Wood waste reduction through volumetric modular building techniques

In 2018, the United States’ construction and demolition sector produced 41 million tons of wood waste, 73 % of which went to landfills. Transitioning to a circular economy is one way to reduce organic construction waste in landfills and, therefore, reduce methane emissions. Modular construction techniques present one approach to advance circular economy in construction. This study examines whether volumetric modular construction produces less wood framing waste than traditional site-built construction. Using a comparative case study method, researchers found that the controlled factory environment of volumetric modular construction allowed for substantially increased wood waste aversion and diversion over traditional site-built construction. Our findings suggest wood waste savings of 32 % and an 88–91 % reduction in waste that went to the landfill. Even allowing for differences in measurement accuracy and the inferential limitations of case studies, our results provide new evidence regarding the relative efficiency and environmental impact of volumetric modular construction. Further, this study highlights that modular construction techniques intrinsically support the aims of a circular economy through elimination of waste through superior design and systems. While this study focused on wood materials within a given industry sector and region, opportunities for further research to expand this study through the investigation of other materials within the off-site construction industry exist. • Transition to a circular economy can reduce waste in landfills and extend the useful life of construction materials. • VMC's controlled factory environment can reduce wood framing waste by 32 % compared to site-built construction. • Of the wood framing waste generated and sorted, VMC can reduce landfill waste from contaminated dumpsters by as much as 91 %. • VMC's factory environment is conducive to material sorting and reuse, thus greater procedural ‘circularity’ was observed.