Architecture of Flexibility in the UK: Towards Broader Customisation in Industrialised Construction
Loughborough UniversityLoughborough, United Kingdom
Course overview
One of the core benefits of Industrialised Construction (IC) is the repetitive standardised advantage gained, allowing broader efficiency, quality, and an inheritable learning process across different projects. However, one of the most obvious disadvantages of such an approach is undermining Architects’ site-specific designs, design flexibility, and creativity. Given the increasing need to change ways construction projects are delivered, there is a need to critically involve architect insight to ensure the feasibility of the overall national change programme for broader IC in the United Kingdom.
The project includes rethinking how manufacturing facilities producing full-scale modules, through either volumetric or modular approaches, can benefit from the best of both worlds- repetitiveness and standardisation for one, and the flexibility and customisation for another. The PhD is expected to investigate how reconfiguring manufacturing facilities and production systems can be reconfigured to include enhanced architectural capability for variations within the same (whole) highly repetitive process. This would enhance our understanding of enhanced uses of manufacturing in construction, creating conditions of which can make offsite factories more efficient and capable of meeting various client preferences.
The project may focus on a certain building typology, such as residential or educational buildings, or a combination of residential and non-residential buildings. This PhD projects welcomes applicants from Architecture and/or Construction Management backgrounds, preferably with experience or exposure to fabrication and/or construction. 94% of Loughborough’s research impact is rated world-leading or internationally excellent.
REF 2021
Key highlights
- Researches balancing standardisation with architectural flexibility in industrialised construction
- Explores reconfiguring offsite factories and production systems for design variation
- Covers volumetric and modular approaches to full-scale module manufacturing
- Option to focus on residential, educational or mixed building typologies
- Contributes to the UK's national change programme for construction delivery
- 94% of research impact rated world-leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021)
Entry requirements
- Degree: 2:1 — 2:1
Scholarships
Alumni Bursary
10% of tuition fees which will be credited to the student’s tuition fee account.
Up to 10% of feesAlumni Discount
UK students: £1,500 tuition fee discount for one academic year. International students: £3,000 tuition fee discount for one academic year.
Care Leaver's Scholarship
Excellence Scholarships
UK students: £3,000 off tuition fees; International students: £6,000 off tuition fees which will be credited to the student’s tuition fee account.
International Sports Student Postgraduate Bursary
Our International Sports Student Postgraduate Bursary offers a £12,000 tuition fee discount (set against the tuition fees of your chosen postgraduate taught programme ONLY).
Up to £12,000London 10th Anniversary Award
£5,000 off tuition fees.
Up to £5,000Loughborough Business School Scholarship
£1,500 (UK students) and £3,000 (international students) off tuition fees which will be credited to the student’s tuition fee account.
MBA Progress with Purpose Scholarship
50% of tuition fees which will be credited to the student’s tuition fee account.
Up to 50% of feesQatari Ghanim Al-Muftah Excellence Scholarship
Careers this course leads to
- Academic researcher in construction or architecture
- Offsite construction design manager
- Modular construction consultant
- Design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) specialist
- Construction innovation manager
- Architect specialising in industrialised construction
Cost of study
UK/Home: £5,238 | International: £29,500
Admission
Applications are made through AHZ at no cost. Share your transcripts, English test scores and personal statement, and your AHZ Counsellor will review your profile, submit your application to Loughborough University, and guide you through interview, offer, CAS and visa — right up to enrolment.
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