From Construction Deadlock to Industrial Precision: A Dialectical Lifecycle Perspective of Modular Construction—The Case of Turkey
Buildings, cilt.16, sa.10, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 16 Sayı: 10
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3390/buildings16101946
- Dergi Adı: Buildings
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Applied Science & Technology Source, Avery, Compendex, INSPEC, Directory of Open Access Journals, Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: conventional construction, dialectical comparison, life cycle matrix, modular construction, urban transformation paradoxes
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The housing crisis in rapidly transforming earthquake zones represents the exhaustion of conventional construction paradigms. Unlike single-focused analyses, this study compares conventional reinforced concrete and modular steel systems from a holistic lifecycle perspective, using Turkey as a strategic laboratory for urban transformation. Employing qualitative content analysis, it maps in-depth interviews with 14 sector experts onto a ‘Dialectical Life Cycle Matrix’ via frequency-based consensus indicators. Expert assessments indicate that conventional methods face a structural bottleneck driven by architectural uniformity, labour-related weaknesses, rising costs, and prolonged durations, triggering seismic vulnerability, compromised living quality, and non-circular end-of-life outcomes. Modular systems counter this through factory-controlled rapid production, QA/QC mechanisms, and economies of scale, integrating guaranteed safety and the robust option of steel with R&D-driven human comfort. However, transitioning requires relinquishing deep-rooted advantages—financial flexibility, established order, regulatory comfort, cultural perception, and morphological harmony—introducing local trade-offs: high initial investment, geometric plot and logistical constraints, cultural barriers, and design concerns. Consequently, universal technologies cannot be directly transferred. To overcome Turkey’s local barriers, this study proposes a three-stage transition model: (I) civil and public-led legislative and workforce reforms; (II) financial innovation and gradual hybrid adaptation; and (III) industrial maturation transforming housing into a continuously updated living product.