing general advantages

The building process implemented by Green Prefab has several advantages from the different points of view of the involved stakeholders.

Values from the view point of promoters, investors and contractors:> high control of total costs in the pre-building phase, with a reduction of uncertainties during the production phases and money saving; > the massive industrial production of prefab elements reduce the final cost of the buildings; > drastic reduction of construction phases and delivering time, so the investors and contractors can save money; > production of ecological buildings, with high performances in energy saving and pollution control, and contemporary looking style.

Also the testing phase, led by engineers and experts, avoids design faults, which guarantees the quality of the products, and the viability of the buildings; > production is perfectly integrated with the design phase, each supplier (who adheres to Green Prefab) is specialized in the production of that particular prefab element;> each element is an industrial product, manufactured off-site as in many other fields (aeronautic, automotive, naval, and industrial

design). Therefore, the quality of each prefab element, and as a consequence the overall building, is accurately checked in the supply/production chain; > highly manufactured processes guarantee a quick and punctual delivery of each prefab element with the result that each building will be completed on time; > specialized factory workers guarantee the quality of the prefab element and the final products; > off-site manufactured processes guarantee the reduction of waste on site; > the impact of construction at the building site is lowered by minimizing the staging area; > reduced presence of machineries and plants on the construction site assures general savings as far as the equipment rental is concerned; > workplaces are safer and more comfortable for workers. Therefore the number of accidents among workers can be reduced. A general saving in insurance premiums will follow; > Green Prefab provides for each building a comprehensive manual on how to use the building and the instructions on how the user can obtain the best performance; > each building has advanced automation systems that check the behavior and the aging of the building in order to advise the users whether there are interventions and restorations to do, even suggest better or new behaviors; > buildings use natural and renewable energies; > some buildings can be energy self-sufficient and they could even supply energy to the public grid.

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Below some advantages for the other stakeholders

Some advantages from the viewpoint of architects:Each designer can concentrate on the creative phase of conception, considering costs, engineering and technological issues resolved by the system of Green Prefab. The designer has a complete catalogue of prefab pieces to use and an external team of coordinated professionals that can carry out the engineering of the project just by sharing the 3D digital model inside the software interface.The designer knows that he uses prefab elements which are totally integrated, have a controlled origin, respond to quality and energy standards, use high quality materials, are eco-friendly and partially recyclable; > The architects can visualize the project in a 3D immersive simulation, exploring different solutions in real-time, achieving rapid feedback on total and partial cost forecasts, structural tests, bioclimatic simulations, in a way that could not be otherwise achieved.

From the viewpoint of prefab element producers:Green Prefab usually chooses industrial products already on the market, so the industrial supplier does not need to create new products; > The company’s brand goes together with other excellent brands and gives reciprocal prominence towards an innovative building product, with a good marketing result; > The order that Green Prefab sends to the factory can be digitally managed with automatic machines and they are precisely quantified; > The industrial supplier can access to new marketplaces.

From the viewpoint of end user:Lower costs led by the industrialized mass production of elements; > Money saving thank to the buildings good energy performances; > Fast delivery of the building; > Each building has a certificate of warranty like any industrial product; > Intervention for substitution of elements if needed.

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roles and advantages

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controlof total cost

reductionof final cost

fast delivery time

engineeringqueries quicklyresolved

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marketing benefits

less wasteof materials

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lower costs

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roles of the stakeholders

It has to be clearly stated that each person involved in Green Prefab will maintain his own role. So, Real Estates invest; designers design; engineers engineer; suppliers manufacture and supply prefab elements; contractors realize buildings.

Green Prefab:> creates and sets up the network of people involved in the building process;> maintains the database (that means: programming the database, drawing, up-loading, archiving each prefab elements in the database; implementing and keeping the database up to date; finding and integrating new prefab elements);> masters and updates the suite of softwares;> coordinates the engineers involved during calculation and testing phases;> checks the production and supply of prefab elements and takes care of relationships with suppliers;> supervises building construction on site;> takes care of the building life cycle management.

In brief, one of the most important differences in comparison with old building processes is that every person becomes part of a well organized and integrated network.

How can somebody join the Green Prefab network?Green Prefab mainly targets these groups of active stakeholders: promoters; investors; contractors; designers; prefab elements suppliers; end users. Promoters, investors, and contractors, have an exclusive in the usage of Green Prefab for their regional area of activity, and they participate financially in the development of the digital platform. Prefab suppliers and all technical designers (such as structural engineers, bioclimatic technicians, lighting specialists, etc.) have a direct and formalized contract with Green Prefab and they are certified in the use of the system. Architectural designers are free to use the system. All stakeholders will receive specific training courses on how to use the system.

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Green Prefab is creatinga global network for China

We have spent two years testing possible frameworks, business models, global marketing strategies, different software solutions, and variousselections of partners; and now we are open to business in China.

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Green Prefab has carried out tests on possible frameworks, business models, global marketing strategies, different software solutions, and selections of partners for two years. We are now exploring commercial possibilities for Green Prefab and we are in the process of creating a first operative network specifically devoted to build a pilot building case in China.

We are currently negotiating with Real Estates, general contractors, architects and engineers, academic and research centers.

We are always ready to discuss in detail the whole Green Prefab system and explore opportunities for business partnerships. We are selecting our partners among several respectable Chinese enterprises with innovative efforts in the building industry and solid support to environmental and social values.

Our next marketplaces will be the U.S.A. and the Northern Europe.

Green Prefab is creating a global network for China

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The Scientific Park where Collaboratorio is settled

vega (Venice Gateway for Science and Technologies)

vega is the Venice City of Technology and Innovation, linking Universities, Centers of Excellence and the manufacturing sector in order to sharpen the competitive edge of the companies in the national and international markets.

vega is the first scientific-technology park in Italy, with 200 companies and over 2000 people employed. The aim of Vega is the redevelopment of 2000 hectares of the industrial area of Porto Marghera, one of the largest in all of Europe. Vega Park lies within the lagoon ecosystem and it is linked to the sites of Venice University, lies close to an extensive industrial zone and is located right at the economic heart of North-East of Italy extending to the metropolitan area of the Veneto Region. These are ideal conditions for fostering opportunities for trade and entrepreneurial development.

Vega Park is considered a new European model of environmental rehabilitation and it is the first Science and Technology Park in Italy to have achieved certification of its integrated Quality-Environmental Management System, recognized at international level (ISO 9001 – ISO 14001).

www.vegapark.ve.it

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The Internet portal produced by Collaboratorio

www.architecture.it is an architecture portal visited by over 50,000 designers monthly. It is based on a search engine that offers free access to a database made up of over 10,000 manually compiled reviews regarding architects’ web sites, architectural events, design competitions, new hardware and software solutions.

The staff at www.architecture.it is dedicated to making a daily selection of information regarding contemporary architecture, orientating readers towards innovation, research, and the use of new technologies. For this reason www.architecture.it fosters communication with a qualified community of architects and engineers, who reliably surf the website every day.

The editorial platform for www.architecture.it has been active since 2000 and currently makes up one of the principal international nodes of the web thanks to the richness of its database and the frequency with which it is updated. The portal has a high page rank

and it appears among the top positions in results not sponsored by Google and by other search engines. Furthermore, it can rely on a large number of stable links originating from external sites.

Among the strong points of www.architecture.it:> it is one of the first search engines for architecture on the web;> it has a staff of experts publishing over 200 news items monthly;> it provides free, timely, daily updates;> it adopts a strict stand on selection criteria in terms of information quality provided;> it communicates constantly with its readers.

Activities in progress to be operative from 2008:> opening a web 2.0 database with built architecture resources;> full translation into English;> replication of the web 2.0 database in other countries (China, U.S.A.).

www.architecture.it

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The European co-founded Project with Collaboratorio as a partner

mace (Metadata for Architectural Contents in Europe)

mace, a European Initiative, is aimed at improving architectural education, by integrating and connecting vast amounts of content from diverse repositories, including past European projects and existing architectural design communities.

mace, with the creation of innovative e-learning tools, will provide the community with services such as finding, acquiring, using and discussing contents that previously had limited accessibility to small groups.

The project is built around several other successful projects: dynamo, incom, winds, ariadne. In addition, the project is aimed at identifying and adding alternative repositories in Europe.

The consortium includes three content partners, who have access to a large number of content providers, including architects and universities dealing with architecture and design.

The project, reaching a substantial mass of digital content, will significantly impact the EU scenario concerning architecture and cultural heritage, and will certainly become a landmark for further community activities in these domains.

The initiative will develop and use several types of metadata for tagging contents: traditional content metadata and ontologies, context metadata, competence metadata and learning process metadata, usage related metadata, and metadata acquired through social (e.g. recommendations by peer users or blog entries).

Close relationships with universities and professionals ensure that user expectations are met, adapting proposed solutions to the real needs of the community. Since these users are distributed across countries in Europe, the project will have a multicultural and multilingual approach, designing, and deploying working solutions to allow the sharing of contents across borders.

www.mace-project.eu

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The interoperable standard classification adopted by Green Prefab

ifc (Industry Foundation Classes) Information Model

The ifc specification is a neutral data format to describe, exchange, and share information typically used within the building and facility management industry sector. The ifc specification is developed and maintained by the iai (International Alliance for Interoperability) as part of its mission buildingSMART. The iai also facilitates the implementation and adaptation of ifc.

The iai does not produce software. However some of its members do develop software applications that are compliant with the iai specifications. Some of these developments are already on the market, and some of them are at the pre-competitive stage only. There are many products that fall between the two extremes. These software products cover a wide area of aec/fm domains: Design, Structural engineering, hvac design, Thermal analysis, Code checking, Quantity take-off, Cost estimation, etc. They come with a wide range of varieties that can be used for different purposes.

ifc improves communication, productivity, delivery time, cost, and quality throughout the whole building life cycle. It provides a universal basis for process improvement and information sharing in the construction and facilities management industries. It makes possible a collective knowledge of the global construction and facilities management.

Collaboratorio is a proud member of the Italian Chapter of iai.

www.iai-international.org

The classification system chosen by Green Prefab

CI/Sfb classification

(1) Ground and foundation (11) ground shapes (12) ditches, ducts, drains (13) retaining walls, soil supports (14) roads, paths, hard surfaces (15) soft surfaces, lawns, planted areas (16) substructures generally, other than (17) and (18) (17) pile foundations (18) pad foundations, footings, foundation beams

(2) Building elements (primary) (21) walls, external walls (22) partitions, partition screens (23) floors (24) stairs, ladders (25) ceilings (26) flat roofs, terraces, balconies (27) roofs (inclined) (28) building elements above roof

(3) Building elements (secondary) (31) windows (32) doors (33) additions to floors, floating floors, etc. (34) handrails and balustrades for stairs (35) gates, barred openings, etc. (36) terrace lights, balcony balustrades, parapets, etc. (37) roof lights, roof trap doorways, etc. (38) eaves, gutters, downpipes, roof walkways, etc.

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(4) Building elements (finishes) (41) external wall finishes (42) internal wall finishes (43) floor finishes (44) stair finishes (45) ceiling finishes (46) roof finishes (45) plints, mouldings, fillets, window sills, etc. (46) terrace finishes (47) roof coverings (48) completions (sheet metal, etc.) to roof coverings

(5) Services (mainly piped ducted) (50) accessories (51) culverts - chutes (52) services - drainage (53) services - water (54) services - gas, compressed air (55) services - space cooling (57) services - space heating (58) services - ventilation

(6) Services (mainly electrical) (60) accessories (63) services - power, lighting (64) services - telecommunication (66) services - lifts, escalators (68) services - lightning conductors

(7) Fixed furniture (commonly used) (71) furnishing of entrances, etc.: racks, etc. (75) furnishing of laundries and related rooms (72) furnishing of rooms generally (73) furnishing of kitchens and related rooms (74) furnishing of toilets, baths, dressing rooms (76) furnishing of rooms for cleaning and storing (77) furnishing of secondary spaces

(8) Fixed furniture (special for schools, hospitals, etc. to be used as needed)

(9) Site elements and site finishes other than those mentioned in group (1) (to be used as needed)

Green Prefab coordinators

Mr. Furio Barzon (1972)Founder of Collaboratorio, Venice (Italy)

Mr. Renzo Taffarello (1960)Owner of tea Taffarello Engineering & Associates Shanghai, Shanghai (China)

For further information in Europe please contact:Collaboratorioc/o vega - Parco Scientifico Tecnologico di Veneziavia delle Industrie 15, 30175 Venezia Marghera, Italyt. +39 041 5093450 f. +39 041 5093711email: [email protected]

For further information in Asia please contact:tea Shanghai Representative OfficeRoom 815, Huai Hai China Tower885, Renmin Lu200010 Shanghai - Chinat. +86 021 63556531 - f. +86 021 63556530mobile +86 135 64519061email: [email protected]

www.greenprefab.com

This paper aims to provide further information about “Green Prefab”. It has been delivered only to a selected number of people we are very eager to involve in this project. We greatly appreciate your preliminary interest in “Green Prefab” and we look forward to hearing from you.

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