Integrating Off-Site Modular Construction and BIM for Sustainable Multifamily Buildings: A Case Study in Rio de Janeiro

Matheus Q. Vargas, Ana Briga-Sá, Dieter Boer, Mohammad K. Najjar () and Assed N. Haddad ()
Additional contact information
Matheus Q. Vargas: Programa de Pós Graduação em Engenharia Civil, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói 24210-240, Brazil
Ana Briga-Sá: ECT—School of Science and Technology, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Dieter Boer: Departament d’Enginyeria Mecànica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Mohammad K. Najjar: Programa de Engenharia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil
Assed N. Haddad: Programa de Engenharia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-28

Abstract: The construction industry faces persistent challenges, including low productivity, high waste generation, and resistance to technological innovation. Off-site modular construction, supported by Building Information Modeling (BIM), emerges as a promising strategy to address these issues and advance sustainability goals. This study aims to evaluate the practical impacts of industrialized off-site construction in the Brazilian context, focusing on cost, execution time, structural weight, and architectural–logistical constraints. The novelty lies in applying the methodology to a high standard, mixed-use multifamily building, an atypical scenario for modular construction in Brazil, and employing a MultiCriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to integrate results. A detailed case study is developed comparing conventional and off-site construction approaches using BIM-assisted analyses for weight reduction, cost estimates, and schedule optimization. The results show an 89% reduction in structural weight, a 6% decrease in overall costs, and a 40% reduction in project duration when adopting fully off-site solutions. The integration of results was performed through the Weighted Scoring Method (WSM), a form of MCDA chosen for its transparency and adaptability to case studies. While this study defined weights and scores, the framework allows the future incorporation of stakeholder input. Challenges identified include the need for early design integration, transport limitations, and site-specific constraints. By quantifying benefits and limitations, this study contributes to expanding the understanding of off-site modular adaptability of construction projects beyond low-cost housing, demonstrating its potential for diverse projects and advancing its implementation in emerging markets. Beyond technical and economic outcomes, the study also frames off-site modular construction within the three pillars of sustainability. Environmentally, it reduces structural weight, resource consumption, and on-site waste; economically, it improves cost efficiency and project delivery times; and socially, it offers potential benefits such as safer working conditions, reduced urban disruption, and faster provision of community-oriented buildings. These dimensions highlight its broader contribution to sustainable development in Brazil.

Keywords: off-site modular construction; building information modeling (BIM); sustainable construction; industrialized building systems; multicriteria decision analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/7791/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/7791/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:17:p:7791-:d:1737532

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().