The research team coordinated by Professor Fernando Branco is part of a partnership with DDN to develop SIMBA – Construction System with Reinforce Concrete Self-Supporting Blocks. This system focuses on the prefabrication of components for buildings, applying principles associated with the industrial assembly line. The project started in 2018.
Professor Fernando Branco mentioned to Jornal de Negócios that the blocks of the SIMBA system are made in the factory, and then transported, and assembled and interconnected at the construction site. Each prefabricated block already contains all the relevant elements, i.e. windows, electrical, water and sanitation infrastructures, and finishes and paintings. In the sequential assembly line, the different parts that compose the block are added.
Although this is an apparently simple idea, Carlos Oliveira, director general of DDN, told Jornal de Negócios that the creation of this type of prefabricated elements was confronted with technical problems that reflected in the quality of the developed elements. In the case of SIMBA, the CERIS team developed a connection system between the blocks, already patented (2021), which allows achieving a level of reliability equivalent to that of traditional construction.
The first building built with the SIMBA system, completed in 2022, works as a proof of concept. It is a residence for the Social Services of the Portuguese Police (PSP). Its foundations were executed using traditional methods and, after that process, 52 apartments were built and assembled in 22 days. The system thus saves time in the construction stage and lowers costs, without compromising quality. Although the construction of a building with SIMBA does not do without a set of work on-site (such as foundations and roofing, among others), Carlos Oliveira estimates savings of about 20% in the construction costs and a reduction of 50% in the construction time.
In the future, DDN expects to be able to increase the daily production capacity from five to 15 SIMBA blocks. Considering the company’s large volume of orders, it is necessary to analyse and select the best projects to apply the SIMBA system. It becomes more advantageous in projects without much customisation, or differentiation, like hotels, senior and student residences, and affordable housing. The construction of a four-star hotel in Cascais is already underway, and the construction of a student residence in Benfica is expected to begin shortly. Additionally, projects are being prepared in Germany and the Netherlands.
The importance of collaboration between industry and the scientific and technological environment should be highlighted for the continued commitment to innovation. As so, the partnership between DDN and CERIS already has other research and development projects underway, namely those associated with the replacement of steel with new composite materials, the enhancement of anti-seismic protection and the robotisation of the manufacturing process of the prefabricated modules.
For more information, go to Sistema inovador acelera construção de edifícios a tempo do PRR – Negócios Em Rede – Jornal de Negócios (jornaldenegocios.pt) (in Portuguese) or watch the programme Espaços&Casas about the SIMBA modular building system.