DFAB HOUSE: implications of a building-scale demonstrator for adoption of digital fabrication in AEC

Konrad Graser, Aniko Kahlert and Daniel M. Hall

Construction Management and Economics, 2021, vol. 39, issue 10, 853-873

Abstract: The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry finds itself in an accelerating shift towards the use of more digital fabrication (DFAB) technologies. DFAB promises great advantages in AEC, but its adoption is so far lagging and there are few examples of building projects employing DFAB at scale. To facilitate DFAB adoption, we need to identify its challenges and opportunities of in the project context and understand its implications beyond project boundaries. To do this, this paper conducts a single case study on DFAB HOUSE, the first project to introduce several fundamentally new DFAB technologies to construct a fully functional building. Using Qualitative Content Analysis, we provide an overview of the challenges to consider and the strategies available to successfully adopt DFAB technologies in construction projects, establishing a socio-technical framework for DFAB adoption in AEC projects. We find that full-scale projects are an effective exploration method of DFAB in AEC, implementation at scale increases acceptance of DFAB in AEC, and projects are instrumental in establishing an emergent praxis of DFAB.

Date: 2021
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/01446193.2021.1988667 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

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:taf:conmgt:v:39:y:2021:i:10:p:853-873

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/RCME20

DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2021.1988667

Access Statistics for this article

Construction Management and Economics is currently edited by Will Hughes

More articles in Construction Management and Economics from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().