Hyundai Engineering (CEO Hong Hyun-sung) held a completion ceremony for the ‘Yongin Yeongdeok Gyeonggi Happy Housing,’ a 13-story modular housing project that is the tallest of its kind in Korea.
The Yongin Yeongdeok Gyeonggi Happy Housing project, which Hyundai Engineering built as a participating private-sector operator, is a demonstration project for mid-to-high-rise modular housing comprising 106 units. It was commissioned by the Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation (GH) and carried out as a national R&D project supported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
With Hyundai Engineering successfully completing the Yongin Yeongdeok Gyeonggi Happy Housing on the strength of its top-tier domestic capabilities in modular fabrication and construction technology, high-rise modular housing projects are expected to be actively pursued in Korea going forward. Until now, the height of modular housing in Korea had been capped at 12 stories for reasons such as the Building Act requirement that buildings of 13 stories or higher meet a fire-resistance standard of three hours or more (the time a structure can withstand a fire); the Yongin Yeongdeok Gyeonggi Happy Housing is the first to overcome this limit.
Anticipating a paradigm shift toward the manufacturing-ization of the construction industry based on the advantages of the modular method, Hyundai Engineering has since 2012 continued its efforts to secure R&D and construction capabilities in modular architecture, including design, the application of new materials, and precision construction techniques.
To date, the company has acquired one new construction technology certification and 11 patents, and has taken part in joint research with public institutions such as the Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH), the Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), and the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, as well as in numerous OSC (Off-Site Construction) national R&D projects.
In preparation for the future expansion of private-sector modular projects, Hyundai Engineering is continuing to develop technologies to secure marketability and residential performance on par with or exceeding those of existing apartment housing, including making modular housing taller and diversifying its product lineup. In the plant sector as well, the company is pursuing the expansion of OSC through modularization and is planning to broaden its overall business scope.