34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) - Singapore, Singapore - 2026

https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0212

Understanding performance limits in off-site structural frame construction

Asitha Rathnayake1, Danny Murguia2, Ashan Senel Asmone3 & Campbell Middleton4

1Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-1389-7801
2Assistant Research Professor, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0003-1009-4058
3Research Associate, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-2173-3890
4Deceased; formerly, Emeritus Professor, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK, orcid.org/0000-0002-9672-0680

Abstract

Off-site construction is promoted as a means of improving productivity in the construction industry. Its standardised production processes create a favourable environment for applying lean principles. However, evidence suggests it does not always result in faster construction. We investigate the reasons by analysing the superstructure work package of a 14-storey residential building in London, using installation data for 2,070 precast columns, twin-wall cores, and lattice slab components. Construction speed, measured as the production rate (m² of floor area per day), showed a significant linear relationship with installation variability. Variability arose from factories producing similar components in batches for multiple projects, delays in issuing designs to factories, and out-of-sequence deliveries to sites with limited storage capacity. Handovers between off-site and on-site activities also exhibited greater variability than purely on-site handovers. The findings suggest that, if variability were minimised, construction speed would follow an inverse U-shaped trend, with initial improvements due to workers’ learning effects, followed by subsequent reductions associated with longer transportation distances for pre-manufactured components at higher levels. This study quantifies the variability-performance relationship in off-site construction and identifies the interface variability gradient between off-site and on-site handovers.

Keywords

Modular and off-site construction, productivity, variability, logistics, learning.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Rathnayake, A., Murguia, D., Asmone, A. S. & Middleton, C.. (2026). Understanding performance limits in off-site structural frame construction. In Hamzeh, F., Poshdar, M., & Garcia-Lopez,, N. P. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) (pp. 775–786). https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0212

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Rathnayake, A., Murguia, D., Asmone, A. S. & Middleton, C.. (2026). Understanding performance limits in off-site structural frame construction. IGLC34. https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0212

 

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