GS Construction Secures Steel Modular Technology Patent... Accelerates Commercialization of 'Modular Mid-High Rise Buildings'

GS Construction has taken a step closer to the commercialization of modular mid- to high-rise buildings by obtaining patents and technical certifications for the steel modular ‘fire resistance’ and ‘module connection technology.’

Exterior photo of the steel modular mock-up installed at GS Construction Yongin Technology Research Center. [Photo by GS Construction]

GS Construction announced on the 1st that it has developed a ‘fire resistance system’ for steel modular units, completed patent registration, and independently developed a one-touch ‘quick connector’ that allows module-to-module connections without tightening work on site, for which it has filed a patent application and received a technical certification from the Korean Society of Earthquake Engineering.

The most suitable material and technology for the currently commercialized modular construction method for mid- to high-rise buildings is the steel modular method. The essential technologies required to build stable buildings using this steel modular method are fire resistance technology that ensures the building does not collapse in a fire and connection technology that links each modular unit.

The ‘Construction module with secured fire resistance performance and construction method of modular buildings using the same,’ developed and patented by GS Construction, is a method that attaches a fire-resistant board coated with fireproof spray to the lower part where modules meet, securing fire resistance performance for three hours. According to domestic building codes, major structural parts of buildings over 13 floors require three hours of fire resistance. The existing fire resistance technology using gypsum boards in steel modular units involved manufacturing each independent module and surrounding the steel frame with gypsum boards, which had very poor constructability and high costs, making commercialization difficult. The fire resistance system independently developed by GS Construction this time overcomes these drawbacks, bringing the commercialization of high-rise steel modular buildings closer.

In steel modular construction, connection technology between module units is as important for stability as the fire resistance system. The quick connector, independently developed by GS Construction and for which a patent application and technical certification have been obtained, is a one-touch connection method developed to have the same performance as high-strength bolts without requiring tightening work on site. The company expects this to minimize on-site work, solve the problem of managing tolerances, and simultaneously improve constructability and cost efficiency.

As a leader in the domestic prefab (Prefab·modular business) industry, GS Construction is proactively securing the technological capabilities needed for future businesses. At the end of last year, the prefab business group, under President Heo Yunhong, the head of GS Construction’s Future Innovation division, was placed together with the new business division and the R&D headquarters, RIF Tech (Research Institute of Future Technology). Within the in-house R&D headquarters, LifeTech, there is an Architectural Technology Research Center that continuously supports prefab construction technology. Recently, a mock-up replicating steel modular units was installed at the GS Construction Technology Research Institute in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, where research is ongoing to improve residential performance aspects such as inter-floor noise and airtightness in modular housing.

A GS Construction official stated, “We are focusing on various technology developments and verifications to strengthen our prefab business capabilities and will do our best to proactively secure the technological capabilities necessary for the business.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.