The effect on cost when utilising modular construction techniques-The impact of weather on labour productivity

Abstract

The Main running ain of this paper is to explore the impact weather will have on labour productivity costs associated with construction activities that would be replaced by using modular production techniques. Weather is a cost variable that is often ignored during pricing of construction projects and is rarely recorded as a cost impact, and yet the impact can be considerable if not planned appropriately. Modular construction is a form of off-site construction that creates a three-dimensional section if a building in a factory and transports it to site, the quantity of the build that is replaced with the modules can vary and so assumptions have been made on the elements of traditional construction that have been replaced. The weather impact has been based on UK weather data and the focus has been on those that will affect labour productivity in particular, such as high temperatures, low temperatures, precipitation, and wind. The paper has analysed the impact start date and length of project will have on particular weather types occurring during a project and applying those to assumed productivity reduction that comes from those weather types.