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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Built Environ.
Sec. Construction Management
Volume 10 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbuil.2024.1419899
This article is part of the Research Topic Advancements in Sustainable Urban Development: Integrating Technology and Design View all 3 articles

Exploring the barriers and enablers of industrial solutions in renovation projects: A mixed-methods study in Finnish AEC industry

Provisionally accepted
Krishna Chauhan Krishna Chauhan 1*Antti Peltokorpi Antti Peltokorpi 1Rita Lavikka Rita Lavikka 2Olli Seppänen Olli Seppänen 1
  • 1 Aalto University, Otakaari, Finland
  • 2 VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Offsite construction is a major approach to promote industrialisation in construction. However, implementation of prevailing industrial solutions is often less adequate and unsatisfactory, especially in renovation projects. Thus, the overall objective of this study is to understand the reasons behind the poor performance in implementation of the industrial solutions. The specific objectives include identifying the prominent barriers and enablers of prefabricated products in renovation projects. This study employed exploratory sequential mixed method. The qualitative data were gathered via semi-structured interviews to collect experiences and perception of experts related to industrial solutions. This was followed by quantitative data collection via questionnaire survey using a 7-point Likert scale. The major barriers and enablers of industrial solutions in renovation projects have been ranked in this study. The findings reveal that immutability of heritage buildings, the tolerances of old buildings and insufficient spaces to ensure construction work ranked the top three barriers for implementing industrial solutions in renovation projects. Moreover, the study identifies the most significant enablers including shorter project schedules, quality improvement and work safety improvement. The novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive presentation of the barriers and enablers of industrial solutions in the renovation project context. Policymakers, designers, and contractors can utilize these findings as guiding principles to enhance decision-making processes and create viable solutions for the obstacles encountered in renovation projects. This study further represents a vital step towards the efficient and effective implementation of industrial solutions in renovation projects, resulting in more sustainable and cost-effective outcomes.

    Keywords: Renovation project, Industrial solutions, Mixed-methodMixed method, Barriers and enablers, Construction

    Received: 19 Apr 2024; Accepted: 13 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chauhan, Peltokorpi, Lavikka and Seppänen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Krishna Chauhan, Aalto University, Otakaari, Finland

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.