Modular Coordination in Canada - 1961: A Progress Report

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Publisher’s version / Version de l'éditeur:

Technical Note (National Research Council of Canada. Division of Building

Research), 1961-08-01

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Modular Coordination in Canada - 1961: A Progress Report

Kent, S. R.

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DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA

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'JrE C1HI N ][ C AlL

NOTlE

No .

345

NOT FOR PUBLICATION FOR INTERNAL USE

PREPARED BY _{S.R. Kent} CHECKED BY APPROVED By _RFL

PREPARED FOR _{Record Purposes}

DATE August 1961

SUBJECT

MODULAR COOR.DINATION IN CANADA - 1961 A Progress Report

The Canadian program on modular coordination has now been underway for five years. As a result of it and those in other countries, the building industry is aware that there is a system for coordination in building. During this period of 'awareness' preparations have been made for a more concentrated program.

The progress report of September 1958 mentioned lectures to architects, industrial associations, instructional courses, a modular code and modular building. Continuation of these activities and new ones are herein reported.

Publications

In 1959 the Canadian Standards Association A. 31-1959 Code for Modular Coordination in Building was published. The term tcode' was devised for this, and other publications, which are not related to a particular material, and is most descriptive of the purpose of the publication. The code does not recommend sizes, tolerances or joints for anyone component but rather establish terminology and procedure by which modular components are designed and assembled. To date approxi-mately 900 codes have been distributed in Canada and U. S. A.

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-The Division of Building Research, National Research Council, has issued three publications, each one for a particular type of

distribution. The first is a 32-page brochure of four speeches of interest to architects, contractors and Inanufacturers entitled: "Modular

Coordination in Practice" published in August 1959, and describing the benefits of Inodular coordination to the building industry. The

speeches by F. Bull, J. COOInbs and C. E. Silling, were delivered to the architects of the Ontario Ass·:>ciation of Architects at their annual Ineeting in Toronto 1957, the one by L. Ber gvall, to the Modular Society in London 1955.

In August 1960, the 4-page Canadian Building Digest No.8, Modular Coordination, by S. R. Kent was distributed to all Canadian architects and builders. This publication briefly outlined worldwide progress in Inodular coordination, and the use of Inodular cOInponents and Inodular working drawings.

The third publication, just recently published, the Modular Drafting Manual, is intended for use in'the drawing offices of ar chitects, engineer s,

contractors and Inanufacturers. It is the only one of the three which is illustrated and contains diagraIns of components and working drawings of buildings.

COInponents

For the construction of the Galbraith Building in Toronto, the largest clay Inasonry producer in Canada began the Inanufacture of Inodular brick 2 2/3 by 4 by 8 inches. M·:>st Eastern Canada brick Inanufacturers now produce Inodular for special order, but only one, L. E. Shaw Co. Ltd., Halifax, Inanufactures modular exclusively. SOIne Toronto Inanufacturer s are beginning to ship Inodular brick 1400 Iniles to Winnipeg. U suaUy Winnipeg obtains U. S. standard size brick froIn

either 450 miles or 650 Iniles to the west.

There is a definite interest in the Inodular systeIn aInong Inanufacturers in general, one Inanufacturer of plastic skylights seeking Inodular details before beginning production. This is preferable to the situation a year ago, where a brick Inanufacturer spent $30,000 on Inachinery, then later wished it were for the Inodular size brick.

The Inost co Inmon cOInponents of Inodular size are concrete Inasonry units. In their natural finish they are Inodular size except when used as "backup for non-Inodular face brick and always Inodular when faced with a resin plastic.

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-Teaching the Modular System

Since 1959, a short course on modular drafting has been provided annually for architects in the Toronto area by the Ontario Association of Architects in cooperation with DBR/NRC. The first two were held at the Ryerson Institute of Technology, the other three at the School of Architecture, University of Toronto. The course is 12 hours in length,

spread over four or five evenings. One -half the time is spent on

illustrated lectures and the other on the drawing board working on basic details. A plan and elevation at small scale of a simple b'.1ilding is provided 3.nd from this each' student' draws lar ge scale details relating the components to the grid. The attendance averages about 30 per course.

Supplementing the courses there have been three attempts to introduce modular drafting into a large architectural office (40 to 60

employees) by lectures in the office. Unfortunately the initial lecture has not been adequately followed up and it is now hoped that with the

assistance of literature currently available a successful technique may be developed.

Instruction in the schools of architecture is not extensive. Few instructor s feel competent to introduce the subject and so no continuity is given to the instruction throughout a school, particularly in a school with many instructors. The instructors also feel obliged to instruct

students in the conventional system which they will be using during annual summer employment (4 1/2 months).

A set of 19 coloured 2- by 2-in. slides, prepared by the Modular Building Standards Association and edited by Professors D. K. Sargent, M. W. Isenber g and S. R. Kent has been made available this June to schools of architecture in the U. S. and Canada. These slides together with accompanying text have been devised primarily for introducing modular coordination and modular drafting to architectural students but are equally useful to any group.

Standards

Other than the CSA Code A31-l959 little work on modular standards has been undertaken. In the revision of the CSA Standard 0121-1961

on Douglas Fir Plywood and CSA Standard 0151-1961 on Western Softwood Plywood, both quality standards, attempts were made to determine

satisfactory tolerances for the plywood sheet sizes already of modular dimensions but as these depended on unspecified moisture contents of the

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-hygroscopic material no agreement was reached by the committee. The following note was however inserted "where panels are for use in modular construction and it is essential that numer,")us consecutive sheets do not creep off the modular planning grid, it may be necessary at the time of installation for user s to ensure that the size of panels does not exceed their nominal dimensions. "

In a forthcoming quality standard on CO:':1crete masonry units from CSA, the sizes will be designated as 'modular or nominal size' and 'actual.' The term nominal is used as being synonymous with modular and it is hoped that in a later addition the term will be replaced by modular.

A standard by the Canadian Government Specification Board on Architectural Drawing Practices, now being printed for use in

government drafting offices includes a short appendix summarizing the concept of modular drawing and dimensioning.

Modular Construction

The lar gest building to date in Canada designed on the four -inch modular system is the Galbraith Building, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, completed in 1960. This 3 l/Z million dollar structure is of concrete encased steel framing with exposed modular masonry interior and exterior walls: interior walls in the rooms are painted, light-weight concrete blocks, 4 by 8 by 16 inches and 8 by 8 by 16 inches, and in the corridors 5 1/3 by 4 by lZ inches glazed facing tile: exterior walls are Z 2/3 by 4 by 8 inches face brick and light-weight concrete block backup. The project architect, Mr. Robert W. Anderson, partner in the firm of Page and Steele, Architects, Toronto, reports as follows.

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5 -HEPORT ON THE MODULAR SYSTEM AS APPLIED TO

THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE GAIJ3RAITH

BUILDING -

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OF TORONTO

The decision to base the design and detailing of this building

upon the use of a four inch module was taken with some

reser-vation.

We had a fair idea of the case for the module, we

were not sure that this was the building to use it on.

It had

the advantage of bigness and its consequent powers of persuasion

over manufacturers.

It had, we thought, the disadvantages of

being connected to an existing building at two points, and of

being a complex bUilding type with many requirements governed

by machine and system design.

We expected certain things from

the use of the module - they

were:-1.

Improvement in Drafting Techniques

(a)

Simplification of dimensioning

(b)

Simplified relation of details to plans and sections

(c)

Clarifications of problems of relation of coursine

of components of different size.

2. Little effect on

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3. Improvement in general site laying out of bUilding and

detailed setting out of components.

4. Greater speed of construction due to ability to work to

datums and start simultaneously in various locations.

5. Reduction of waste.

Looking back upon the progress of the job, it is fair to say

that the realization of our expectations of the modular system

was in general what we had hoped and not what we had feared,

but with important differences of degree.

We feel we learned

something.

A. Improvements in Drafting Techniques.

(a)

Dimensioning was simplified to our fullest expectations.

This was a real advantage to our consultants and gave

confidence in the correctness of drawings at an

early stage.

(b)

Relation of details to drawings was very rational.

Whilst it is possible to say that a similar

arrangement could have been successful without the

module, the reference grid and sureness of what

a reference point or line referred to in each case

was very valuable.

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.

- t

-(c)

The modular

ｳｹｳｴ･ｾ

did not reduce problems of

coursing or component size in this case, but it

did give a reference framework to refer to all

the time.

B.

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on Design.

Any

(a) (b) (c) (d)

modular system has an effect on design.

On

the general concept

On

the type of detailing

iVhilst it is possible to say that a bUilding may

be conceived in a certain form and then be translated

into a drawing based on a four inch module, this

is no more true than saying that a building is

con-ceived and then a structure designed for it.

The

Modular System becomes one more aspect of the design

process and its importance will increase as it

becomes more widely accepted.

Detailing is affected from the word

go:-(i)

(ii)

(iii)

base details of masonry facings in relation

to floor datums and coursing.

sizing and detailing of panels, cabinets, etc.

fitting of all components in exposed masonry

work.

c.

Setting Out.

This was one of the big surprises.

The importance of

the grid system and relating back to the grid was realized

at all stages by the contIactor.

There were almost no

problems arising out of the use of a steel frame.

Brick and stone sizes related well with horizontal joints

coming where expected though these two operations were

carried on almost independently.

There were no problems

in setting recessed window frames after brickwork and

stone work were erected though the detail set a very

severe requirement of accuracy.

TI1e setting out and erection of interior masonry partitions

was very straightforward with no cumulative errors in

vertical or horizontal planes.

A very healthy attitude towards accuracy was maintained

over the construction period.

D. Speed of Construction.

The original construction schedule envisaged completion

of the building in 60 weeks.

Shortly after the start of

cOYJstruction, a steel strike of some

16 weeks duration

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7 -halted work and had a general effect on progress

equivalent to a complete stoppage of the work for the

full duration of the strike.

Nevertheless, almost half

the bUilding was occupied by the Owners on the original

handing over date - a recovery of 16 weeks during the

construction period.

The remainder was occupied

pro-gressively and the building finally handed over after

a total active construction period of 60 weeks.

Various factors contributed to this undoubted

speed:-A well organized contractor.

Close co-operation between Owner-Architect and

Contractor resulting in mutual confidence and

the ability to take decisions quickly.

Consideration given to construction problems

in the planning stage.

The Modular System.

All these factors worked together, certainly the use of

the modular system did nothing to reduce the advantages

of other favourable conditions and it did much to mitigate

T.he effects of unfavourable conditions.

Both Architects

and manufacturers took what would otherwise have been

risks in establishing dimensions for components without

site measurement.

The rewards in time saved were enormous.

E. Reduction of Waste.

This aspect is very hard to pin down.

The contractor's

housekeeping was uniformly good - it would have been on

any job, modular or not.

The type of exterior brick

pattern produced waste - modular or not.

Waste on

interior partitions was reduced considerably.

There was

very little going back and doing things over because

they did not fit.

In designing this bUilding we did not strive to make it

modular, rather the opposite, we had the attitude that

we would do what was right for the bUilding and let the

modular system take its chance.

As a result the system

showed up well and served us well.

With a greater

availability of modular components impressive time savings

in construction are possible and possible cost reduction

too.

More thought must be given to construction methods during

the planning stage.

Architects and General Contractors

must develop a new attitude to dimensions and commit

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