What documents are needed to design a modular building
A technical questionnaire and a pre-design documentation package are the two documents every modular building project starts with. Here is what goes into each β and what the client actually has to prepare.
Before design work can start, the manufacturer needs two things: an understanding of what building you need β that is the technical questionnaire β and the site data on plot and utility connections, which is the pre-design documentation package. Below is what each contains, described plainly, based on the actual INTERMODULE brief.
What the technical questionnaire covers
The questionnaire is the design brief. It has six sections:
- General information about the building β intended use, region of construction, delivery point, operating regime, service life, how often it will be relocated, climatic conditions, seismicity.
- Building parameters β length, width, height, number of storeys, total floor area.
- Build specification β frame material and thickness, roof type, envelope and insulation type, floor, wall and ceiling finishes, doors, windows, gates, colour scheme (RAL).
- Building services β ventilation, heating, lighting, power and water supply, drainage, air conditioning, security and communication systems.
- Furniture and process equipment β what must be installed and supplied with the building.
- Contact details β name, company, phone and email for the costing.
The more precisely sections 1β5 are filled in, the more accurate the final estimate β and the fewer revisions once the building has been manufactured.
Pre-design documentation: the standard list
This is what the client provides to the designer before work on the project begins. The standard package in Kazakhstan:
- Land allocation documents for the construction site
- Architectural and planning assignment
- Certificate of permitted land use for the plot
- Technical connection conditions for water supply, drainage, power, heating, cold water, gas and communications
- Design brief β or a completed technical questionnaire in its place
- Topographic survey of the plot and incoming utilities at 1:500 scale, no more than two years old
- Geotechnical investigation of the plot and utility routes
- Location plan at 1:10,000 scale
- Background pollutant concentration certificate for the site
- Certificate of prevailing wind direction
A completed questionnaire replaces the separate design brief in item five β once it is ready, costing can begin without waiting for the rest of the package.
Design stages: when a full project is needed and when it is not
The volume of design documentation depends on the specific building β its use, service life and regional requirements. In practice, for mobile buildings with a limited service life a significant share of the stages may not be required at all. As an illustration, here is the project scope from a real brief for a single-storey modular canteen of 201.6 mΒ² with a service life of up to 10 years:
| Design section | In this example |
|---|---|
| Design for the building permit | |
| Construction organisation plan | Not required |
| Geotechnical investigation | Not required |
| Concept design, 3D visualisation | Not required |
| Explanatory note | Not required |
| Site layout plan | Not required |
| Architectural design | Not required |
| Steel and reinforced-concrete structures | Not required |
| Detailed design β structural | |
| Concept design, 3D visualisation | Not required |
| Architectural and structural design | Not required |
| Steel fabrication drawings | Not required |
| Detailed design β building services | |
| External water, drainage and heating networks | Not required |
| Ventilation, heating, water supply and drainage | Not required |
| Power supply system and external power networks | Not required |
This is the scope for one specific project, not a universal rule β the final list depends on your building and its region. It is confirmed during costing, based on the completed questionnaire.
Download a worked example
A completed questionnaire for the same project β a real illustration of how much detail is worth giving in each answer.
- Completed questionnaire β worked example Β· 11 pages Β· PDF Β· 0.4 MB
- Download as DOCX β editable, to fill in for your own project Β· 53 KB
The questionnaire form and the sample documents are in Russian β the working language of design documentation in Kazakhstan. Our engineers correspond in English, so you can also simply send a request and we will walk you through it.
