Zhai, X; Reed, R and Mills, A (2014) Addressing sustainable challenges in China: The contribution of off-site industrialisation. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 3(3), pp. 261-274. ISSN 2046-6099
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative approach to addressing increasing sustainable challenges facing China's built environment which are linked to a diverse range of factors including rapid economic and population growth. The research context includes mass urbanisation in and the Chinese construction industry's attitude towards adopting sustainable construction processes. The focus is placed on examining current on-site construction practices in China which have historically remained largely unchanged; this includes a high reliance on cheap labour accompanied by a substantial material waste. An alternative approach is to increase the uptake of off-site production in China's residential construction industry, however no previous studies have investigated the potential advantages and barriers of this alternative approach. Design/methodology/approach – In collaboration with an industry organisation a survey was completed by 110 construction professionals in China. The questionnaire referred to 21 individual factors relating to their perception about the current and potential future uptake of off-site production in construction processes in China. Findings – The results confirmed the existing level of off-site production in China's urban residential construction industry was relatively low. At present the cast-in-situ method was considered by stakeholders as the most effective approach. The findings also confirmed the benefits of off-site production are not fully understood by the housing construction industry in China. It is argued this knowledge gap reduces the Chinese construction industry's motivation levels when seeking to embrace the off-site production approach and adopt improved sustainable construction practices. Originality/value – This is an original study designed to address a gap in knowledge as there has been no previous research conducted into the use of off-site industrialised process in China. The results provide a valuable insight into the uptake of off-site production in the residential construction industry and will assist stakeholders and policymakers to increase the level of sustainability.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | China; construction; high rise; off-site industrialisation; sustainable processes |
| Index terms: | China, high rise, collaboration, population, methodology, construction process, questionnaire, off-site industrialization, motivation, survey, sustainable process, sustainable construction practice, sustainable construction, construction industry, in-situ, off-site production, construction professional, residential construction, built environment, urbanization |
| Subjects: | research methods, construction integration, management, manufacturing engineering, sustainable construction, professional development, health safety and environment, Geography, building construction, demography, infrastructure and transport systems, industry analysis, construction type, data collection methods, urban planning, psychology |
| Topics: | Governance, Sustainability, Construction Technology, Information Management, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Health and Safety, Business Strategy, Organizational Design, Site Management, Human Resources, Urban Studies |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here