Introduction
Offsite Construction (OSC) has been evolving at an exponential rate in the construction industry, thanks to increased connectivity and integration with the novel technologies introduced by the recent industrial revolutions (Industry 4.0, and 5.0). Nevertheless, it is also important to acknowledge that the offsite market has matured significantly over the last decade. The surge in demand for OSC driven by innovative approaches such as robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence has created a critical need for specialised skills and capabilities essential to succeed in this dynamic sector. The need for offsite-specific skills has been repeatedly underlined by numerous government and industry reports, however, with the introduction of Industry 5.0, there is now a more human-centred approach that emphasises the importance and urgency of addressing these gaps.
Globally, OSC adoption is facing a steady increment. For instance, projects using 50% or more ‘offsite’ are expected to increase to 27% by 2028 from their 13% usage in 2023. OSC falls under the broader category of ‘modern methods of construction’, where buildings are manufactured in controlled environments, shifting construction activities from onsite to offsite in varying degrees. Despite having existed for centuries, the global adoption of OSC has advanced dramatically in recent years, primarily due to its manufacturing-based nature. This allows OSC to align and efficiently integrate with the cutting-edge approaches that support manufacturing through enhanced integration and automation of data exchange (Construction 4.0), and greater collaboration between humans and machines to support sustainability and resilience (Construction 5.0).
The 'manufacturing’ nature of OSC enables the efficient use of advanced engineering design methods, and novel technologies (e.g., generative design, artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, virtual-augmented reality, digital models, etc.) but also requires the development of offsite specific strategies for the areas such as procurement routes, standard forms of contracts, stakeholder engagement and supply chain management. This scope expands dramatically with the holistic approach of Industry 5.0, focusing on people, environment, and resilience, in addition to technology. Considering the building life cycle from inception and design to manufacture, transportation, assembly, operation and maintenance, the list of skills that are affected by the OSC techniques is extensive.
This special issue is expected to act as a vital platform for researchers to delve into and discuss the various dimensions of offsite construction skills. These include the development, up-skilling, and re-skilling requirements of individuals, organisations, and systems, as well as the dynamics that influence the alignment between people, process, and technology drivers to secure ‘sustainability’ and ‘resilience’.
The guest editors welcome a wide range of research papers, from literature-based studies to empirically driven research, that contribute to understanding the construction industry's transformation and shed light on future directions regarding emerging skills and capabilities in offsite construction to support the transition to Industry 5.0. This research paper collection is expected to give rise to more research-led teaching, especially to improve education in the built environment.
List of topic areas
- Skill profiling, predicting, mapping and future skill trends in offsite construction to support Industry 5.0
- Capacity-building strategies for offsite construction skills
- Skills and capabilities required to adopt advanced engineering design methods such as design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) and design for disassembly (DfD) practices in alignment with Industry 5.0 technologies
- Interdisciplinary skill usage for offsite construction; Up-skilling and re-skilling of traditional construction skills to match offsite construction processes and technologies
- Digital skills (e.g., artificial intelligence, generative design, additive manufacturing, augmented and virtual reality) to support the design, manufacturing and construction (assembly) of offsite manufactured components
- Soft skills (e.g., communication, teamwork, adaptability, leadership) to support offsite construction and Industry 5.0 alignment
- Offsite construction and diverse workforce
- Development of legal, contractual and procurement skills for offsite construction
- Offsite construction and green skills
- Industry 5.0 to support health and safety in offsite construction
- Offsite construction education and training; recruitment strategies for offsite construction under the impact of Industry 5.0
- Supply chain capability and skills alignment for offsite construction organisations
- Building offsite construction resilience with Industry 5.0
Submissions Information
Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here.
Author guidelines must be strictly followed.
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to "Please select the issue you are submitting to".
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else while under review for this journal.
Key deadlines
Now open for submissions!
Closing date for manuscripts submission: 31st July, 2025