Earlier this week, I shared an article that touted all the amazing benefits to be gained from prefabricating some assemblies offsite. So how long will it be before the entire construction industry shifts to a paradigm in which building consists primarily of assembling prefabricated components?
FMI, a management consulting firm that specializes in nonresidential construction, recently conducted a survey of 200 firms on their knowledge, use and strategy for implementing Building Information Modeling (BIM) and prefabrication. ENR’s Jim Parsons shares some insight from one of the study’s authors:
Right now, it is hardly surprising that contractors’ opinions and results are mixed, Hoover says. “We’re in a messy transition of baby boomers who want to hold on to old ways and new people coming in,” she says. “The better companies are luring younger workers who can deal with technology and understand change, and they’re the ones who will make prefabrication happen.”
Indeed, Hoover says prefabrication’s growth in construction may well be inevitable as its advantages continue to overshadow current work practices. “If you’re not willing to do things that will reduce schedule by 50%, reduce risk and improve safety, you’ll be out of it,” she adds.
Ultimately, what may attract more GCs and specialty contractors to understanding, adopting and improving their prefab mind-set is the same trend that affects other aspects of the industry—labor.
In other words, the “this is the way we’ve always done it” mentality is still a major driver of key construction strategic decisions.
AEC Forensics 