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This study aims to develop an interrelation model between critical parameters for assessing the construction readiness (CR) of abandoned housing projects, using Malaysia as a case study. To achieve that aim, the study objectives are to (1) identify critical parameters for assessing the CR of abandoned housing projects; (2) develop underlying constructs to categorize interrelated critical parameters and (3) assess the influence of the underlying constructs on the CR of abandoned housing projects.

This study identifies potential parameters for assessing the CR of abandoned housing projects by reviewing existing literature and interviewing industry professionals. Then, the list was used to develop a questionnaire survey. The collected survey data were analyzed using normalized mean analysis to identify the critical parameters. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to develop underlying constructs to categorize interrelated critical parameters. Finally, the influence of the underlying constructs on the CR of abandoned housing projects was examined through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The analyses suggest that 21 critical parameters are affecting the CR of abandoned housing projects. The critical parameters can be categorized into four underlying constructs: construction site evaluation, management verification, uncertainties mitigation and document approval. Finally, the analyses confirmed that all four constructs affect the CR of abandoned housing projects.

This study is a pioneering effort to quantitatively analyze the parameters for assessing the CR of abandoned housing projects. The findings significantly benefit researchers and industry professionals by providing a list of critical parameters associated with the CR of abandoned housing projects.

Cost of construction of residential properties as well as its subsequent rent trends remain a major challenge to stakeholders in the property rental markets of emerging economies. This study examined the relationship between housing construction costs and house rents fluctuations in Osogbo, Nigeria, to provide information for informed investment decisions.

The authors conducted a survey, where three sets of questionnaires were administered on building contractors; estate surveyors and valuers and private residential property owners. The data required comprise the estimated average construction costs and average market rents for two and three-bedroom bungalows in the study area from 2008 to 2018. These data were respectively sourced from all the 15 firms of building contractors and 25 firms of estate surveyors and valuers in Osogbo, Nigeria. Stratified random sampling was employed to select 180 property owners from three medium-density residential districts of Osogbo. Secondary data on macroeconomic variables were sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools.

The authors found a significant positive relationship (0.749) between construction costs and house rents trends; both variables maintained ascending trends. Construction costs and house rents inflation rates exhibited random fluctuations with the former having a higher mean inflation rate (10.47%). However, the difference was not statistically significant (p-value = 0.317 > 0.05). Respondents identified consumer price index (CPI) inflation among other macroeconomic variables as the strongest predictor of both construction costs and house rents fluctuations. However, evidence from further analysis of the time series suggested otherwise.

The result confirms construction cost as one of the vital supply factors of the housing market, which is often pass through to house rents. The positive relationship between construction costs and house rents trends should trigger new development which, will, in turn, allow rental housing investments to expand into new areas with prospects for profits that could be earned by domestic and foreign investors.

This study to the best knowledge of the researchers is the first to relate housing construction cost to house rent in Osogbo, Nigeria; thereby adding to the body of knowledge in this field.

This study aims to develop a modelling framework of housing supply dynamics within the context of urban microsimulation systems. Housing markets have witnessed substantial investigation over recent decades, predominantly concerning residential demand. However, comparatively limited attention has been directed towards comprehending the housing supply dynamics. Housing policy disconnects with the developers’ market behaviours, which leads to significant mismatch between the housing construction and affordable housing needs of the population. Research attention should be made in comprehending the residential construction market activities. To address this gap, this study developed an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model and analyzed the temporal evolution of housing construction.

An ARDL model was developed to address the issue of temporal modelling of the housing supply. An empirical study was conducted in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) based on a longitudinal housing starts data set from 1998 to 2020. The model integrates diverse variables, including macroeconomic conditions, property development costs, dwelling prices and opportunity costs. Notably, the model captures both the path-dependent effects stemming from supply market fluctuations and the temporal lag effect of influential factors.

The findings reveal that the supply-side’s responsiveness to market condition alterations may span up to 18 months. The model has reasonable and satisfying performance in fitting the observed starts. The methodological foundations laid will facilitate future modelling of housing supply dynamics.

This study innovatively separated the modelling of housing supply within the context of urban microsimulation, into two parts, the modelling of housing starts and completion. The housing starts are determined in a complex and regressive process influenced by both the micro-economic environment and the construction cost and housing market trends. Through the temporal modelling method, this study captures how long it would take for the housing supply to respond to multiple factors and provides insight for urban planners in regulating the housing market and leveraging various policies to influence the housing supply.

Contemporary construction techniques provide benefits of speed and cost savings on a large scale, and is viable in urban regions with exorbitant housing demand. In rural areas, where scale and access to technology are unavailable, locally prevalent vernacular architecture and methods are more suitable. Although vernacular construction techniques have historically proven more sustainable and climate-sensitive, the lack of skilled labour and lack of versatility in material selection limits its application on large-scale projects. This study explores the choice of building design and technology, from the context of embodied energy, carbon and other life cycle impacts for housing construction.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) that evaluates impacts due to the products/processes is used to analyse different construction techniques. Further a detailed estimation of embodied carbon and embodied energy is done for both “vernacular” and “contemporary” choices of construction methodology for a case study project.

The building constructed using vernacular techniques has lower embodied carbon and energy by over 30% compared to the other clusters designed using contemporary confined masonry techniques. However, with a few external interventions the contemporary methods can be implemented with improved sustainability.

The limitation of the study is that it presents a case study-based exploration into comparing construction techniques to provide a practical understanding of making sustainable design choices and, hence, is limited to two construction methods. However, the same method could be extended to compare other construction techniques. Furthermore, it does not present a whole building LCA since the operating phase impacts are assumed to be fairly constant for such housing type, irrespective of the chosen method. Similarly, the demolition phase or the potential of reuse of the waste generated, water consumption and cultural and social heritage are not investigated in comparing the alternatives. Nevertheless, future studies could perform extensive exploratory and modelling studies on the operation phase and demolition phase to understand these impacts further.

In mass housing projects that belong to the so-called “affordable housing” or low-income housing category, sustainability concerns are not yet at the forefront of the decision-making process. Therefore, this study emphasizes the importance of incorporating sustainability into building design and construction and making sustainability accessible to even low-income communities. Adequate planning, social awareness initiatives and imparting skills and knowledge of sustainability to these communities are of utmost importance. The choice of design and materials should be encouraged by keeping in mind lower upfront costs as well as low maintenance and operational costs.

The primary implications of the study are that the vernacular technologies are much superior in terms of sustainability in comparison to conventional construction of RCC framed structures as well as contemporary construction methods such as confined masonry. However, the implementation of such techniques presents significant challenges such as a lack of skilled forces, increased maintenance and lack of flexibility to minor modifications. Hence, although being a sustainable choice its acceptance and execution present practical difficulties. Therefore, this study primarily aims to reinforce the belief in vernacular architecture and techniques to build sustainable and resilient communities while highlighting the challenges of the modern world in implementing them.

Most studies advocate using construction methods based on their ease of implementation, maintenance or cost. However, this study highlights the importance of considering the aspect of sustainability in the context of the choice of methods for housing construction in urban and semi-urban areas. This study also addresses the need not to overlook vernacular construction technologies while selecting technology for housing for low-income communities.

This study aims to examine the impact of housing construction on single-family housing values and the implications for urban development.

To achieve this objective, the author used the difference-in-difference methodology to examine the effect of multifamily and single-family housing construction on surrounding single-family homes in Stockholm, Sweden. The author analysed data from approximately 480 housing construction projects between 2009 and 2014 and 17,000 single-family detached house transactions between 2005 and 2018.

The research found that multifamily construction projects did not affect the value of surrounding single-family homes, while single-family home construction had a negative impact. The author attributes this result to single-family housing projects typically located in areas with initially positive externalities, while multifamily housing projects are often located on the edge of areas with negative externalities before construction.

The research is limited by its focus on a specific geographic area and time frame, and future research could expand the scope to include other cities and regions and different periods. Additionally, further research could examine the impact of housing construction on other economic factors beyond housing values.

The research has practical implications for urban planners and policymakers. They should consider the potential negative impact of new single-family home construction on existing single-family housing areas while balancing the need for new housing in urban areas. By carefully evaluating construction locations, policymakers can create more sustainable, livable and equitable urban environments that benefit all members of society.

This research paper contributes to the field of housing economics by examining the impact of housing construction on single-family housing values in the context of urban development and climate change mitigation. Using a difference-in-difference methodology, the study provides evidence of the price effect of multifamily and single-family housing construction on surrounding single-family homes, which has important policy implications for urban planners and policymakers. By identifying the negative impact of single-family home construction on surrounding areas and highlighting the need for careful evaluation of construction locations, the research provides valuable insights for creating sustainable, livable and equitable urban environments that benefit all members of society.

In addressing the housing deficits for the less privileged citizens, the South African government began constructing social housing after coming to power in 1994. However, the construction of these houses is bedevilled with many issues; prominent among them are poor quality of the constructed houses. This study seeks to develop a quality management framework for achieving quality and efficiency in public-sector housing construction, a hallmark of the country's procurement goals.

Telephone interviews were conducted with construction professionals involved in constructing government social houses across South Africa, chosen randomly. The data gathered were analysed using the content analysis method.

The study found that the most significant cause of poor quality government-constructed social housing is multifaceted, categorised into project management-related, procurement-related, contractor-related, corruption-related and political-related.

Failure to develop and implement a quality management framework on government-constructed social housing leads to poor quality social housing.

The study has identified quality-related issues and has developed a Quality Management (QM) framework for the stakeholders involved in the construction of the houses to guide them in the project implementation process to ensure project success and quality standards.

With many natural disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, bushfires and tsunamis destroying human habitats around the world, post-disaster housing reconstruction has become a critical topic. The current practice of post-disaster reconstruction consists of various approaches that carry affected homeowners from temporary shelters to permanent housing. While temporary shelters may be provided within a matter of days as immediate disaster relief, permanent housing can take years to complete. However, time is critical, as affected communities will need to restore their livelihoods as soon as possible. Prefabricated modular construction has the potential to drastically improve the time taken to provide permanent housing. Due to this time-efficiency, which is an inherent characteristic of modular construction, it can be a desirable strategy for post-disaster housing reconstruction. This paper discusses how prefabricated modular structures can provide a more time-efficient solution by analysing several present-day examples taken from published post-disaster housing reconstruction processes that have been carried out in different parts of the world. It also evaluates how other features of modular construction, such as ease of decommissioning and reusability, can add value to post-disaster reconstruction processes and organisations that contribute to the planning, design and construction stages of the reconstruction process. The suitability of modular construction will also be discussed in the context of the guidelines and best practice guides for post-disaster housing reconstruction published by international organisations. Through this analysis and discussion, it is concluded that prefabricated modular structures are a highly desirable time-efficient solution to post-disaster housing reconstruction.

The purpose of this paper is to establish manufactured construction as a good potential alternative to meet the growing housing needs of China.

The paper uses literature review and case study as research methodologies. Literature review is used to identify the need for housing and establish the manufacturing prowess of China. The case study is used to look at how a similar problem has been tackled in the UK and then the case study findings are used to identify future direction for China.

Findings suggest that there is an acute shortage of housing in China, and at the same time the manufacturing sector in China is very strong. Therefore, in order to meet the housing demand for the population, manufactured construction offers a very attractive and cost‐efficient alternative.

Manufactured construction is an attractive alternative for China and therefore the government needs to encourage this sector through subsidies and tax benefits. Given that currently China is regarded as a manufacturing powerhouse, it will be relatively easy to establish manufactured construction as an organised and supported sector by the government.

The paper presents manufactured construction as an attractive alternative and strategic direction that China should adopt to meet the growing housing needs of the citizens. This also would appear to be an obvious alternative, given the manufacturing capabilities of China.

Housing completions in the UK have fallen to 125,000 annually, while government targets have risen to 300,000. This dramatic shortfall raises concerns as to whether current traditional construction approaches remain appropriate. This study aims to compare the traditional approach with modular construction, with a view to assessing whether a shift in construction systems offers the potential to alleviate the UK's domestic housing crisis.

A comprehensive interpretivist review of the available relevant literature is undertaken on construction methods within the UK; advantages and disadvantages. A bibliometric analysis is conducted to extract trends and findings relevant to the comparison at hand. The database is Web of Science; the analysis software is the VOS viewer.

The research illustrates that the UK housing market is in a state of crisis. A toxic combination of a rising UK population combined falling rates of housing delivery has resulted in an ever-widening housing supply gap. The construction industry’s capacity to meet this observed dearth in supply is further exacerbated by a number of chronic factors such as: falling participation in the construction sector workforce; lowering skill levels; reducing profitability; time to delivery pressures; and cost blow-outs.

While much information on the various construction methods are available, including comparative material, this study is the first to assemble the various comparative parameters regarding traditional and modular UK residential construction in one place. Thus, this study provides a definitive assessment of the relative advantages and disadvantages of these forms of construction.

The purpose of this paper is to explore academic papers and reports and present a chronology of the evolution of British low-rise prefabricated housing. The paper provides chronological information for construction and surveying researchers undertaking research in associated areas.

This is a qualitative literature review, providing an exploration and analysis of academic papers and reports on low-rise prefabricated housing.

A substantial literature was discovered. However, there are gaps in the available literature. The history of British construction technology is a rich research area but is under-researched. Prefabricated housing has a long history dating back to the eleventh century. Stigmatised from the failures of housing in the twentieth century, it is being increasingly used again in the twenty-first century when considering mass housing supply.

This paper provides researchers with an overview of the history of low-rise prefabricated housing in Britain. It is not a comprehensive in-depth study; such would require numerous larger individual studies.

From reviewing literature it was evident that there was a broad literature, but there was no single journal publication exploring the evolution of British low-rise prefabricated housing. The research provides an overview, exploration and analysis of the literature while providing a chronology. The evolution of prefabricated housing is chronologically presented. Areas for further research are also recommended.