Award Date

5-1-2019

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction

First Committee Member

Jin Ouk Choi

Second Committee Member

Jee Woong Park

Third Committee Member

Neil Opfer

Fourth Committee Member

Hyun Kyung Chatfield

Number of Pages

81

Abstract

Modular construction techniques can substantially decrease project schedules and costs, effectively maintaining or increasing the quality of an end product by shifting a percentage of site-based work to an off-site fabrication shop. Modular construction can also significantly contribute to sustainability by reducing site disruption, reducing waste generated, creating better relocatability and reusability, causing less dust and noise pollution, and reducing the probability of loss, theft, and damage to equipment. The primary goal of this research is to identify the opportunities and challenges of implementing modular construction techniques in a hospitality-centric environment, by investigating the current situation and characteristics of modular construction in Las Vegas. In this study, the approach includes the formulation of a survey, which was shared with 63 industry professionals, followed by three personal interviews. The results suggested that 85% percent of survey participants expected an improvement in schedule, and 65% of those actually experienced an improved schedule. Sixty-two percent of the participants claimed that they would continue using modular methods in the next 12 months, whereas, 44% claimed a plan to increase their use of modularization in the next 5 years. Two of the top five expected benefits achieved included reduced waste and less site disruption (noise/traffic, dust, etc.), which contribute towards sustainable construction. The results also demonstrated that transportation/logistics was selected by industry professionals as a key barrier in the implementation of modular construction. To implement more sustainable modular construction, practitioners require additional research to improve/overcome the key barrier of transportation/logistics. The results from this research would provide valuable insights for

implementing modular methods in hospitality-centric environments around the world, such as Paris, Macau, Singapore, Dubai, etc.

Keywords

Benefits and Challenges; Construction; Hospitality; Modularization; Off-site construction; Prefabricated

Disciplines

Civil Engineering

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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