Outcomes of the State-of-the-art Symposium: status, challenges and future directions of offsite construction

Abstract

Offsite construction is facing slow adoption despite the fact it can be a suitable solution for addressing historical problems faced by the construction industry, such as labor shortages, construction safety, time and costs overrun, and waste. The controlled factory environment creates room for innovation similar to the techniques used in the manufacturing industry. Yet, as always, the progress and adaptation of innovative ideas are challenging in the construction sector. A growing role for off-site construction requires further research and development. More collaborative efforts, industry meetings, and academic symposia are needed to bring together different disciplines and bridge the current information gap. This paper aims to present the outcomes of the äóěSymposium on the State-of-the-Art of Modular Constructionäóť held in Gainesville, Florida from May 4th to 5th, 2017 that aimed to bring together major stakeholders in modular construction. It includes an analysis of the lectures and the survey that was distributed to industry and academic experts during the symposium. Also, it investigates the state-of-the-art of modular construction and focuses on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that come with this building technique.

Building Code Compliance for Off-Site Construction

“…Off-site construction or prefabrication provides a way forward for meeting the quality and affordable housing demand in many countries. However, to leverage its productivity key, a conducive regulatory environment to support the code of compliance is essential (Fenner et al, 2018, Salama et al, 2018, McKinsey & Company, 2019. Using a cross-comparison case study approach, this research collected data regarding compliance and assurance practices from Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Australia, Singapore and China, where off-site construction plays a main role in their country.…”

“…Several studies have investigated quality assurance and compliance for off-site construction (Arashpour et al, 2015, Lee andKim, 2017). However, understanding what constitutes an efficient legal framework that supports the adoption of modernized construction methods, including prefabricated building technology in the housing sector, has proved difficult (Wong et al, 2017, Fenner et al, 2018, Salama et al, 2018, Jiang et al, 2018. Given that the concern over the quality of prefabrication appears to be the major hindrance in its broader application (Barbosa andWoetzel, 2017, McKinsey &Company, 2019), this paper aims to investigate compliance and quality assurance practice in six case studies from Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, China, Singapore and Australia, where manufactured buildings play a significant role in their housing sectors.…”

A BIM-lean framework for digitalisation of premanufacturing phases in offsite construction

“…Indeed, Jin et al (2018) identify the integration of BIM and lean with technological applications as a strong research trend in the following years during their review of offsite construction topics. However, even with the implementation of information technologies (BIM) and lean frameworks into offsite construction processes, factories still encounter major challenges as the whole sector remains behind (Fenner et al, 2018). This is likely the result of a disconnect between current studies and current practices where BIM-Lean approaches are in dire need of being integrated with other digital technologies (Hosseini et al, 2018).…”