Modularisation and offsite in engineering construction: an early decision-support tool

Abstract

Modularisation and offsite manufacture are increasing in the engineering construction sector. Decision-support tools for determining a project's suitability for offsite modular construction are currently limited or outdated, leading to decisions being based mainly around capital cost, experience or intuition. This paper reports on the development of a robust, empirically-based decision-support tool for decision makers and clients. A mixed-method methodology was conducted involving engineering construction clients, contractors, consultants and suppliers from all over Europe, after which the tool was developed, piloted and validated with practicing engineers. It is the first globally-applicable tool enabling informed and auditable decisions on using an offsite modular approach for project delivery.

Stakeholder management in prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction projects: benchmarking the key result areas

“…One major disruption in the construction industry is the transition towards off-site manufacturing (OSM): a construction business model whereby building components are manufactured in a specialized off-site factory and subsequently transported to a job site for final assembly and installation (Blismas, 2007;Goodier et al, 2019). Arguably, wider adoption and implementation of OSM could transform the "construction industry" into a "production industry" (Linner and Bock, 2012).…”

Critical supply chain vulnerabilities affecting supply chain resilience of industrialized construction in Hong Kong

“…In one major response, industrialized construction (IC) is proliferating worldwide (Goodier et al, 2019), enabling better quality, improved safety and reliability in the construction process (Wang et al, 2019). IC covers the streamlining of processes and products from offsite fabrication (Gibb, 1999).…”

Proposal for the Promotion of Standardization of Precast Beams in Highway Concrete Bridges

“…The biggest advantages of off-site compared with traditional construction are thought to be the decreased construction time on site, increased quality and elimination of defects (Goodier and Gibb, 2007). A systematic presentation of the literature's perceptions on benefits and drawbacks associated with the use of prefabrication in construction has also been given in Goodier et al (2019). However, according to Lu et al (2018), although prefabrication has great potential to overweigh conventional construction methods in many aspects, it is not a cure-all solution that automatically promises benefits; it needs due consideration of the wider environment forces, i.e., political, economical, social, and technological factors like, e.g., policies, standards, guidelines, labor, social attitude, resources and site logistics.…”