The New Generation of Construction Skills: Transition from Onsite to Offsite: Fid-Bau Portal

The New Generation of Construction Skills: Transition from Onsite to Offsite

Perera, Srinath / Ginigaddara, Buddhini / Feng, Yingbin / Rahnamayiezekavat, Payam

Offsite construction (OSC) is gaining popularity against traditional onsite construction, owing to digitalised, productive, safe, sustainable, and cost and time-efficient construction project delivery. OSC embraces manufacturing and construction tasks. This integrated approach is changing the skills required to assure project success. As such, a range of traditional construction skills are being substituted, eliminated, or marginalised. The transition of onsite skills to serve offsite activities is the focus of this chapter. The comparison is based on an analysis of onsite and offsite construction skills that are implemented for distinct types of predominantly industrialised construction projects. Five cases were studied to review the skills associated with five OSC types, namely components, panels, pods, modules, and complete buildings. Research findings reveal that non-volumetric OSC types (components and panels) require a higher quantity of onsite assembly skills, compared to volumetric OSC types (pods, modules, and complete buildings). Onsite skills in volumetric projects are limited to a smaller crew to form the substructure and fix building elements or the building. Design and drafting skills using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) techniques are exemplar OSC skills that need to be developed to reduce the skills shortage in OSC projects. Moreover, new skills are recognised that need to be generated to match the increasing OSC demand. They are integrated designers, logistics managers, and OSC project managers. Educational institutions and the government, along with industry practitioners have a leading role to play in developing these OSC skills to cater for industry requirements.