Module designer

A Module designer brings appropriate professional engineering qualifications and experience of volumetric accommodation modules through manufacture, transport and installation. They also need the communication and coordination skills to resolve shared interfaces with other project specialists and, potentially, several independent module manufacturers.

The role works within the constraints coordinated by the Building designer. Early in design, the Module designer is expected to test those constraints and argue for changes where module engineering, accommodation quality or manufacture requires them. Once agreed, the resulting constraints become authoritative inputs to dependent design and manufacture.

The Module designer defines the module’s exact external dimensions and relevant tolerances within the envelope established by the Building designer. Within that geometry, they realise the Project client’s accommodation objectives while respecting the wider building design. The Accommodation design page sets out the principles expected of the resulting spaces.

The module definition also covers:

• Attachment. Module attachment points and module-side interfaces, coordinated with the Frame designer. The frame and module arrangements must form one compatible interface. The module jig owned by the Building designer is its primary physical definition; either specialist may argue for change before it is agreed.
• Transportation and handling. A transportation playbook for the cassette state of the module, covering its safe handling and lifting, restraints and protection, orientation, transport, transfer to installation equipment, insertion, removal and the relevant handling interfaces.
• Services. Module-side service interfaces, coordinated with the Services designer, including their locations, connection arrangements, accessibility and the requirements for making and breaking connections during installation and removal.
• Facades. The Module designer is responsible for facade options associated with the module and their interfaces, including attachment and reliable weather seals across the relevant tolerances. They coordinate with the Frame designer where facade systems require attachment points at frame nodes; this does not make them the designer of every building-wide facade element.
• Safety. Module-level structural safety, fire and smoke behaviour, safe manufacture, handling, installation, occupation and removal, and other module-specific requirements, coordinated with the Safety officer.

The Module designer enriches the building specification with the authoritative module definition and its referenced material. It should be complete enough for a competent manufacturer that did not participate in the design process to manufacture a conforming module. ExoSett itself need not be the manufacturer, and several independent vendors may work to the same definition.

The specification must also make conformity assessable. It records the dimensional and interface checks, required testing, acceptance criteria and manufacturing or compliance documentation needed to establish whether a manufactured module matches the design. Alongside the module jig, the agreed services and facade interfaces form clear contracts between the module and the rest of the building.

The Site office coordinates the parties that implement the logistics described by the transportation playbook and maintains the controlled project records. Responsibility for the module design and its specialist approval remains with the Module designer.

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