BIM Applications in the ‘Forward Design’ of New Prefabricated Buildings with Exterior Shear Walls and Interior Frames

Abstract

This paper reviews the construction and use of prefabricated buildings composed of an outer shear wall with an interior frame, and reviews the advantages of this structure along with its scope of application. A six-household tower-style dwelling is used as the primary example in this paper, and the modular shear-wall-and-frame structure is explored for the purpose of developing a new style of prefabricated buildings. This paper employs BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology and a forward design philosophy to examine this new type of wall-and-frame-style prefabricated building, including a review of the integrated design of modular domestic structures, collaborative professional designs, detailed design and processing of construction components, connection of key nodes, and other areas of application for BIM technology. According to the result of this study, BIM technology has a broad array of applications in the forward design of new types of prefabricated buildings, and can improve the quality of the resulting structures and their benefits to users and stakeholders, and the prospects and promotional value of these applications both seem promising.