Construction & Infrastructure: New technologies in the construction industry

Prefabrication and 3D printing – the future of the industry

With advancing technology, 3D printing, prefabrication and modularisation are gaining traction as being more practically viable for application on a larger scale in the construction industry.

These new technologies promise the industry lower construction costs, schedule and quality control and improved sustainability solutions. But they simultaneously present many challenges such as transportation of manufactured modules, coordination of 3D printers, and contractual allocation of new risks that may be challenging to the current construction market.

Prefabrication and modularisation

Prefabrication is a construction practice where building components (e.g. walls, floors, doors) are manufactured off-site and assembled at the site. Modularisation takes prefabrication one step further and typically means the entire unit of a building is constructed off-site.