Back to the future…
Offsite or modular construction is not new: contractors have for many years sought to fabricate, offsite, structural elements or modules which, when fitted together on site, will form at least part of a completed project. Such techniques were typically developed for relatively simple elements or often repeated structures or for the more specialised areas of engineering required in, for example, the oil and gas industry.
Now project sponsors and developers are embracing the deployment of offsite and modular construction for ever more substantial and complex project elements, across a broader range of project types. The aim is to achieve the levels of predictability and productivity necessary for the successful completion of projects – on budget, on time. Can this approach deliver the gains the industry seeks? What does this approach mean in terms of legal and contract risk?