SUSTAINABILITY AND OPTIMIZATION OF PREFABRICATED HOUSING IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: A LIFE CYCLE AND SUPPLY CHAINPERSPECTIVES

The demand for sustainable, low-cost housing in Southern Africa increasingly faces a challenge that is extremely critical due to rapidid urbanization, with economic disparity. Prefabricated housing allows for reduced waste of materials, energy, and construction time, hence offering a promising alternative to traditional construction methods. However, its sustainability and efficiency in supply chains have hardly been explored within the Southern African context. In general, this article integrates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Circular Economy (CE) strategies, and supply chain optimization to benchmark the environmental and economic and social sustainability of prefabricated housing. Results show that emissions are mainly linked to raw materials extraction, whereas manufacturing is the most energy-consuming production stage. The paper however finds that sourcing materials locally reduces transports' emissions which aids in seeking to move towards a sustainable process. Lean manufacturing is also found to be important as it means minimal waste produced during production. However, large-scale market penetration is still impeded by high upfront costs, lack of access to finance, and inefficiencies in the logistical system. The drivers for sustainable prefabrication are policy interventions, integration of digital tools such as Building Information Modelling, and new financing models. These findings provide a platform for industry stakeholders, and developers to improve the adoption of sustainable prefabricated housing in Southern Africa.