Abstract
The increasing demand for multifamily housing in the United States requires alternatives for building more affordable and sustainable housing to improve the quality of life for millions of families. Offsite construction (OSC) strategies may be a viable alternative for tackling this problem. Although the use of OSC is significant in the multifamily housing market in the world and it is also very promising in the US, a scarce amount of literature has focused on this topic. The purpose of this study is to identify specific factors that affect decisions on the use of OSC in multifamily housing in the US. Focusing on the sustainability dimensions of construction—social, environmental, and economic—the authors reviewed literature that was published between 2000 and 2019 and identified factors that are related to OSC adoption in general construction, in housing construction, and, more specifically, in multifamily housing construction in the US. Subsequently, a discussion on some important factors affecting decisions on the use of OSC in the American multifamily market is provided. The discussion focused on factors that, although important, have been under explored in the literature that addresses the use of OSC in multifamily projects, especially in the US, which are: customer’s attitude, building performance, and building comfort and indoor environmental quality (IEQ). In addition, a brief discussion regarding the importance of design to the uptake of OSC in multifamily projects is provided. This is one of the first studies dedicated to exploring the social, environmental, and economic factors that affect the use of OSC in multifamily housing in the US. The study also identifies research gaps, which serve as a roadmap for future research.
Highlights
Housing is one of the most basic human needs; the importance of ensuringReceived: 26 November 2020 Accepted: 21 December 2020 Published: 24 December 2020 universal access to adequate and affordable housing
The purpose of this study is: (1) to identify and provide an up-to-date analysis of factors that affect the use of offsite construction (OSC) in the context of multifamily housing construction in the US through the lens of sustainability, (2) define the important criteria to be considered in multifamily housing projects and how they relate to the factors identified in item 1, and (3) identify and discuss the specific factors that need to be addressed in future research focused on the use of OSC in the American multifamily housing market
The relevant factors that emerged from this analysis are presented in Table 6, namely customer’s attitude, building performance, and building comfort and indoor environmental quality (IEQ), which are identified in red and can be considered as soft factors in decisions that are related to OSC adoption
Summary
Housing is one of the most basic human needs; the importance of ensuringReceived: 26 November 2020 Accepted: 21 December 2020 Published: 24 December 2020 universal access to adequate and affordable housing. Affordability is extremely relevant in the housing market and research supports the use of OSC as a way to increase housing affordability and sustainability [2,3], to date, little research has focused on a broad analysis of the factors that affect the adoption of OSC in multifamily housing in the US. The purpose of this study is: (1) to identify and provide an up-to-date analysis of factors that affect the use of OSC in the context of multifamily housing construction in the US through the lens of sustainability, (2) define the important criteria to be considered in multifamily housing projects and how they relate to the factors identified in item 1, and (3) identify and discuss the specific factors that need to be addressed in future research focused on the use of OSC in the American multifamily housing market. The holistic approach that is based on the triple bottom line of sustainability ensures that all aspects of sustainability, which is, the social, economic, and environmental aspects are considered in decisions involving the use of OSC
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