Modularity is an approach to simplify systems and reduce complexity. However, existing research suggests that a mono-dimensional modularity strategy, focusing solely on one dimension, such as product, process, or organization, might not fully achieve these goals in design activities. This research investigates how combining strategies from various dimensions of modularity can reduce the complexity of large-scale engineering design. The Huoshenshan Hospital, a 1,000-bed hospital designed and built in 10 days, provided an extreme case study of the first emergency hospital to address COVID-19. The research identified 10 different aspects, termed ‘proximities’, which relate to how people perceive the four dimensions of modularity, specifically across organization–process–product–supply-chain dimensions. Additionally, it identified three types of reinforcement relationships aimed at diminishing complexity in design activities: modular alignment (i.e., synchronized alignment and asynchronous alignment), modular complementarity (i.e., subtraction complement and addition complement), and modular incentive relationships. This research highlights that these three types of reinforcement relationships between different dimensions of modularity can reduce complexity, allowing subsystems to support the system in working as a whole.@en

This study aims to use modularity to impact various facets of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) and explore the relationship between product modularity, process modularity, and DfMA within the context of Offsite Construction (OSC). The study fills this gap through an exploratory single case study by identifying perceptual measures of these three concepts. The study shows the alignment between multi-dimensionality of modularity, such as product modularity and process modularity, enhances the capability of DfMA. From a modularity perspective, the reconfiguration of abstraction, information hiding, and interface is an essential strategy to change the traditional design process. This reconfiguration is to adapt to the new scenarios brought by OSC and digital fabrication technologies and the new design tasks associated with these scenarios. This study has theoretical implications for the modular approach to DfMA and practical implications for those who expect digital fabrication techniques in offsite construction.@en

This study aims to use modularity to impact various facets of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) and explore the relationship between product modularity, process modularity, and DfMA within the context of Offsite Construction (OSC). The study fills this gap through an exploratory single case study by identifying perceptual measures of these three concepts. The study shows the alignment between multi-dimensionality of modularity, such as product modularity and process modularity, enhances the capability of DfMA. From a modularity perspective, the reconfiguration of abstraction, information hiding, and interface is an essential strategy to change the traditional design process. This reconfiguration is to adapt to the new scenarios brought by OSC and digital fabrication technologies and the new design tasks associated with these scenarios. This study has theoretical implications for the modular approach to DfMA and practical implications for those who expect digital fabrication techniques in offsite construction.@en

This study aims to use modularity to impact various facets of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) and explore the relationship between product modularity, process modularity, and DfMA within the context of Offsite Construction (OSC). The study fills this gap through an exploratory single case study by identifying perceptual measures of these three concepts. The study shows the alignment between multi-dimensionality of modularity, such as product modularity and process modularity, enhances the capability of DfMA. From a modularity perspective, the reconfiguration of abstraction, information hiding, and interface is an essential strategy to change the traditional design process. This reconfiguration is to adapt to the new scenarios brought by OSC and digital fabrication technologies and the new design tasks associated with these scenarios. This study has theoretical implications for the modular approach to DfMA and practical implications for those who expect digital fabrication techniques in offsite construction.@en

The construction industry has been seeking innovative methods to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and minimise environmental impact. Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) presents a promising approach to achieving these goals, and this paper explores its application in the context of earth block design. Earth blocks, as a sustainable and cost-effective construction material, have gained significant attention in recent years, and their potential can be further enhanced through the implementation of DfMA and modularity principles. This study adopts research by design through an earth block prototype where modularity principles were applied to optimise the design, production, and assembly processes. The paper demonstrates how the integration of modularity and material innovation resulted in reduced lead times, improved quality control, and reduced environmental impact. @en

The construction industry has been seeking innovative methods to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and minimise environmental impact. Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) presents a promising approach to achieving these goals, and this paper explores its application in the context of earth block design. Earth blocks, as a sustainable and cost-effective construction material, have gained significant attention in recent years, and their potential can be further enhanced through the implementation of DfMA and modularity principles. This study adopts research by design through an earth block prototype where modularity principles were applied to optimise the design, production, and assembly processes. The paper demonstrates how the integration of modularity and material innovation resulted in reduced lead times, improved quality control, and reduced environmental impact. @en

Prefabricated construction (PC) is an increasingly popular construction approach that offers numerous benefits, including greater efficiency, improved safety, and reduced material waste. However, this approach also introduces a new set of quality risks due to the complex process of off-site prefabrication, transportation, and on-site assembly. Currently, quality management (QM) in PC is mainly conducted through manual efforts that rely on human experience and established standards. This approach can be both inefficient and susceptible to human bias, which can lead to quality issues. To address these concerns, this study proposes a knowledge engineering-based framework that utilizes knowledge modeling and reasoning to enable intelligent QM. The framework consists of four layers: data acquisition, knowledge generation, knowledge storage, and value-added application. The proposed framework was applied to a case scenario, and the results showed that the open information stored in the knowledge base can guide the quality control process, and vice versa, enabling the quality control process to promote the updating of the knowledge base.@en

Startups seeking scale often turn to venture capital (VC) for funding, gaining financial support, industry connections, and insights in exchange for equity. Transitioning from initial markets to mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, SPACs, or buyouts, startups face the dual potential for immense success or failure, a hallmark of the high-risk startup ecosystem. The construction industry, especially in the realm of technology startups like SaaS, is witnessing this trend. Unlike software-centric firms, construction robotics startups grapple with challenges posed by the need for physical, custom products, demand volatility, and lengthy development cycles. Venture capital funding is crucial for these 'deep tech' ventures. Still, it introduces the principal-agent issue, where aligning the entrepreneur's actions with the VC's interests is complicated by information asymmetry. VCs counter this through high-powered incentives, controlling rights, and staged investments. Despite the critical nature of this topic, academic research on VC impacts on hardware startups in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector is sparse. Our research aims to fill this gap. We conducted 127 semi-structured and open-ended interviews with 95 individuals across Europe, North America, and other regions in 2022 and 2023. The resulting data, comprising over 90 hours of interviews and field notes, was analyzed using abductive thematic analysis, categorizing 2998 data segments into nine categories within three major themes. This analysis revealed five dimensions of VC's influence on construction robotics startups, highlighting misalignments and dynamic interactions. In preparation for journal publication, this research complements a parallel, data-centric quantitative study, enriching our understanding of this complex subject. Preprints of this research may be available upon request.@en

The prevailing issue of low housing supply is caused in part by a lack of skilled construction workers. If unskilled residents were adequately equipped, they could potentially address this issue, expanding and adapting their homes without professional builders and designers. This research proposes the use of discrete components to build on unused community lands using augmented reality (AR) assisted assembly. Enfield, a low-density community in London, was chosen as the case study location. Modular components, pre-assembled off-site by robots, were designed to form a set of interlocking structures making them easy to install and dismantle. ARassisted construction integrates design and construction processes, helping to resolve sequencing and flow issues during assembly. A robotic simulator was used to visualise the robotic assembly process and an AR programming was used to guide self-builders with no building experience through assembly. An experiment was set up, where AR-assisted non-professionals use modular components to assemble a 1:2 scale pavilion model. This workflow could encourage individual and community-led building expansions and could be effective in reducing pressure on the construction industry and providing more housing.@en

The prevailing issue of low housing supply is caused in part by a lack of skilled construction workers. If unskilled residents were adequately equipped, they could potentially address this issue, expanding and adapting their homes without professional builders and designers. This research proposes the use of discrete components to build on unused community lands using augmented reality (AR) assisted assembly. Enfield, a low-density community in London, was chosen as the case study location. Modular components, pre-assembled off-site by robots, were designed to form a set of interlocking structures making them easy to install and dismantle. ARassisted construction integrates design and construction processes, helping to resolve sequencing and flow issues during assembly. A robotic simulator was used to visualise the robotic assembly process and an AR programming was used to guide self-builders with no building experience through assembly. An experiment was set up, where AR-assisted non-professionals use modular components to assemble a 1:2 scale pavilion model. This workflow could encourage individual and community-led building expansions and could be effective in reducing pressure on the construction industry and providing more housing.@en