Industrialized Construction: A Systematic Review of Its Benefits and Guidelines for the Development of New Constructive Solutions Applied in Sustainable Projects

In the scientific literature, it is highlighted that industrialized construction has significant comparative advantages over traditional construction, primarily in four indicators: (i) cost reduction, (ii) time reduction, (iii) increased energy performance, and (iv) reduced environmental impacts. Ho...

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Main Authors: Carlos Rojas-Herrera, Aner Martínez-Soto, Constanza Avendaño-Vera, Rodrigo Cancino Carrasco, Natalia Reyes Barbato
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/5/2308
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author Carlos Rojas-Herrera
Aner Martínez-Soto
Constanza Avendaño-Vera
Rodrigo Cancino Carrasco
Natalia Reyes Barbato
author_facet Carlos Rojas-Herrera
Aner Martínez-Soto
Constanza Avendaño-Vera
Rodrigo Cancino Carrasco
Natalia Reyes Barbato
author_sort Carlos Rojas-Herrera
collection DOAJ
description In the scientific literature, it is highlighted that industrialized construction has significant comparative advantages over traditional construction, primarily in four indicators: (i) cost reduction, (ii) time reduction, (iii) increased energy performance, and (iv) reduced environmental impacts. However, there is no certainty about the range of variation of these indicators for these comparative advantages, creating uncertainty about the real impact of industrialized construction. In this work, through a systematic literature review based on PRISMA, 90 articles that met the selection criteria related to the four mentioned indicators were selected and analyzed. The results show that industrialized construction has comparative advantages over traditional construction but with a wide spectrum of variation in each of the indicators. In the cost indicator, reductions between 7% and 50% and increases between 26% and 72% are observed; in time, reductions between 9% and 50% and increases up to 32% are recorded, and reductions in energy demand between 20% and 90% are also reported. For the environmental indicators, data were only provided for projects in the design stage or for construction solutions on a scale, demonstrating the need to obtain indicators in the operational stage. It is concluded that although industrialized construction offers significant advantages, it is essential that new construction solutions consider contextual variations, initial investment, logistical challenges, and specialized labor to maximize their benefits.
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spelling doaj-art-aee1b3bb1f08495c900e7d1ecde3e23c2025-08-20T02:04:34ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-02-01155230810.3390/app15052308Industrialized Construction: A Systematic Review of Its Benefits and Guidelines for the Development of New Constructive Solutions Applied in Sustainable ProjectsCarlos Rojas-Herrera0Aner Martínez-Soto1Constanza Avendaño-Vera2Rodrigo Cancino Carrasco3Natalia Reyes Barbato4Departamento de Ingeniería de Obras Civiles, Universidad de La Frontera, Av. Francisco Salazar 01145, Temuco 4780000, ChileDepartamento de Ingeniería de Obras Civiles, Universidad de La Frontera, Av. Francisco Salazar 01145, Temuco 4780000, ChileEscuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de Edificación, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camí de Vera s/n, 46022 València, SpainEagon Lautaro S.A, Ruta 5, km 644, Lautaro 4860000, ChileCentro Tecnológico para la Innovación en la Construcción, Arturo Prat 1171, Santiago 8320000, ChileIn the scientific literature, it is highlighted that industrialized construction has significant comparative advantages over traditional construction, primarily in four indicators: (i) cost reduction, (ii) time reduction, (iii) increased energy performance, and (iv) reduced environmental impacts. However, there is no certainty about the range of variation of these indicators for these comparative advantages, creating uncertainty about the real impact of industrialized construction. In this work, through a systematic literature review based on PRISMA, 90 articles that met the selection criteria related to the four mentioned indicators were selected and analyzed. The results show that industrialized construction has comparative advantages over traditional construction but with a wide spectrum of variation in each of the indicators. In the cost indicator, reductions between 7% and 50% and increases between 26% and 72% are observed; in time, reductions between 9% and 50% and increases up to 32% are recorded, and reductions in energy demand between 20% and 90% are also reported. For the environmental indicators, data were only provided for projects in the design stage or for construction solutions on a scale, demonstrating the need to obtain indicators in the operational stage. It is concluded that although industrialized construction offers significant advantages, it is essential that new construction solutions consider contextual variations, initial investment, logistical challenges, and specialized labor to maximize their benefits.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/5/2308industrialized constructionprefabricated constructionmodular constructionsustainable constructionSLR
spellingShingle Carlos Rojas-Herrera
Aner Martínez-Soto
Constanza Avendaño-Vera
Rodrigo Cancino Carrasco
Natalia Reyes Barbato
Industrialized Construction: A Systematic Review of Its Benefits and Guidelines for the Development of New Constructive Solutions Applied in Sustainable Projects
Applied Sciences
industrialized construction
prefabricated construction
modular construction
sustainable construction
SLR
title Industrialized Construction: A Systematic Review of Its Benefits and Guidelines for the Development of New Constructive Solutions Applied in Sustainable Projects
title_full Industrialized Construction: A Systematic Review of Its Benefits and Guidelines for the Development of New Constructive Solutions Applied in Sustainable Projects
title_fullStr Industrialized Construction: A Systematic Review of Its Benefits and Guidelines for the Development of New Constructive Solutions Applied in Sustainable Projects
title_full_unstemmed Industrialized Construction: A Systematic Review of Its Benefits and Guidelines for the Development of New Constructive Solutions Applied in Sustainable Projects
title_short Industrialized Construction: A Systematic Review of Its Benefits and Guidelines for the Development of New Constructive Solutions Applied in Sustainable Projects
title_sort industrialized construction a systematic review of its benefits and guidelines for the development of new constructive solutions applied in sustainable projects
topic industrialized construction
prefabricated construction
modular construction
sustainable construction
SLR
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/5/2308
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