Modular building is an industrial building system to transfer three-dimensional modules produced in the factory to the construction site, and assemble and complete them in a short period. Although modular building has many merits such as construction period reduction, quality stability, and quick supply according to demands, its domestic application is still in the early stage.

The purpose of this study is to draw characteristics of structural materials through a comparative analysis on characteristics of typical structural materials that can be used for modular building including reinforced concrete, steel, and wood, and by using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique that enables determining requirements of consumers, suggest the QFD Table that corresponds to quality required by consumers for each structural material of modular building. In addition, it intends to be used as baseline data to help grasp and improve problems that each structural material has in modular building.

Five evaluation items, safety, quality, functionality, esthetics, and economic feasibility, were drawn for requirements of consumers for houses. Technical responsive measures to requirements of consumers were classified to structural planning and designing, securing performance through quality standardization, unification facility, fire-protecting performance material use and fire-extinguishing facility, selection of various internal and external finishing materials, installation of the security alarm system, use of quality-certified materials, harmony with environments, location selection using weight lightening and mobility, soundproof/dustproof capability tests, use of environment-friendly materials, designing considering ages and the disabled, and construction period reduction through the modular method.

As a result of analyzing the QFD Table, the characteristic score of steel turned out to be the highest, 189.7. For steel, scores of items of economic feasibility and safety turned out to be higher than those of others. For wood, scores of items of economic feasibility and functionality turned out to be higher than those of others. Also for reinforced concrete, scores of items of economic feasibility and functionality turned out to be higher than those of others.

Although the item that had high average expectation of consumers was economic feasibility, for steel, wood, and reinforced concrete, while the score of responsive technology related to quality was high, that of responsive technology related to economic feasibility was low. Thus, if responsive technology is developed focusing on economic feasibility, average expectation of consumers will be increased.