Towards a more extensive application of off-site construction: a technological review

Off-site Construction (OSC) has been recognised as a promising construction method to tackle challenges of constructing structurally and functionally intricate contemporary buildings. The recent research works start to leverage emerging technologies to design, build, operate and maintain OSC projects. A rational understanding of technology development, bottlenecks and solutions is certainly of pivotal importance to the broader uptake of OSC in the global construction industry. This study identified a total of 969 publications from Web of Science and conducted a scientometric analysis to examine the literature body of knowledge, which includes the state-of-the-art technologies, challenges and possible recommendations for promoting OSC through technological aids. The uniqueness of this study lies in connecting the traditional OSC industry to innovative technological paradigms and collaborators including architects, engineers, building professionals and property managers; along with suppliers of building materials, software, manufacturing equipment, and prefabricated systems. It is believed this paper will enhance the sector’s confidence in addressing the encountering problems associated with conventional project delivery and technological evolvement and make use of the lessons learnt from this study into the futuristic OSC work practice.