Adopting Product Modularity in House Building to Support Mass Customisation

Cecília G. da Rocha, Carlos T. Formoso and Patrícia Tzortzopoulos
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Cecília G. da Rocha: Building Innovation Research Unit (NORIE), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Osvaldo Aranha, 99, 3° Andar, CEP 90035-190 Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
Carlos T. Formoso: Building Innovation Research Unit (NORIE), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Osvaldo Aranha, 99, 3° Andar, CEP 90035-190 Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
Patrícia Tzortzopoulos: School of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, HD1 3DH Huddersfield, UK

Sustainability, 2015, vol. 7, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: Product modularity is a concept that can contribute to the improvement of product quality and production efficiency in house-building. However, there is a lack of consensus in the literature on the concepts that define product modularity. Furthermore, little attention has been given to the differences between building construction and manufacturing, for which product modularity was originally developed. This research aims to address that gap by adapting the conceptualization of product modularity so that it can effectively be used in the house-building industry. The methodological approach adopted in this study was Design Science Research, and two empirical studies were carried out on construction companies based in Brazil and in the U.K. Those studies are used to illustrate the applicability and utility of the proposed concepts and tools. Research findings indicate that the adoption of product modularity concepts results in benefits to both traditional construction technologies and pre-fabricated building systems.

Keywords: product modularity; product architecture; mass customisation; house-building; building construction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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