Offsite construction adoption in Jordan: an exploration of professionals’ opinions

Purpose Offsite construction (OSC) has emerged as a method for enabling growth of the construction industry by fundamentally changing how places are delivered. However, addressing the barriers to OSC adoption requires particular strategies aligning with construction organisations’ and practitioners’ capabilities and literacy. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the current state of the strategies used to overcome the barriers to OSC adoption in Jordan. Design/methodology/approach Alongside a critical review of literature, this study employed a qualitative design approach using semi-structured interviews with 13 professionals engaged in OSC projects in Jordan. Interviewees were selected through purposive sampling to ensure a range of relevant expertise. The gathered data were first recorded and coded, then manually analysed. The participant pool is carefully selected to provide a credible overview of the intended geographical context. Findings The findings underline several limitations, from a people perspective, there is a lack of awareness of OSC capabilities. The results reveal a need for further customisation and enhanced capability to implement established project management approaches, including Just-in-Time (JiT). Technologically, the construction sector lags in adopting Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other advanced technologies, in turn influencing OSC. Furthermore, the findings emphasise the potential benefits of enhancing training, collaboration and early design freeze through Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) principles. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, extended reality (XR) and other technologies can also improve the quality of OSC projects in Jordan. Originality/value The importance and originality of this study is that it advances knowledge by evaluating extant strategies to address the barriers to OSC adoption in Jordan, which builds on earlier research efforts within the relevant geographical context. The principal theoretical contribution of this research is the contextualisation of established strategies for addressing the barriers to OSC adoption within Jordan’s construction system, offering insights into their limitations and applicability in an emerging market context. This provides further understanding that supports the broader adoption of OSC and the local policy agenda in developing contexts.