28th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) - Berkeley, California, USA - 2020

https://doi.org/10.24928/2020/0050

Why Is Product Modularity Underdeveloped in Construction?

Cecilia G. da Rocha1 & Lauri Koskela2

1 Lecturer, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), City Campus, Broadway, Bldg 11, Lv 11, NSW 2007, Australia, [email protected], doi.org/0000-0001-6764-1724
2Professor, School of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Huddersfield, Queen Street Building, Queen St., Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD1 3DU, United Kingdom, [email protected], 0000- doi.org/0003-4449-2281

Abstract

Product modularity (a term often associated with off-site construction/prefabrication) has been discussed in construction for a few decades. In spite of that, its understanding in this new context is still emergent. This paper sets out to explore why that is the case. The paper builds on both (i) recent investigations of this concept in construction, including empirical studies which are critically analysed here, and (ii) seminal works on the definition of product modularity in manufacturing. An important insight is that product modularity can benefit traditional construction (by adopting a space-oriented perspective), and thus should not be considered applicable only to off-site construction. Conversely, off-site construction does not ensure per se the adoption of product modularity (even though the terms might be sometimes perceived as closely related). Based on the analysis of literature and empirical cases, three limitations in the understanding and application of product modularity in construction are: (i) unclear boundaries between modules (namely, which components pertain to which module), (ii) invariant modules (namely, the components forming a module do not change depending on the combination in which it is used), and (iii) interfaces as synonymous with surfaces (despite the fact that an interface might entail more than one surface and vice-versa).

Keywords

Modular construction, interfaces, customisation, off-site construction.

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Reference

Rocha, C. G. & Koskela, L. 2020. Why Is Product Modularity Underdeveloped in Construction? , Proc. 28th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) , 697-708. doi.org/10.24928/2020/0050

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