Prefabrication in construction: an exploratory study of advantages and challenges in India and Portugal

Vijayakumar, Sharath Bandi

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/3888

Use this identifier to reference this record.

Name:	Description:	Size:	Format:
SHARATH PDF.pdf		2.91 MB	Adobe PDF	Download

Send Feedback

Authors

Vijayakumar, Sharath Bandi

Advisor(s)

Bártolo, Helena Maria Coelho da Rocha Terreiro Galha da Silva

Abstract(s)

The increase in city urbanization is causing unparalleled challenges worldwide by pressing radical advances in digital technology and innovation in the built environment. Nonetheless, prefabrication/modular construction has been used in the construction sector for quite a while, mainly to potentiate quicker construction delivery times, the emergence of new technologies together with the rise in labor shortages and growing costs and schedule pressures are changing how infrastructure and other built assets are designed, constructed and maintained. In this context, prefabrication is now considered a critical method for modernization, which can increase the speed, quality and efficiency of construction, worker safety, while reducing its environmental impacts compared to conventional construction practices. To gain an in-depth understanding on the current industry and scholar technology trends in this domain, this research work makes a systematic review of the most recent articles and scientific reports. An exploratory industrial survey was also conducted asking architects, engineers and contractors’ opinions on the Portuguese and Indian Construction & Environment prefabrication scenario, and get a better understanding on whether there is different cultural and technological perceptions on this area. The main results arrived at are that the use of prefabricated/modular construction should be further pursued in Portugal and India as many benefits, both economically and environmentally can come from this practice enabling greater efficiency to be achieved. Recommendations for future work highlight the need to further progress towards standardization and user-driven digital customization in off-site prefabrication factories. To meet the upcoming challenges, the construction sector must integrate new technologies into existing workflows, adopting advanced manufacturing processes on a large scale to produce building assets from prefabricated, customized modules.