Jin Ouk Choi is an associate professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and manages the University’s Project Management and Construction Engineering Lab (PMCEL) and received the 2023 Modular Building Fellow Award from the Modular Building Institute (MBI). The PMCEL lab is at the forefront of training the next generation of construction project managers in applying modularization, standardization and offsite construction methods on future construction projects.

Jin recently published a post-grad textbook, Modularization: The Fine Art of Offsite Preassembly for Capital Projects, that guides readers on taking modular projects from concept, through manufacturing and onsite implementation.

Offsight sat down with Jin to get his perspective on the growth of modular and offsite construction and how he and his team are preparing the next generation of construction leaders for this disruptive change.

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A: Among many key benefits and drivers for modularization and offsite construction, such as improved productivity, efficiency, quality, safety, sustainability, cost and schedule performances, and many others, the possibility of overcoming the labor pool constraints will be the number one primary factor that will drive construction offsite in the future. Currently, according to the Associated General Contractors of America , 80% of contractors are having difficulty finding skilled workers, which is expected to become harder to find in the future. This leads to cost and schedule increases. Modular and offsite construction is not new, but now it will become inevitable with this trend which is happening in most developed countries. The paradigm is shifting. You either adapt or could die. Change is critical to success.

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A: Offsite construction is a paradigm shift. Once the industry converts from the conventional stick-build paradigm to modular construction to standardization, offsite construction will significantly disrupt the current value chain. If the general contractors, specialty contractors and owners want to get ahead of the competition, my advice is to study and understand all the differences in planning and execution for offsite construction compared to the traditional stick-built approach before you invest. Many people think that offsite construction is the same as stick-built or easy. However, many modular/offsite projects failed to achieve expected levels of performance or full benefits due to poor planning, management, and/or execution. Study the differences and get help from modular/offsite experts and innovative technologies such as 1) Visualization, information modeling, and simulation, 2) Sensing and data analytics for construction (i.e., Offsight), or 3) Robotics and automation. I have highlighted these in my recent book, Modularization: The Fine Art of Offsite Preassembly for Capital Projects (Kluck and Choi 2023). [1] I recommend you all to check it out.

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A: That is an interesting question. In general, many technologies, from information to simulation to data analytics, can be very helpful in educating and training future and current project managers on implementing modular construction. Compared to other industries, the adoption of these technologies is very low in the construction industry due to many reasons, such as a lack of understanding of the technology and its value, lack of data, lack of collaboration, and many others. However, we have sufficient evidence from research and other industries that technology can be invaluable tools to current and future project managers of modular projects. My recent study (Kithas and Choi 2022) [2] on a hands-on education module for modular construction is a good example that demonstrates the effectiveness of technology in education and training. I hope to see the modular construction industry, including companies and academics, put more effort into developing more economical but effective technologies, like Offsight, that are easily available but can educate and train not only current and future project managers but also different trades and students.

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[1] Kluck, M., & Choi, J.O. (2023). Modularization: The Fine Art of Offsite Preassembly for Capital Projects. John Wiley & Sons. Available here.

[2] Kithas, K. A., Choi, J. O. (2022). Hands-on Education Module for Modular Construction, 3D Design, and 4D Schedule. International Conference on Construction Engineering and Project Management 484-491. Seoul, Korea: Korea Institute of Construction Engineering and Management.