Use of Modular and Offsite Technologies in Construction: Barriers and Pathways to Adoption

The construction industry struggles with low productivity, leading to time and budget overruns, ultimately escalating project costs. This research examines the barriers to adopting alternative construction technologies within the South African construction industry, including offsite and modular construction. The rationale for this study is that, despite numerous innovative technologies aimed at improving productivity and performance, these technologies have yet to be fully adopted, resulting in persistent low productivity levels. Through an in-depth literature review, the construction industry's current state was investigated to understand the selected technologies' background better. The research adopted a quantitative approach, collecting data from industry professionals through a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. The findings revealed that offsite construction is the most widely implemented technology, but proficiency still needs improvement. Critical barriers to using the technologies include a need for more client knowledge, insufficient skills and training, and limited resources. These barriers vary across the identified technologies and significantly impact construction performance. The study concludes that construction projects with knowledgeable clients that adopt alternative technologies, such as Offsite and Modular construction, will have better outcomes in terms of time, cost and productivity. Therefore, it is recommended that enhanced training initiatives should be established for clients to facilitate the adoption of these technologies, ultimately improving project performance. Further research is suggested to explore the extent to which the implementation of these technologies affects project performance using quantitative metrics of cost and time. @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-font-kerning:0pt; mso-ligatures:none; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}