Critical Reflections on 25 Years of Using Prefabrication and Modularisation in UK Construction

Abstract

AbstractOver 25 years the author undertook, in their role as construction planner at Tier 1 UK contractors, planning, programme management, and progress monitoring of offsite manufactured, prefabricated, and modularised elements on new-build construction projects between £0.5M and £100.0M. Based on empirical evidence, this study draws on personal experience in an industry grappling with modern methods of construction between 1995 and the present day, including involvement in the AMEC Education schools programme in the early 2000s to development of a prefabrication and modular process framework for BAM Construction (North West) almost 20 years later. A considerable lack of expertise is apparent within Government, associated bodies, and professional institutes, when it comes to applying knowledge and learning to the productivity problem, and offsite construction in particular. With a clear aim to provide a reflective account of P&M efficacy to explore value in programme delivery, the paper draws authentic experience into a research environment to allow an informed contribution to the topical conversation around offsite manufacturing, prefabrication, and modularisation, and debates its reputation as a panacea for construction’s productivity challenge. The study critically reviews 35 examples of offsite construction, including precast frames, structural timber frames, prefabricated steel roof trusses, pre-assembled brickwork panels, prefabricated mechanical and electrical service modules (corridors and risers), hotel bathroom pods, fully modular offices, unitised glazed facades, package pumping stations, and attenuation tanks. Offsite manufacturing, prefabrication, and modularisation are used with some degree of success in the construction industry, however inefficiencies are common due to haphazard allocation plus a tendency to utilise on sections of work that possess programme float. The presumption that offsite, prefabrication, and modular is always good all of the time is flawed, creates a false sense of project success, and denies the chance to honestly appraise and maximise its potential.KeywordsOffsitePrefabricationModularisationProgrammeReflective