A holistic review of off-site construction literature published between 2008 and 2018. (20th November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jin, Ruoyu; Gao, Shang; Cheshmehzangi, Ali; Aboagye-Nimo, Emmanuel
• Is Part Of: Journal of cleaner production. Volume 202(2018)
• Page Start: 1202
• Page End: 1219
• Publication Date: 2018-11-20
• Subjects: Off-site construction (OSC) -- Prefabrication -- Scientometric analysis -- Science mapping -- Literature review; Factory and trade waste -- Management -- Periodicals; Manufactures -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Déchets industriels -- Gestion -- Périodiques; Usines -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; 628.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.08.195
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-6526

Abstract

Abstract: Off-site construction (i.e., OSC) has become an emerging research domain in the recent decade. Through a three-step holistic review approach incorporating bibliometric search, scientometric analysis, and in-depth qualitative discussion, this study contributes to the body of knowledge in OSC by critically reviewing and summarizing: 1) the latest research keywords and main research topics in OSC; 2) the performance of OSC compared to that of conventional construction approach; 3) current research gaps in integrating OSC with other emerging construction concepts; and 4) future research directions in OSC. OSC is a domain that can be extended to cross-disciplinary research from the perspectives of engineering, management, and technology. Existing research have been focusing on many research disciplines, such as structural behaviors and joint connections of prefabricated components, scheduling and planning of off-site activities, as well as performance evaluation of OSC. However, further research is needed in integrating the emerging digital construction technology, integrated project delivery method, lean construction, and issues of sustainability of OSC. There are still limited studies linking OSC to the concept of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly. Future research should also adopt a larger database and allow for comprehensive evaluation of OSC performance. Highlights: The research adopted a three-step holistic review of off-site construction. Journal articles in OSC from recent ten years were analyzed. Main OSC research topics were summarized. Main gaps in existing OSC research were identified. Research framework in OSC was proposed.