A recent survey of AEC firms and real estate owners and developers found a strong majority that had deployed off-site construction in the previous 12 months and planned to utilize it to a greater extent going forward.
The Off-Site Construction Council of the National Institute of Building Sciences in Washington, D.C. conducted its 2018 Off-Site Construction Industry Survey as a follow-up to a 2014 survey to gauge the industry’s interest in off-site construction, which it defines as the planning, design, fabrication, and assembly of building elements at a location other than their final point of assembly onsite.
Ryan Smith of Washington State University and Kambaja Tarr of the University of Utah conducted and compiled the latest survey for NIBS.
“With the ongoing shortage of skilled craft workers (which exceeded two million in 2017), prefabrication in a controlled, off-site environment may become a necessity for many U.S. contractors attempting to remain competitive with a lower-skilled workforce,” the survey states. But as with any new process or technology innovation, and despite growing demand, ”uncertainties accompany the utilization of off-site construction.”
The commercial, multifamily and healthcare sectors are where off-site construction has been finding its greatest demand. Image: NIBS
A total of 205 participants responded to the 2018 Off-Site Construction Industry survey, versus 312 respondents to the 2014 poll. The participating companies provide a variety of different services, including construction management/general contracting (24.75% in 2018; 46.7% in 2014), engineering (21.72% and 38.3%), trade contracting (2.53% and 27.3%), architecture (87.88% and 15%), and owners/developers (10.1% and 8.3%).
Nearly nine of 10 respondents to the 2018 survey (87.72%) had used off-site fabricated components to some degree over the previous 12 months, and more than eight in 10 (81.63%) expected to engage off-site construction more often or the same amount in the following 12 months. (Both percentages were down slightly from the 2014 survey.)
The primary benefit identified in both surveys is a reduced overall project schedule, specifically the duration of the construction phase.
For more than three fifths of respondents (63.22%) designers, architects and engineers were the primary decision makers about when off-site construction is implemented, followed by construction managers or general contractors (47.67%), clients (41.97%), and others, primarily subcontractors (21.24%).
Keeping projects on schedule is where companies that deploy off-site construction have been seeing the greatest benefit. Image: NIBS
Interestingly, however, respondents stated that the most significant barrier to off-site construction is the culture of design and construction in general. Comments indicated that late design changes, lack of collaboration and an adversarial climate for project delivery leads to difficulties in realizing the benefits of off-site construction.
The survey notes that the building component fabrication industry is still maturing and needs more time to integrate effectively with site-built work. In addition, contractors are still learning how to manage off-site products for assembly on-site.
Transportation is another significant barrier: specifically, how far away a factory is located from the construction site.
Respondents in both surveys qualitatively noted that some projects, particularly those with long spans, may not be suited for the use of pre-fabricated elements, and that each project has unique requirements that must be met through an appropriate technical solution.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
200 East Brady
Until July 2004, 200 East Brady, a 40,000-sf, 1920s-era warehouse, had been an abandoned eyesore in Tulsa, Okla.'s Brady district. The building, which was once home to a grocery supplier, then a steel casting company, and finally a casket storage facility, was purchased by Tom Wallace, president and founder of Wallace Engineering, to be his firm's new headquarters.
| Aug 11, 2010
Great Solutions: Business Management
22. Commercial Properties Repositioned for University USE Tocci Building Companies is finding success in repositioning commercial properties for university use, and it expects the trend to continue. The firm's Capital Cove project in Providence, R.I., for instance, was originally designed by Elkus Manfredi (with design continued by HDS Architects) to be a mixed-use complex with private, market-...
| Aug 11, 2010
Reaching For the Stars
The famed Griffith Observatory, located in the heart of the Hollywood hills, receives close to two million visitors every year and has appeared in such films as the classic “Rebel Without a Cause” and the not-so-classic “Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.” Complete with a solar telescope and a 12-inch refracting telescope, multiple scientific exhibits, and one of the world...
| Aug 11, 2010
Holyoke Health Center
The team behind the new Holyoke (Mass.) Health Center was aiming for more than the renovation of a single building—they were hoping to revive an entire community. Holyoke's central business district was built in the 19th century as part of a planned industrial town, but over the years it had fallen into disrepair.
| Aug 11, 2010
The Art of Reconstruction
The Old Patent Office Building in Washington, D.C., completed in 1867, houses two Smithsonian Institution museums—the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum. Collections include portraits of all U.S. presidents, along with paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings of numerous historic figures from American history, and the works of more than 7,000 American artists.
| Aug 11, 2010
Seven tips for specifying and designing with insulated metal wall panels
Insulated metal panels, or IMPs, have been a popular exterior wall cladding choice for more than 30 years. These sandwich panels are composed of liquid insulating foam, such as polyurethane, injected between two aluminum or steel metal face panels to form a solid, monolithic unit. The result is a lightweight, highly insulated (R-14 to R-30, depending on the thickness of the panel) exterior clad...
| Aug 11, 2010
Back to Nature: Can wood construction create healthier, more productive learning environments?
Can the use of wood in school construction create healthier, safer, more productive learning environments? In Japan, there's an ongoing effort by government officials to construct school buildings with wood materials and finishes—everything from floors and ceilings to furniture and structural elements—in the belief that wood environments have a positive impact on students.
| Aug 11, 2010
Nurturing the Community
The best seat in the house at the new Seahawks Stadium in Seattle isn't on the 50-yard line. It's in the southeast corner, at the very top of the upper bowl. "From there you have a corner-to-corner view of the field and an inspiring grasp of the surrounding city," says Kelly Kerns, project leader with architect/engineer Ellerbe Becket, Kansas City, Mo.
| Aug 11, 2010
Two Rivers Marketing: Industrial connection
It was supposed to be the perfect new office. In July 2003, Two Rivers Marketing Group of Des Moines, Iowa, began working with Shiffler Associates Architects on a 14,000-sf building to house their rapidly growing marketing firm. Over the next six months they put together an innovative program that drew on unprecedented amounts of employee feedback.
| Aug 11, 2010
AIA Course: Historic Masonry — Restoration and Renovation
Historic restoration and preservation efforts are accelerating throughout the U.S., thanks in part to available tax credits, awards programs, and green building trends. While these projects entail many different building components and systems, façade restoration—as the public face of these older structures—is a key focus. Earn 1.0 AIA learning unit by taking this free course from Building Design+Construction.
