Duncheva, T A (2019) Offsite timber systems multi-factor productivity index. PhD thesis, University of Strathclyde, UK.
Abstract
The construction industry in the UK has been characterised in recent years by stagnating productivity. Offsite methods of construction which involve building in a factory environment, have been suggested as part of the solution to this issue. Within the current economic context, this thesis focussed on timber systems and examined the existing literature relating to their Multi-Factor Productivity (MFP) measurements, identifying a gap in knowledge relating to comparative MFP index for different offsite timber systems. A subsequent market perception survey amongst built environment professionals highlighted an opportunity for offsite timber systems to increase efficiency. However the responses indicated the importance of examining advanced offsite timber systems such as Volumetric Timber Construction (VTC) in comparison to established in the UK market panelised timber systems. A manufacturing survey was then undertaken which compared the productivity ofVTC manufacturers in the UK and mainland Europe with open and closed timber panel manufacturing techniques in the UK. The main findings from the survey were that the European VTC and UK panelised manufacturers had similarly high productivity and the UKVTC manufacturers had potential for growth. The MFP of four timber construction projects was then analysed: two low-rise residential projects (using open timber panel and VTC), and two mid-rise residential developments (one using closed timber panels and one using cross laminated timber). The results revealed that increased offsite completion in the factory could result in increased construction productivity however external and internal works were still a major challenge to efficiency. The overall analysis was used to outline a theoretical framework for an innovative MFP index with five key quantified variables and five secondary qualitative variables. This index facilitates the measurement and comparison of construction productivity between a variety of different structural systems and is one of the unique contributions to knowledge generated in this thesis.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | manufacturing; offsite; productivity; residential; timber; UK |
| Index terms: | efficiency, Europe, productivity, built environment, residential development, construction productivity, construction industry, cross-laminated timber, manufacturer, survey, residential project, timber construction |
| Subjects: | economic development, physical geography and landforms, practitioner, operations management, performance management, management, design practice, industry analysis, infrastructure and transport systems, data collection methods, building materials |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Geographical Context, Project Management, Design Practice, Urban Studies, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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