Dynamic performance of façade systems during lifting and transportation in prefabricated modules

Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC), as the ultimate level of housing prefabrication, is emerging as a solution to address the increasing demand for the mass production of high-performance buildings. The level of finishing and the delivery methods employed in these systems necessitate particular attention to certain details that may not require the same level of consideration in other construction methods. A review of existing studies reveals a lack of investigation into the structural performance of prefinished components—particularly façades—under lifting and transportation loads. This gap is critical, especially for corner-supported modules that lack secondary load-transfer mechanisms, increasing the risk of misalignments, geometric distortions, and damage to façade systems during handling. This study presents a thorough investigation of the dynamic performance of three façade systems, commonly integrated into steel modules: curtain walls, window walls, and stud walls. Various scenarios are examined including lifting at different speeds and transportation subjected to impact loads caused by road irregularities. Each scenario is simulated by Finite Element (FE) using ABAQUS. From the façade systems, in the stud wall system, gypsum and plasterboards fixed with screws are modelled using nonlinear springs—one axial and two shear—based on predefined force–displacement relationships. In the curtain wall and window-wall systems, aluminium frames and glass panels are modelled using shell elements. The window wall system exhibited the highest resilience under lifting and transportation loads. In contrast, the unitised curtain wall and stud wall systems showed localised failures under extreme acceleration, indicating lower dynamic robustness. A lifting speed limit of 15 m/min is recommended for the curtain wall system, and a transportation acceleration limit of 3 g is recommended for both the stud wall and window wall systems.