Systematic approach to the design of modular military housing units using six-sigma

Abstract

Military quarters and barracks are representative of housing units where the same plan is repeated, and thus prefabricated housing production can be effectively applied. These housing units are required to be disassembled and recycled as military forces are frequently reorganized and deployed to perform military actions. In order to meet these needs, this study proposes a systematic approach for the design of modular military housing units based on Six-Sigma concept. The application of the Six-Sigma to modular military housing units allows customers' needs to be reflected on the critical to quality, which summarizes the main design requirements, and the design concept of the modular units can be developed based on the derived critical to qualities. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a representative example of military housing units is chosen and designed by utilizing the new modular units developed through this procedure. The weight of frames per unit area and factory manufacturing ratio of the new design are analyzed. The results of the comparison show that the use of the new modular units not only reduces construction cost significantly, but also greatly improves the quality of construction.