Lesson 07 of 10

Service life and maintainability

The economics of a modular building depend not only on the purchase price but also on the ability to repair, upgrade and replace components.

What you will be able to do after this lesson

You will evaluate a solution over its full life cycle: maintenance, spare parts, module replacement.

Why it matters

An INTERMODULE module is designed for a 25–30 year service life with a 12-month warranty on the entire product. But the actual service life depends on whether it can be maintained: access to building services, available materials and part numbers for replaceable components, documentation and a change history.

Rare proprietary components without documentation turn a simple repair into a project. That is why the Academy insists on available alternatives and compatible details: then an individual module or component can be replaced without rebuilding the building.

The module passport, drawings and service history are part of the product. In the Open Standard this is the "digital passport": serial number, manufacturer, batch, drawing revision, materials and acceptance results.

How to apply this on a project

  1. Step 1. Record the available materials and part numbers of replaceable components.
  2. Step 2. Provide access for servicing the building systems.
  3. Step 3. Keep the passports, drawings and change history.
  4. Step 4. Use compatible connections so that individual modules and components can be replaced without rebuilding the building.

Typical mistake

Using rare proprietary components with no documentation and no available equivalents.

Check before the next step

  • Spare parts
  • Access for repairs
  • Documentation
  • Replaceability
  • Change history
  • Warranty

Related materials and tools

Apply the lesson to your project

Gather the input data and record the unknown parameters as questions for approval. We prepare a calculation based on the questionnaire within 1 working day.

Modular buildings