Offsite construction in ireland’s hospitals: Unveiling the complexities of OSC adoption

Ireland’s construction industry has increasingly embraced Offsite Construction (OSC) in hospitals, moving away from more traditional methods. This pilot study explores the strategic decision-making process behind this shift, including the impact of digital technologies. Using a phenomenological research approach, 11 in-depth interviews were conducted with purposely selected industry professionals, revealing the complexities of Ireland's OSC market through Thematic Analysis (TA). TA unveiled a range of factors influencing the adoption of OSC; including, but not limited to, programme efficiency, cost, quality assurance and digital technologies. Indeed, notwithstanding digital technology benefits, findings indicate a plethora of dominant concerns, including standardisation, building regulations, procurement strategies, and skills shortages. A high degree of industry unpreparedness for the variety of challenges introduced when adopting OSC was identified. The study strongly suggests enhancing stakeholder collaboration, revising building regulations, and innovating procurement strategies will all be necessary to ensure the successful use of OSC for hospitals. This research contributes significantly to understanding the decision-making dynamics in construction method selection for Irish hospital projects, the role of digital technologies, and the sector’s readiness (or not) for OSC.