Iacovidou, E, Purnell, P, Tsavdaridis, K orcid.org/0000-0001-8349-3979 et al. (1 more author) (2021) Digitally Enabled Modular Construction for Promoting Modular Components Reuse: A UK View. Journal of Building Engineering, 42. 102820. ISSN 2352-7102
Abstract
The UK construction sector is facing multiple challenges associated with low productivity, unreliable project delivery, poor performance, skilled labour shortages, and resource inefficiency. Modular construction has been increasingly promoted by the UK government and industry to address those challenges, and improve efficiency and productivity in the construction sector. While modular construction can help deliver sustainability credentials in the sector by improving resource efficiency at all stages of the construction process upstream, i.e. at the design, manufacture and construction, it appears to be divorced from the construction stages occurring downstream (i.e. disassembly and end-of-life management). This could shift resource inefficiency elsewhere in the system, creating future problems for the sector to deal with. In this article we provide an overview of the current state of modular construction and digitalisation in the UK as promoted by the government and industry, and outline key obstacles in modular construction’s mainstream use. We argue that there is a real opportunity in using modular construction to promoting resource efficiency and productivity in the construction sector as a whole, via integrating innovation upstream and downstream of the construction system. This could be achieved via a digitally enabled modular construction, whereby smart technologies are combined with modular construction, to promote the maintenance, recovery and reuse of modular components and reduce waste generation in the sector. For this to take precedence we need to think of the ‘end’ right at the beginning of the design stage. Integrating smart technologies in modular components can operationalise the collection and storage of components’ lifecycle information and build the capability needed to support such activities via an improved collaboration between all stakeholders involved in the construction value chain.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is an author produced version of an article published in Journal of Building Engineering. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Civil Engineering (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 23 Jun 2021 07:59 |
Last Modified: | 28 Jun 2022 08:10 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102820 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:174725 |
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