Researchers trying to get a handle on trends and benefits of off-site construction say studies are limited by a lack of consensus about what really qualifies as prefabrication. That aside, 93% of 312 responders to a recent online survey indicate they have used, "to some degree," off-site fabricated components, with precast concrete the most frequently used. Of the responders, 83% say they will use off-site construction to the same degree or more in the next year.
"We need to draw the line to make the distinction about what is prefab and what isn't," says Jonathan W. Elliott, a professor of construction management at Colorado State University who led a recent New Horizons Foundation study of mechanical-electrical-plumbing systems delivery, titled "Off-Site Construction, Modularization and Sheet Metal Prefabrication: Trends, Current Practice and Recommendations."