What allows modern-day constructions to be built in almost a blink of an eye is prefabrication. In this construction approach, the building starts not at the construction site but at the manufacturing factory, where various parts of the building are assembled. 

This technique saves time and costs by producing and connecting components in a more suitable location that cuts out most of the transportation time and costs. 

Often, job sites are located in cramped and dense cities or distant rural areas, making it more challenging to deliver materials and heavy-duty machinery. This can often be problematic, lengthening construction timeliness and automatically raising costs.

Not only does prefabrication eliminate these issues, but it also abolishes any weather constraints or schedule delays and allows companies to take on multiple projects without limiting their focus, time, and resources on a single construction.

Prefabricated buildings, or in short, prefab, can save up to 50% of the time compared to traditional construction. This is great news for investors, as they get to reap their profits much faster. 

The appeal is definitely there, making this construction technique receive more and more attention. Experts predict that it will reach a 6.1% increase by 2028. Prefabrication is already a big trend in the building industry, with 84% of detached homes in Sweden being supplemented with prefab elements. Third-world countries are also shifting their focus to this technique to meet their money and housing shortages.

To get a better idea of just how speedy construction can get, we’re looking at some of the fastest buildings ever built. The Guinness World Record for the swiftest home ever built belongs to a house completed in 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 34 seconds in Shelby County, Alabama. It covered 1,200 square feet and had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, all equipped with electricity and plumbing. It was a result of a charity project in 2002 and beat New Zealand’s record of 3 hours, 44 minutes, and 59 seconds.

In second place are one-day Heijmans houses that can be assembled in, you guessed it, 24 hours. It was the concept of a Dutch construction company that tried to address the housing shortage and offer rental lodging for young professionals. The home fits a living room, dining room, a bathroom, a bedroom, and a kitchen. It has panels for energy and electricity and can be easily transported and installed anywhere with little environmental impact. 

The third building took 48 hours and was constructed in India using prefabricated parts that were assembled on-site. Called Instacon Tower, it’s a 10-story commercial building, accommodating up to 600 people. In 2012, it became the fastest-built construction in India.

In the same year, a 30-story hotel sprouted in China in just 360 hours (15 days). It was developed by Broad Sustainable Building (BSB), which again used prefabricated pieces to build the construction. The combined floor surface comes to 183,000 square feet and can even withstand a magnitude nine earthquake. 

The last fastest construction was also built in China but this time in 19 days. It was a 57-story skyscraper called Mini Sky City assembled by the same previously mentioned BSB company. The total height came to 656 feet and it fits 800 apartments and office spaces for 4,000 people. Completed in 2015, it broke the record for the fastest-constructed skyscraper ever.