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Reaping the benefits of offsite construction, with ICC's Ryan Colker    

Building Tech

Reaping the benefits of offsite construction, with ICC's Ryan Colker    

Where is the construction industry benefiting most, currently, from prefabrication?


March 14, 2023

Ryan Colker, VP of Innovation at the International Code Council, discusses how municipal regulations and inspections are keeping up with the expansion of off-site manufacturing for commercial construction. Colker speaks with BD+C's John Caulfield about the following topics:     

  • Where is the construction industry benefiting most, currently, from prefabrication?
  • On its website, ICC promotes a primer that it says can help project teams and communities unlock the potential of off-site construction. Can you provide more details about your organization’s recommendations?
  • What are some of the challenges and solutions to achieving widespread deployment of off-site construction?  
  • What other resources would you recommend for AEC and manufacturing firms that want to get into off-site construction in a bigger way?
  • Do you see the deployment of prefab expanding, and if so for which building types? What potential impediments might slow that deployment?

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Contractors

Contractors expect to spend more time on prefabrication, according to FMI study

Get ready for a surge in prefabrication activity by contractors. FMI, the consulting and investment banking firm, recently polled contractors about how much time they were spending, in craft labor hours, on prefabrication for construction projects. More than 250 contractors participated in the survey, and the average response to that question was 18%. More revealing, however, was the participants’ anticipation that craft hours dedicated to prefab would essentially double, to 34%, within the next five years.


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