The Case for Prefabrication: Less Waste, Faster Delivery

Prefabrication gets oversold. The industry press treats it as a universal answer to construction's productivity problem. It is not — but in the right conditions, with the right design, it is genuinely transformative. Our experience across six prefab-intensive projects has given us a clearer picture of where it works and where it doesn't.

When Prefabrication Works

Prefabrication works best when three conditions are met: the element is highly repetitive, factory conditions produce higher quality than site conditions would, and the programme benefits from parallel production. MEP pod systems in residential towers are a classic case. The same bathroom configuration, repeated 200 times, produced in a controlled factory environment with a consistent workforce, delivered to site and installed in under two hours per unit. The quality is higher and the speed is faster than any trade sequence on site.

When It Doesn't

Prefabrication fails when the element is bespoke, when design changes are likely, or when the logistics of delivery cannot be managed. A volumetric module that requires design approval eight weeks before installation creates a programme risk that is often worse than the time it saves. We have seen several high-profile prefab programmes fail not because of the factory output but because the on-site sequence could not absorb modules as programmed.

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Prefabrication transfers risk from site to factory and from programme to procurement. If your procurement is under control, you gain. If it isn't, you've just moved the problem.

Our Current Applications

• MEP corridor pods on all residential projects above 50 units
• Precast concrete stairs and landings on all multi-storey buildings
• Structural steel sub-assemblies for industrial frames above 10,000 sq m
• Off-site manufactured cladding panels where the tolerance requirement is below ±2mm