More than construction innovation: The interdisciplinary challenge of prefabricated schools

Abstract

Australian education departments use relocatable prefabricated classrooms extensively to respond rapidly and economically to fluctuating student numbers and as emergency accommodation. Prefabrication has not been widely used for permanent school infrastructure, but this recently changed in response to unprecedented increases in student numbers. Permanent prefabrication is currently being commissioned by Australia's two largest state education departments to quickly roll-out quality infrastructure. These multi-billion-dollar government school programs represent a major opportunity for step changes in the nation's construction industry with the potential for a shift from off-site conventional ..