Modular precast construction is a methodological approach to reduce environmental impacts and increase productivity when building with concrete. Constructions are segmented into similar precast concrete elements, prefabricated with integrated quality control, and assembled just-in-sequence on site. Due to the automatised prefabrication, inaccuracies are minimised and the use of high-performance materials is enabled. As a result, the construction process is accelerated, and the modules can be designed to be lightweight and resource-efficient. This contribution presents the fundamentals of modular constructions made from precast concrete components. Then, to elaborate the requirements of a contemporary modular precast construction, the historic developments are described. Further, concepts and technical processes–comprehensible to non-expert readers–are introduced to formalise the discussion about the current state-of-the-art methods. Three case studies treating ongoing research are introduced and related to the conceptual fundamentals. The research is evaluated with regard to current barriers and future directions. In conclusion, modular precast construction is able to reduce emissions and increase productivity in the sector if researchers and firms coordinate the development of suitable technologies that bring value to critical stakeholders.

Resource-efficient precast concrete elements can be produced using high-performance concrete (HPC). A heat treatment accelerates hardening and thus enables early stripping. To minimise damages to the concrete structure, treatment time and temperature are regulated. This leads to temperature treatment times of more than 24 h, what seems too long for quick serial production (flow production) of HPC. To overcome this shortcoming and to accelerate production speed, the heat treatment is started here immediately after concreting. This in turn influences the shrinkage behaviour and the concrete strength. Therefore, shrinkage is investigated on prisms made from HPC with and without steel fibres, as well as on short beams with reinforcement ratios of 1.8% and 3.1%. Furthermore, the flexural and compressive strengths of the prisms are measured directly after heating and later on after 28 d. The specimens are heat-treated between 1 and 24 h at 80 °C and a relative humidity of 60%. Specimens without heating serve for reference. The results show that the shrinkage strain is pronouncedly reduced with increasing temperature duration and rebar ratio. Moreover, the compressive and flexural strength decrease with decreasing temperature duration, whereby the loss of strength can be compensated by adding steel fibres.