Construction-Oriented Architectural Design in Off-Site Construction Towards Lean Construction and Management

Abstract

The rapid development of Off-site Construction (OSC) has closely linked it to Lean Construction (LC). The importance of design has been highlighted in LC as the primary means to produce value to clients. However, the adoption of lean thinking is still modest in design. Although most research target the lean design theories and their adoption in LC or OSC, there is limited understanding of terminological and cross-sectoral problems without sufficiently considering the different contexts (incompatibilities) among manufacturing, construction, and architecture, hindering the effective use of lean thinking in the design stage, especially in architectural design. This paper clarifies the OSC architectural design methods and presents how design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) guidelines are considered as design principles to incorporate lean thinking into OSC architectural design to achieve a constructible design towards lean construction goals in OSC projects. This study shows new insights into the cross-sectoral understanding of incorporating lean design from the manufacturing industry to architectural design. An interdisciplinary study pathway is explored focusing on coordinating lean design and Architectural design to achieve lean management.