Zhai, X; Reed, R and Mills, A (2014) Factors impeding the offsite production of housing construction in China: An investigation of current practice. Construction Management and Economics, 32(1-2), pp. 40-52. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
The promotion of offsite production is a possible future strategic direction for the construction industry as it provides economic, environmental and social benefits. However, in China, the uptake of offsite production, particularly in the housing sector, is relatively low and few studies have identified and examined the reasons behind this trend. This research gap is addressed and factors that inhibit the wider use of offsite production in China's housing construction industry are investigated. A questionnaire survey was carried out, examining the views of 110 construction professionals in China including developers, designers, contractors, manufacturers and suppliers. Factor analysis of 21 separate variables was undertaken which extracted six principal factors, namely: 'constructability implementation', 'social climate and attitudes', 'architectural performance', 'costing', 'supply chain' and 'preparatory stage'. The findings identify both barriers and challenges to increasing the uptake of offsite production in China. This provides a rare insight about the housing construction industry in China with possible implications for other developing countries that are seeking to identify and overcome barriers to the wider uptake of offsite production.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | China; housing construction; offsite production; sustainability |
| Index terms: | promotion, designer, construction professional, residential construction, investigation, factor analysis, costing, constructability, construction industry, implementation, manufacturer, developing country, social benefit, survey, questionnaire, China, housing |
| Subjects: | statistical analysis, industry analysis, accounting and finance, construction integration, management, theoretical framing, development economics, professional development, Geography, contractual arrangements, construction type, profession, data collection methods, practitioner |
| Topics: | Design Practice, Human Resources, International Construction, Roles and Professions, Construction Technology, Procurement, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Information Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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