A Reference Process for Developing Construction Kits for Modular Construction with Precast Concrete Elements

Modular, prefabricated systems in precast concrete promise productivity, quality, and adaptability. Yet, the underlying methods to define and evolve construction kits remain fragmented across disciplines. This paper introduces a reference process for the development of construction kits for modular construction with precast concrete elements that consolidates prior project results and insights from modular product-family research into a coherent, process-oriented approach. The process transfers and adapts established methods from mechanical engineering to the construction domain, ensuring a systematic basis for modularization, variant management, and lifecycle-oriented planning. It aligns architecture definition, interface specification, and catalogue evolution with systematic exploration of design spaces, while remaining agnostic to specific solution paths or tools. It explicitly considers cross-trade requirements (e.g., integration of building services), logistics and assembly constraints, structural performance, and the need for long-term changeability and extension. The reference process provides decision checkpoints and reusable artefacts and methods that enable structuring of construction kit development according to context and project goals. ... mehrAn application outline to representative building archetypes illustrates how the approach can support transparency in trade-offs ensure interface consistency, and maintain openness of the modular system over time. The contribution targets researchers and practitioners seeking a rigorous yet adaptable basis for industrialized, modular concrete construction and offers a foundation for construction kits without constraining future design choices.