Reducing Construction Waste Through Modular Construction

Abstract

Increasing construction waste has been a severe environmental problem globally. Adopting new construction methods such as modular construction is considered as an effective measure to reduce construction waste. However, few studies have examined the potential of modular construction in construction waste reduction. This study aims to measure the typical construction waste performance of modular buildings and identify the potential of construction waste reduction by adopting the modular construction method. The research was conducted through case study with seven modular building projects with the combination of literature review and empirical data. The construction waste from modular construction and other construction approaches was cross compared and analyzed. Results show that modular construction can effectively reduce construction waste generation, evidenced in the overall onsite construction waste generation index of modular buildings varying from 9 to 63.9 kg per m2 construction floor area with an average of 33.7 kg/m2, less than that of panelized and traditional in-situ construction. Compared to traditional in-situ construction, modular buildings can lead to around 80% reduction of onsite overall construction waste on average. From the studied modular building projects, a high reuse and recycling rate was found, in which timber waste and metal waste could reach up to 100%. This paper provides evidence that modular construction can effectively reduce construction waste generation compared with panelized and traditional in-situ construction. The findings should help encourage the uptake of modular construction in the building industry.