Offsite Manufacturing (OSM) has repeatedly been extoled as a panacea solution for addressing ‘traditional’ construction challenges – ergo: time, quality and cost. However, it is posited here that there are grounds to challenge this preconception, particularly from a technology perspective, given industry’s need to align to Industry 5.0. Arguably (and somewhat contentiously), the industry is still in the process of trying to understand the concepts underpinning Industry 4.0. Thus, in order to understand this perceived disparity, this research used the antecedents from CIB’s Offsite Production and Manufacturing research roadmap (TG74 – publication 372) produced in 2013 as a starting point for discussion. The initial “people-process-technology” constructs were evaluated to establish a starting trajectory. These were subsequently revisited for current/future use - cognisant of the need to align technology-related issues to Industry 5.0. Focus was placed on organisational transition, especially the impact of technology on production, resources and circularity; including the wider societal impact (generational needs, expectations and growth). The research methodological approach adopted used purposive OSM-specific literature, which was synthesised and pattern-matched to confirm the focus and direction of travel. The findings from this were then cross-examined with domain experts using two semi-structured questionnaires and three focus group sessions. The collective findings of primary data was then critiqued, codified and validated against ‘technology maturity readiness’ indicators to highlight organisational priorities and future transition pathways to Industry 5.0.

Purpose Circular economy (CE) and offsite construction (OSC) are two innovations for improving the construction industry's overall performance against a myriad of sustainability-driven agenda/initiatives. There is a real opportunity to conjoin OSC and CE to provide new insight and opportunities to deliver more evidence-based sustainable systems. This study analyses extant literature in CE and OSC (between 2000 and 2021) through a bibliometric review to tease out critical measures for their integration and transformation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a science mapping quantitative literature review approach employing bibliometric and visualisation techniques to systematically investigate data. The Web of Science (WoS) database was used to collect data, and the VOSviewer software to analyse the data collected to determine strengths, weights, clusters and research trends in OSC and CE. Findings Important findings emerging from the study include extensive focus on sustainability, waste, life cycle assessment and building information modelling (BIM), which currently serve as strong interlinks to integrate OSC and CE. Circular business models, deconstruction and supply chain management are emerging areas, with strong links for integrating CE and OSC. These emerging areas influence organisational and operational decisions towards sustainable value creation, hence requiring more future empirical investigations. Originality/value This study is a novel research using bibliometric analysis to unpick underpinning conduits for integrating CE and OSC, providing a blueprint for circular OSC future research and practice. It provides the needed awareness to develop viable strategies for integrating CE in OSC, creating opportunities to transition to more sustainable systems in the construction sector.

Architecture, Construction and Engineering (AEC) has historically reported low levels of productivity and performance, especially when compared with other sectors and industries such as automotive, aviation, manufacturing and ICT/telecoms. This is particularly concerning, given that this sector is a significant contributor to many countries Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Acknowledging this, and the fervent need to improve productivity as part of AEC’s digital transition to Industry 4.0 – the so-called Construction 4.0 - this paper explores some of contributory forces affecting this journey. One aspect of this transition is the examination of industrialisation, or indeed the level of technological sophistication applied to this sector, including the ‘success’ indicators used. A historical reflection on the industrialisation process is presented, including traditional industrialisation approaches from Late Industrialisation. Developing economies undergoing late industrialisation are seen as unique because they did not base their material development on inventions, but rather on the basis of learning – i.e., using ‘borrowed’ technology. From this literature, a qualitative [explorative] research approach was adopted based on the principles of Critical Realism. Findings from this were then applied to four focus groups with 23 industry professionals. Research findings highlighted that AEC was not industrialised per se, but simply modernised. Moreover, that access to modern techniques and technological sophistication were insufficient to support sector transformation through such conduits as industrialisation, knowledge management or indeed innovation. Findings also indicate the need to more purposefully align transformational thinking to socio-economic transition models, principally those underpinned by grounded learning paradigms aligned to key industrial policy institutions.

The construction sector and concomitant supply chain has been acknowledged in the literature as a major contributor to environmental “stress”, from the design, sourcing and extraction of raw materials through to transportation, design, construction and demolition. Clear indicators/solutions have been showcased as vehicles for reducing this stress, ranging from lifecycle costing through to waste reduction strategies, carbon assessment and “green” environmental assessment tools to name but a few. However, this paper argues that whilst some of these (intervention strategies) may have had some positive effects, the main challenge rests with people—inter alia, the key decision-makers and leadership structures with the “position power” to effect change. Acknowledging this as a supposition, this paper uses three discreet construction organisations engaging in offsite construction as a micro-study (cf. cross-case study) to evaluate sustainability perceptions. In doing so, it focuses specifically on sustainability practices and business processes underpinning technology (adoption, absorption and diffusion), including the perceptions of different stakeholders involved in each of these three companies. In total, 30 respondents from three organisations (cases) participated in this study, representing three tiers of management (top, middle and first line). Priority areas are highlighted, along with the reasons supporting these perspectives. Findings from this work present a new technology diffusion sustainability model for offsite construction. This model identifies sustainability causal links, super catalysts, actuators, barriers, forces and facilitators. More importantly perhaps, this work presents a clear case for “conjoined thinking” in order to instill a collective mindset change and common purpose for those wishing to evidence offsite sustainability.

Several countries have started to more purposefully apply advanced offsite delivery approaches to meet specific housing shortages. The United Kingdom (UK) is no exception. Whilst the concepts and benefits of Modern Methods of Construction are ‘typically’ well understood, it is generally accepted that there is a paucity of knowledge on the actual understanding of optimization per se, ergo, the interrelationships between processes, and the wider understanding of ‘pooling’ [resource management] to promote and maximize synergy - especially to target areas of lag or bottlenecks. In this respect, the research methodological approach adopted in this paper used a single case study to critically evaluate an offsite steel-frame solution for the offsite market to deliver social housing. This approach also evaluated the potential of Generative Design, Discrete Event Simulation, and Digital Twins. Findings of this ongoing research include new opportunities and strategies for these technology-driven solutions, culminating in the development of a new conceptual offsite hub-and-spoke model. These are presented for discussion. This model allows decision-makers to interact with data in order to optimise solutions in line with demand and resource requirements.

This paper reflects on the recurrent challenges facing Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC), noting that slow incremental changes have only just stated to address efficiency and product delivery systems underpinning its value proposition. Whilst these challenges embrace many areas, from quality through to waste and concomitant carbon footprint initiatives; the challenge here is “why have other sectors out-performed AEC in many of these areas?”. Acknowledging this, the work presented here challenges the industry to re-think its position, advocating the use of a new ‘prism’ - one which highlights new opportunities for exploitation, rather than re-examining parochial ‘traditional’ approaches. The rationalisation underpinning this treatise rests on the need for AEC to transition towards Industry 4.0. This work presents findings from three case study construction organisations based in Turkey. The foci concentrated on the use and application Offsite Construction (OSC) concepts, addressing the specific technology-related needs to transition to Industry 4.0. This is particularly important given the need for organisations to not only unlock their digital potential to improve performance and capability, but also leverage better value throughout the whole process. Emphasis was therefore placed on this transformative ‘journey’ using agility as the main prism. Research findings highlight the need to step back from adopting conventional thinking and linear approaches, to ones which help actuate evidenced-based levers for change: from conceptualising, embedding, implementing and diffusing new technology per se (into existing business systems and processes); but also embrace the macro, meso and micro drivers associated with the skills and people involved in the delivery of these products and services. In doing so, the paper presents a number of agility-driven innovation and exploitation opportunities, from Additive Manufacturing through to Distributed Ledgers and new data-centric logistic platforms.

Purpose The integration and automation of the whole design and implementation process have become a pivotal factor in construction projects. Problems of process integration, particularly at the conceptual design stage, often manifest through a number of significant areas, from design representation, cognition and translation to process fragmentation and loss of design integrity. Whilst building information modelling (BIM) applications can be used to support design automation, particularly through the modelling, amendment and management stages, they do not explicitly provide whole design integration. This is a significant challenge. However, advances in generative design now offer significant potential for enhancing the design experience to mitigate this challenge. Design/methodology/approach The approach outlined in this paper specifically addresses BIM deficiencies at the conceptual design stage, where the core drivers and indicators of BIM and generative design are identified and mapped into a generative BIM (G-BIM) framework and subsequently embedded into a G-BIM prototype. This actively engages generative design methods into a single dynamic BIM environment to support the early conceptual design process. The developed prototype followed the CIFE “horseshoe” methodology of aligning theoretical research with scientific methods to procure architecture, construction and engineering (AEC)-based solutions. This G-BIM prototype was also tested and validated through a focus group workshop engaging five AEC domain experts. Findings The G-BIM prototype presents a valuable set of rubrics to support the conceptual design stage using generative design. It benefits from the advanced features of BIM tools in relation to illustration and collaboration (coupled with BIM's parametric change management features). Research limitations/implications This prototype has been evaluated through multiple projects and scenarios. However, additional test data is needed to further improve system veracity using conventional and non-standard real-life design settings (and contexts). This will be reported in later works. Originality/value Originality and value rest with addressing the shortcomings of previous research on automation during the design process. It also addresses novel computational issues relating to the implementation of generative design systems, where, for example, instead of engaging static and formal description of the domain concepts, G-BIM actively enhances the applicability of BIM during the early design stages to generate optimised (and more purposeful) design solutions.

Purpose This paper aims to present an off-site construction (OSC) readiness maturity model for assessing the readiness of offsite construction companies in the Indian construction sector. Design/methodology/approach The research was conducted in three stages. The first stage consisted of a detailed literature review to document 17 different variables affecting the OSC adoption in India. In Stage 2, 15 semi-structured interviews were carried out where the participants were asked to refine those variables for the Indian context and define what would be different levels of attainment. In the third stage, another set of 5 semi-structure interviews was performed to validate the maturity levels and definitions. Findings A three-level OSC readiness maturity model is presented for discussion. This describes 17 variables at different levels of maturity. Practical Implications The proposed OSC readiness maturity model guides construction practitioners in India through a structured process to enable them to assess their OSC readiness in the market. This assessment enables them to evaluate and benchmark their processes through the strategic and operational phases. The maturity model also identifies the areas of concern and the scope for further development or change to secure the optimal advantage of OSC methods. Originality/value The research produced a model to assess the readiness of OSC adoption in the Indian construction sector. Although the model has been applied to the Indian construction sector, it can easily be modified to accommodate other OSM contexts.

Purpose This paper presents a bespoke model for understanding off-site construction (OSC) readiness among Indian construction organisations. This model presents 17 variables for discussion, the results from which help support OSC strategic decision-making. Design/methodology/approach Factor analysis was used to investigate the relationship between variables to group them into factors. After identifying 26 different variables, these were reduced to 17 using factor analysis and categorised into four groups. Descriptive statistical analysis and factor analysis using SPSS was used to develop a hierarchy of factors that affect OSC readiness in India. These findings were reinforced by five domain experts to support the results. Findings Minimising on-site duration, ensuring cost and time certainty and transportation issues were identified as the three most important factors, whereas lack of guidance and scepticism were among the lowest factors affecting the Indian OSC sector. Research limitations/implications This research is specifically focused on OSC within the Indian construction sector. As such, data collection, propagation and analysis should be constrained to the population context regarding inference, generalisability and repeatability. Practical implications The proffered OSC readiness model offers OSC practitioners an ability to assess the OSC readiness of construction organisations in India. This includes the evaluation and benchmarking of processes in both strategic and operational phases, including highlighting areas of concern and scope for further development (to achieve optimal advantage of OSC methods). Originality/value Originality rests with the use of factor analysis and descriptive statistical analysis to study the influence of different construction-related factors and variables on the OSC sector in India. This impact readiness model is context-specific to the Indian OSC sector – providing a unique insight into the causal factors and dependencies that can affect the adoption and uptake of modern methods of construction in India.