For decades, construction has lagged behind other sectors in productivity. Modular construction offers the industry an opportunity to make a step change: shifting many aspects of building activity away from traditional construction sites and into factories with off-site, manufacturing-style production.
几十年来，建筑业的生产率一直落后于其他行业。模块化施工为该行业提供了一个转型的机会:将建筑活动的许多方面从传统的建筑工地转移到具有非现场、制造式生产的工厂。
Modular (or prefabricated) construction is not a new concept, but technological improvements, economic demands, and changing mind-sets mean it is attracting an unprecedented wave of interest and investment. If it takes hold, it could give the industry a huge productivity boost, help solve housing crises in many markets, and significantly reshape the way we build today. Our new report, Modular construction: From projects to products, dives deeper into the issues.
模块化(或预制)建筑并不是一个新概念，但技术进步、经济需求和思维模式的改变，意味着它正在吸引一波前所未有的兴趣和投资。如果这一计划得以实施，将极大地提高房地产行业的生产率，帮助解决许多市场的住房危机，并显著重塑我们今天的建筑方式。我们的新报告，模块化结构:从项目到产品，深入探讨了这些问题。
In many countries, modular construction is still very much an outlier. But there are strong signs of what could be a genuine broad-scale disruption in the making.
在许多国家，模块化结构仍然是非常罕见的。但有强烈迹象表明，一场真正大规模的颠覆可能正在酝酿之中。
What is modular construction, and how has it evolved?
什么是模块化构造，它是如何发展的?
In broad terms, modular construction involves producing standardized components of a structure in an off-site factory, then assembling them on-site. Terms such as off-site construction, prefabrication, and modular construction are used interchangeably. These terms cover a range of different approaches and systems, from single elements that are clipped together using standard connections and interfaces to 3-D volumetric units with full fixtures.
从广义上讲，模块化施工包括在非现场工厂生产结构的标准化组件，然后在现场组装它们。诸如场外施工、预制和模块化施工等术语可以互换使用。这些术语涵盖了一系列不同的方法和系统，从使用标准连接和接口夹在一起的单个元素到带有全套固定装置的三维体积单元。
Modular construction has been a cost-efficient option at certain historical points, but its popularity has been short lived. It enjoyed postwar booms in the United Kingdom and the United States, when there was a need for speedy reconstruction and social housing, when wartime factories lay empty, and when there were shortages of steel and labor. But its popularity waned as supply and demand began to even out in the United States; a 1968 UK apartment-tower collapse also sparked concerns about the safety of prefabricated buildings.
在某些历史时期，模块化结构一直是一种经济有效的选择，但它的流行时间很短。英国和美国在战后经历了繁荣，当时需要快速重建和社会住房，战时工厂空置，钢铁和劳动力短缺。但随着美国的供需开始平衡，它的受欢迎程度开始下降;1968年英国一栋公寓楼的倒塌也引发了人们对预制建筑安全性的担忧。
Today, modular construction is experiencing a new wave of attention and investment, and several factors suggest it may have renewed staying power. The maturing of digital tools has radically changed the modular-construction proposition for instance, by facilitating the design of modules and optimizing delivery logistics. Consumer perceptions of prefab housing are beginning to change, particularly as new, more varied material choices improve the visual appeal of prefab buildings.
如今，模块化建筑正经历着一波新的关注和投资浪潮，一些因素表明，它可能重新获得了生命力。数字化工具的成熟从根本上改变了模块化建设的主张，例如，通过促进模块的设计和优化配送物流。消费者对装配式房屋的看法正在开始改变，特别是随着新的、更多样化的材料选择提高了装配式建筑的视觉吸引力。
Perhaps most important, we see a change in mind-set among construction-sector CEOs, as many leaders see technology-based disruptors entering the scene and realizing it may be time to reposition themselves.
也许最重要的是，我们看到建筑行业ceo们的心态发生了变化，因为许多领导者看到基于技术的颠覆者进入了这个领域，并意识到可能是时候重新定位自己了。
ganggouren
