Online Platform for Home Design and Project Management in Modular Construction

The construction industry is currently facing the challenges of intensifying global competition, increasing market volatility, increasing product differentiation, and shortening product life cycles. In this context, versatile production concepts with modular structures promise a better adaptation to these dynamic boundary conditions in terms of quantity production, product variety, and manufacturing location. Modular construction has significant advantages over traditional on-site construction in terms of material efficiency, safety, and sustainability. Therefore, specialized software for building design is one of the critical aspects of modular construction. This work presents the development of an online platform for the design of buildings using modular construction. The main features of this platform are the 2D home design with 3D visualization, using BIM approaches, the validation of architectural rules and system limits taking into consideration the design and legal framework, and the management of orders and workflows for sustainable construction. The validation of architecture rules and system limits allows the use of the platform by final clients to design their houses and obtain the budget and the construction viability based on modular construction. After, an architect can assume the final design and legal approvement of the project.