Comparing material wastage levels between conventional in-situ and prefabrication construction in Hong Kong

Generation of construction wastes constitutes a major impact to the environment. Studies have been directed toward reducing wastes of the various construction processes. However, contractors in Hong Kong are rather conservative and lack motivation to develop new technology for waste minimization. This paper examines the benefits of using prefabrication in reducing material wastage levels for some traditional in-situ trades such as concreting, rebar fixing, bricklaying, drywall, plastering, screwing and tiling in Hong Kong. By measuring thirty construction projects, it is been found that waste levels of all major construction trades can be effectively reduced. This is particularly significant in the trade of plastering where 100% saving can be achieved after adopting prefabrication. The standardized design of the building can also be useful in the adoption of prefabrication for private housing projects.