New ISO standards for prefabricated buildings in UK

A sub-committee has been approved by the International Standards Organisation (ISO) to develop standards for the adoption of prefabricated buildings in the UK.

The standards will be adopted and known as BS ISO standards.

Prefabricated building construction has different rates of development worldwide and this new standard aims to address the issue. Seventeen countries, including the USA, France, Germany, and Italy voted in favour after the Chinese National Standards body brought forward the proposal.

New standards will determine a common criterion that will include quality, safety, technical and performance indicators, product standards, sizing of elements and the mechanical processes.

ISO’s sub-committee will look at developing standards for harmonising the quality of design, materials, processing components and construction.

ISO TC/59 will work on standards including:

• General terminology
• Basic principles of design, including integrated design, industrial production and integrated decoration
• General requirements for geometric and performance of prefabricated building components and connectors
• General requirements for construction and installation of prefabricated buildings, including hoisting technology and construction process

Three working groups

• WG1 – Design of prefabricated buildings
• WG2 – Production of prefabricated buildings
• WG3 – Construction of prefabricated buildings