Ellis, L; Rodriguez, S; Al-Mhdawi, M K S and Dawood, N (2024) Beyond bricks and mortar: A review of sustainable methods and their benefits in off-site timber construction for social housing in the UK. In: Thomson, C (ed.) Proceedings of 40th Annual ARCOM Conference, 2-4 September 2024, London South Bank University, UK.
Abstract
Building information modelling (BIM), life-cycle assessment (LCA) and off-site timber construction are increasingly applied to the built environment. However, the social housing sector in the UK is evidentially behind on applying these to their homes. Despite the trend of traditional construction for the sector, such as, block and brick, a paradigm shift is needed to fully transition to modern methods of construction (MMC). Transitioning to MMC using timber construction and integrating the use of BIM & LCA could offer the opportunity for the social housing sector to modernise and become more sustainable. To this end, the aim of this research is to enhance the sustainability of social housing in the UK by identifying the benefits of methods that can replace traditional construction. To achieve this, a Systematic Literature Review of prior work from 2014 to 2024 will be adopted for data collection and analysis. This paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing a foundational foothold for researchers and industry professionals to make informed strategic decisions on sustainable construction for social housing.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building information modelling; life-cycle assessment; modern methods of construction; social housing; timber |
| Index terms: | sustainable construction, paradigm, traditional construction, mortars (material), modern methods of construction, systematic literature review, timber construction, social housing, building information modelling, built environment, body of knowledge |
| Subjects: | education and knowledge transfer, information systems, sustainable construction, building construction, heritage and conservation, design practice, housing and residential development, infrastructure and transport systems, research evaluation and metrics, building materials, knowledge management |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Construction Technology, Research Practice, Construction Materials, Sustainability, Design Practice, Urban Studies, Information Management |
| 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