Block construction of prefabricated buildings

A method for building a modular building comprising:

• assembling, at an assembly site, a plurality of pre-fabricated structural units into a plurality of volumetric blocks, wherein at least one of the plurality of volumetric blocks comprises one or more of the plurality of pre-fabricated structural units and at least one mechanical, electrical, or plumbing system, wherein the plurality of pre-fabricated structural units are fabricated at a location separate from the assembly site prior to assembly into the plurality of volumetric blocks,
• wherein the at least one of the plurality of volumetric blocks comprises a deck block and wherein assembling the plurality of pre-fabricated structural units into the plurality of volumetric blocks comprises assembling the deck block to have a plurality of deck units, one or more columns, and a facade component, and incorporating the at least one mechanical, electrical, or plumbing system into at least one of the plurality of deck units,
• wherein assembling the deck block further comprises affixing an edge of each of the plurality of deck units to a column of the one or more columns at a location on the column distant from ends of the column;
• assembling, at a building site separate from the assembly site, the plurality of volumetric blocks into a building frame;
• inserting, at the building site, at least one non-structural module into the building frame by inserting the at least one non-structural module between two of the plurality of deck units of the deck block, each of the at least one non-structural modules comprising one or more walls;
• and
• affixing, at the building site, the at least one non-structural module to one or more of the plurality of volumetric blocks.