<p>The United States presents the appropriate conditions for a wider
adoption of offsite construction (OSC): steady growth in the construction
industry, high construction wages, shortage of labors, and demand for housing –
especially multifamily housing. The multifamily housing market is overheated,
but many design and construction companies are still struggling to stay strong
in this market, marked by tight profit margins, high competitiveness and
inefficiencies. OSC presents itself as a solution to help design and
construction companies to become more efficient and resilient to potential
market crises. However, the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC)
industry is hesitant to move to higher levels of OSC adoption, mainly because
stakeholders, including owners, developers, designers, and construction
companies, are not aware of the potential benefits resulting from OSC and are
not prepared to promote the changes necessary for the successful adoption of
OSC or for the engagement in modular construction, which would represent an
important move towards industrialized construction. This study focused on how
to implement strategic changes in design and construction companies,
particularly small and medium-size enterprises, interested in successfully
using OSC in multifamily housing projects, considering the need for more affordable
and sustainable multifamily housing in the United States. Using mixed methods,
the study involved five phases of data collection and data analysis and had the
contribution of professionals from the AEC industry. Focusing only on the AEC
industry of the United States, the researcher first identified the main factors
affecting the use of OSC in multifamily projects, as well as the most important
changes that design and construction companies need to adopt for the successful
use of OSC in multifamily projects. The factors and the changes helped to
structure and shape the scope of the principles, which were later consolidated
and validated through research with professionals from design and construction
companies. The final set of eight principles was divided into four topics: (1)
strategy and business model, (2) people, organization, and culture, (3) technology,
materials, and tools, and (4) processes and operations. In addition to helping
to shape more efficient and resilient construction companies, the application
of the proposed principles contributes to building more affordable and
sustainable housing in the United States.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/17147972 |
| Date | 19 December 2021 |
| Creators | Sara Gusmao Brissi (11813714) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Principles_for_the_adoption_of_offsite_construction_in_design_and_construction_companies/17147972 |
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