Characteristics of Project Organisations of the Japanese Construction Industry Focusing on the Modularity of Components

Satoshi Yoshida

doi:10.3389/fbuil.2021.591035

Abstract

Currently, technologies related to the construction industry have increased in their complexities and garnered important advancements. However, the pandemic upset the entire structure of industries, including the construction industry. Hence, a precise prescription is required for a right future direction of the construction industry. This study aims to provide a method for understanding the fundamental characteristics of the building industry via industrial analysis. In this article, the “Architecture concept” is adopted as an academic tool of consideration and is carried out a practical analysis on the building industry to provide a novel perspective. Previous studies analyzed several industries in this “architectural concept.” However, the analysis based on this concept has not progressed significantly for the building industry. Because this concept was created focusing on architecture, it has a high affinity with the building industry. Therefore, with the cooperation of multiple experts, we categorized the building components and modularization of the production process according to the selected indicators; then, we investigated the trends of the entire Japanese building industry. By analyzing the results of this survey, one can understand the basic correlation between the physical modularity of components and the independence of the design information creation process. This study contributes to providing the method to understanding the fundamental characteristics of the building industry and provides to presents the possibility of inter-industry and inter-regional comparisons from this perspective.

Highlights

In many aspects of the construction industry, including building demand, building planning ideas, supply chains, and building construction processes, the impact of the pandemic and the development of fundamental technology including information technology, computer technology and communication technology, have increased the prospects of novel systems requiring alterations (Bodenstein et al, 2020)
This paper focuses on such aspects of the construction industry, which are different from the automobile industry, and conducts basic discussions to understand its importance, potential, and danger
The purpose of this study is to develop a new industrial theory of the construction industry, and to create a prescription to demonstrate some of the future directions of the industry

Summary

Introduction

In many aspects of the construction industry, including building demand, building planning ideas, supply chains, and building construction processes, the impact of the pandemic and the development of fundamental technology including information technology, computer technology and communication technology, have increased the prospects of novel systems requiring alterations (Bodenstein et al, 2020). The approach to physical distance is being replaced by remote work and video conferencing (Brussevich et al, 2020; Kikuchi et al, 2020). This approach is consensually considered to be effective for collaborative design and component production across regions, which has never been implemented in the construction industry. The design of projects in the construction industry is performed in a multi-layered process (Bennett 1991). Many designers, such as architectural, architectural structural, and architectural equipment designers, as well as designers of components such as incidental products and systems, carry out designs according to conventional processes. In the case of a building with a high degree of complexity and large number of parts, architects, designers, and engineers of various parts, materials, and systems, collaborate to create designs

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