Modules — Your Cost DNA

Why It Matters

Modules are how Darwin keeps your company’s knowledge inside the company. Cost logic is captured once, as reusable modules — so every project starts from what you already know, not from zero.

A Module is the most powerful concept in Darwin.
It represents a reusable piece of construction knowledge — a complete definition of how something is built.

Modules allow organizations to stop rewriting the same line items and instead build a consistent, traceable, and scalable cost structure.

If projects are the containers of knowledge, modules are the knowledge itself.

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1. What a Module Represents

A module describes a construction assembly such as:

• a masonry wall
• a concrete slab
• a steel beam
• a gypsum partition
• a façade panel
• a door or window system

Each module contains:

• Materials (type, quantity, unit)
• Labor (trades, hours, production rates)
• Expenses (indirects, logistics, handling)
• Classification tags (UniFormat, MasterFormat, IFC context)
• Documentation (notes, drawings, specs)

A module is a complete building block that can be reused across projects — richer than a “line item.”

Material and labor coefficients are per module unit. Amount expenses have a separate charge basis: PerModule charges once per occurrence, while PerUnit multiplies by module quantity. Set “$2 transport per m²” to PerUnit; PerModule would charge only $2 in total. See Expenses.

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2. Why Modules Matter

Modules solve several long-standing problems in traditional estimating:

Consistency

Everyone uses the same logic for the same assembly.

Speed

No more rewriting takeoffs and resource lists from scratch.

Scalability

Organizations can maintain deep libraries of construction knowledge.

Traceability

Each module becomes a stable reference point across the lifecycle of estimating.

Adaptability

Modules stay constant; prices change through the price list.

This separation of logic and cost is one of Darwin’s core principles.

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3. How Modules Interact With Price Lists

Modules contain logic, not prices.

For example:

Module: Masonry Wall 20cm

• 1.05 m² of blocks
• 0.25 hours of mason labor
• 0.10 hours of helper labor
• 1.0 m² of plaster (optional)
• 0.02 m³ of mortar
• Indirects such as scaffolding or handling

The price list determines:

• cost of blocks
• hourly rates of labor
• cost of mortar
• cost of logistics or expenses

This means:

• change the price list → explicitly recalculate an editable estimate to use the new rates
• revise the module → future estimation work can use the corrected logic

This is the foundation of consistent, intelligent estimating.

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4. Creating a Module

To create a new module:

For a worked example, start with Capture Your First Module.

1. Go to Catalog → Modules.
2. Click New Module.
3. Enter a name, system, output unit, and description (UniFormat recommended for classification).
4. Add materials, labor, and expenses.
5. (Optional) Add documentation or notes.
6. Save the module.

A module can be edited while maintaining the catalog, and changes are available to future estimation work. An approved active estimation remains read-only; create or open a later revision when approved work needs to change.

Ordinary estimate saves retain the module recipe and prices already used. Explicit recalculation picks up recipe changes, including expense charge basis, and reports what changed. Review the difference before treating it as a price-only update.

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5. Verify a Module After Review

The Modules catalog shows a checkmark badge for a verified module. This means someone reviewed the module’s current materials, labor, expenses, and assumptions.

Any edit removes the verified badge automatically. Re-verify the module after reviewing the change so the badge always reflects the current content, not a past review.

Clone and AI-assisted import can help start a module, but they do not verify it. Review the imported or cloned definition before relying on it in an estimate.

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6. Composite Modules

A Composite Module groups several modules into a larger assembly.

Examples:

• Exterior Wall System

  • insulation module
  • masonry module
  • plaster module
  • waterproofing module

• Foundation System

  • footing module
  • rebar module
  • concrete module

Composites allow teams to conceptualize complex systems without losing granularity.

Every composite unit repeats its child-module occurrences, including their PerModule expenses. At the composite level, amounts scale with composite quantity. Module Merge instead prepares a new module draft: materials, labor, and PerUnit expense coefficients scale with the selected source quantities; PerModule expenses are added once. The source modules are not changed.

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7. Using Modules in Estimations

When you create an estimation:

• mapped IFC elements bring modules automatically
• you may add modules manually
• quantities flow from the IFC or from manual input
• the price list calculates costs

Modules ensure that every project speaks the same “cost language.”

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8. Versioning and Evolution

Modules evolve over time as:

• production rates improve
• design standards change
• materials change
• new suppliers appear
• lessons are learned from previous jobs

Darwin allows organizations to refine their module library continuously, strengthening their cost DNA.

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9. Best Practices for Building Modules

Use clear naming conventions

Include size, type, or specification.

Keep modules focused

Each module should represent a specific assembly, not a vague system.

Document assumptions

Add notes or specs so others understand the logic.

Avoid embedding prices

Let the price list handle cost values.

Review modules periodically

A strong module library is a strategic asset.

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10. Module Copilot

Module Copilot is an AI-assisted way to draft a module from a short description. Open it from Start → Module Copilot (/modules/copilot).

1. Describe the assembly in free text — for example, “interior gypsum partition with painted finish.”
2. Optionally set the system, unit of measure, and location (a map-assisted picker, defaulting to your organization’s distribution center).
3. Darwin proposes a module with editable materials, labor, and expenses line tables.
4. Review and adjust the proposed lines — a lower-bid or different-supplier alternative can be drafted the same way.
5. Import the module into your catalog to save it.

A few things worth knowing:

• Nothing is saved until Import — the search and edit flow runs in memory. Leaving the page or re-searching discards the working copy.
• Results are location-aware — the same description can return different rates at different locations, so set the location deliberately.
• Module Copilot follows the same assistant pattern as the materials/labor web search tools, but it is the richest tool of the three because it drafts all three cost categories at once.
• AI-generated expense lines default to PerUnit. Review their charge basis and coefficients before importing; an AI draft is not a verified module. Availability depends on your instance and release; see Darwin AI Assistant.

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11. Import Modules from Excel

To bring many existing assemblies at once, go to Catalog → Modules → Import from Excel and fill in Darwin’s Excel template, or send your workbook as it is (AI-assisted). You review every resource and total before anything is saved, and imported modules start Unverified. See Import Assemblies from Excel.

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12. Next Steps

Continue learning about price lists:

• ➡️ Create Your First Price List

OR

Explore the rest of the Catalog:

• ➡️ Materials
• ➡️ Labor
• ➡️ Categories