Modular vs Conventional Construction: A Multi-Criteria Framework Approach

The use of modular construction methods for projects offers significant time and environmental improvement relative to conventional construction methods. Currently, there is a lack of appropriate assessment approaches to capture the differences between modular and conventional construction. This paper proposes a framework to aid decision makers in choosing between the latter construction methods through the integration of building information models with material libraries, project schedules and machinery inventory. A fixed set of performance parameters, whose attributes are shared among both construction methods, are defined to allow for a reasonable comparison across multiple criteria, including embodied carbon, productivity and total construction costs expended. The dynamics of the project are incorporated by modelling the various stages of the project within a building information model. The proposed framework is tested on a realistic case example, highlighting its applicability as a decision support tool for construction method selection.