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Benefit evaluation for off-site production in construction

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  • Nick Blismas
  • Christine Pasquire
  • Alistair Gibb

Abstract

Evaluating to what extent a component or building system should be produced off-site is inadequate within the industry. The potential benefits of off-site production (OSP) are commonly cited when justifying an OSP approach, yet holistic and methodical assessments of the applicability and overall benefit of these solutions, to a particular project, have been found to be deficient. Common methods of evaluation simply take material, labour and transportation costs into account when comparing various options, often disregarding other cost-related items such as site facilities, crane use and rectification of works. These cost factors are usually buried within the nebulous preliminaries figure, with little reference to the building approach taken. Further, softer issues such as health and safety, effects on management and process benefits are either implicit or disregarded within these comparison exercises. Yet it is demonstrated that these issues are some of the most significant benefits of OSP. A series of case studies demonstrated that evaluation focus is almost solely on direct material and labour costs of components, without explicit regard for the wider cost or soft issue implications of OSP on a project. The paper argues that until evaluation is more holistic and value-based rather than cost-based, OSP uptake in construction will be slow.

Suggested Citation

  • Nick Blismas & Christine Pasquire & Alistair Gibb, 2006. "Benefit evaluation for off-site production in construction," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(2), pages 121-130.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:conmgt:v:24:y:2006:i:2:p:121-130
    DOI: 10.1080/01446190500184444
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alistair Gibb, 2001. "Standardization and pre-assembly- distinguishing myth from reality using case study research," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 307-315.
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    2. Seoyoung Jung & Seulki Lee & Jungho Yu, 2021. "Identification and Prioritization of Critical Success Factors for Off-Site Construction Using ISM and MICMAC Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-21, August.
    3. Qianqian Shi & Jianbo Zhu & Marcel Hertogh & Zhaohan Sheng, 2018. "Incentive Mechanism of Prefabrication in Mega Projects with Reputational Concerns," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-16, April.
    4. Truong Dang Hoang Nhat Nguyen & Hyosoo Moon & Yonghan Ahn, 2022. "Critical Review of Trends in Modular Integrated Construction Research with a Focus on Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-23, September.
    5. Johan Larsson & Per Erik Eriksson & Thomas Olofsson & Peter Simonsson, 2014. "Industrialized construction in the Swedish infrastructure sector: core elements and barriers," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(1-2), pages 83-96, February.
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    10. Hong Xue & Shoujian Zhang & Yikun Su & Zezhou Wu, 2017. "Factors Affecting the Capital Cost of Prefabrication—A Case Study of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-22, August.
    11. Ornella Iuorio & Andrew Wallace & Kate Simpson, 2019. "Prefabs in the North of England: Technological, Environmental and Social Innovations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-14, July.
    12. Longhui Liao & Evelyn Ai Lin Teo & Ruidong Chang & Xianbo Zhao, 2020. "Diffusion of Building Information Modeling in Building Projects and Firms in Singapore," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-23, September.
    13. Jingyuan Shi & Jiaqing Sun, 2023. "Prefabrication Implementation Potential Evaluation in Rural Housing Based on Entropy Weighted TOPSIS Model: A Case Study of Counties in Chongqing, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, March.
    14. Patrick Dallasega & Erwin Rauch, 2017. "Sustainable Construction Supply Chains through Synchronized Production Planning and Control in Engineer-to-Order Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-25, October.

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