Adopting product modularity in house building to support mass customisation

Cecília G. Da Rocha, Carlos Torres Formoso, Patrícia Tzortzopoulos

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

35 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Product modularity is a concept that can contribute to the improvement of product quality and production efficiency in house-building. However, there is a lack of consensus in the literature on the concepts that define product modularity. Furthermore, little attention has been given to the differences between building construction and manufacturing, for which product modularity was originally developed. This research aims to address that gap by adapting the conceptualization of product modularity so that it can effectively be used in the house-building industry. The methodological approach adopted in this study was Design Science Research, and two empirical studies were carried out on construction companies based in Brazil and in the U.K. Those studies are used to illustrate the applicability and utility of the proposed concepts and tools. Research findings indicate that the adoption of product modularity concepts results in benefits to both traditional construction technologies and prefabricated building systems.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4919-4937
Number of pages19
JournalSustainability
Volume7
Issue number5
Early online date24 Apr 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2015

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