Typologies of offsite construction

Abstract

In the 21st century, where smart and modern technologies are developed at an expeditious rate, construction industry has survived over centuries, despite its slow rate of technology adaptations, poor productivity, lower sustainability and vastly reported skill shortage. Technological advancement is the catalyst to solve these issues attaching extreme significance to transform the construction industry in line with industrialisation, digitalisation and globalisation. Sequential industrial revolutions have evolved to the present day’s Fourth Industrial Revolution which is also known as Industry 4.0, under which offsite construction leads to the reduction of onsite labour intensity and shift the tasks to factory based manufacturing paradigms. Study on offsite construction revealed different types of offsite construction available in literature; none of which specified a logical method of offsite construction types development to suit the current technology advancements in the global construction arena. Available literature rather mention types of offsite construction based on examples and not the construction technology or combination of onsite to offsite work component. Therefore, this research was carried out to develop typologies of offsite construction using 10 available types of offsite construction. Literature was analysed using content analysis method through the NVivo 2012 (QSR) computer software. Findings revealed six typologies of offsite construction with incrementing portions of offsite construction in the order of; Components, Panels, Pods, Modules, Complete buildings and Flat pack. Therefore, this research contributes to knowledge by the development of typologies of offsite construction through a scientific approach while addressing the 21st century technology advancements available in the construction industry worldwide.