dissertation research questionnaire
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a student in my final year at Leeds Metropolitan University. I will be shortly commencing my dissertation research project. The title of my dissertation is 'Has Off-Site Manufacturing Come of Age? A Study of Off-Site Manufacturing and its Ability to Provide Affordable Housing in the UK’
The aim of my piece of research is to primarily look at the current state of the Off-Site Manufacturing market and its effectiveness in the provision of affordable housing. My objectives are:
• Examine the current state of the affordable housing market and how it needs to progress.
• Examine the UK Off-Site Manufacturing market in relation to foreign Off-Site Manufacturing markets.
• Determine the advantages and drawbacks of using Off-Site Manufacturing practices.
• Establish whether the use of Off-Site Manufacturing is suitable for the provision of affordable housing.
• Establish whether the continued use of Off-Site Manufacturing is sustainable.
Please find attached my dissertation research questionnaire. Please could you spare 5mins of your time to complete the questionnaire and return it to me via e-mail. Your answers will enable me to analyse the views of people in the construction industry who are currently or have been involved with Off-Site Manufacturing.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours Faithfully,
Ben Dacre
Leeds Metropolitan University
Bsc (hons) Building Surveying Part-time Year 5
Dissertation Research Questionnaire
HAS OFF SITE MANUFACTURING COME OF AGE? A STUDY OF OFF-SITE MANUFACTURING AND ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE UK
1. Please specify the number of years that you have worked within the construction industry.
0-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21+
2. Please specify the number of years that you have been in contact with off site manufacturing.
0-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21+
3. Which type of off site manufacturing have you been in contact with?
Component manufacture and sub-assembly
Non-volumetric and sub-assembly
Volumetric sub-assembly
Modular building
4. Please indicate the number of projects that you have been involved with in the past 5 years which were
associated with off site manufacturing.
0-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21+
5. Have you ever had experience in working with affordable housing?
Yes
No
No answer given
6. If yes, how many projects in the past 5 years?
0-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21+
7. Do you agree with the following advantages of using off site manufacturing?
Produces a shortened construction time.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Results in reduced health & safety risks.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Requires less skilled labour.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Reduces waste produced from construction.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Produces long term consumer cost benefits.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Has the ability to replicate exact specifications.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
8. What in your view is the main advantage of using off site manufacturing?
Shortened construction time
Reduced health & safety risks
Requires less skilled labour
Reduces waste produced from construction
Long term consumer cost benefits
Replicate exact specifications
9. Do you agree with the following disadvantages of using off site manufacturing?
Produces negative public opinion.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Has logistical limitations to design.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Results in wariness from mortgage and insurance companies.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Does not have a certainty of demand.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Currently has higher overall costs than traditional construction methods.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
10. What in your view is the main disadvantage of using off site manufacturing?
Negative public opinion
Logistical limitations to design
Wariness from mortgage and insurance companies
Does not have a certainty of demand
Currently higher costs than traditional construction
11. Do you agree with the following influences that made the Government look to off site manufacturing as a means
for providing affordable housing?
Current lack of skilled labour.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Other countries commitment to off site manufacturing.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
The current industry capabilities.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Construction efficiency when using off site manufacturing.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Housing performance standards.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
12. What in your view was the main influence in making the Government look to off site manufacturing as a means
for providing affordable housing?
Current lack of skilled labour
Other countries commitment to off site manufacturing
The current industry capabilities
Construction efficiency when using off site manufacturing
Housing performance standards
13. Off site manufacturing is the best tool at the Government’s disposal for the provision of affordable housing. How
much do you agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
14. The current Government initiative of using off site manufacturing as a tool to provide affordable housing has been described as a ‘dash for trash’. How much do you agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
15. The use of off site manufacturing is only realistically available to high volume house builders. How much do you
agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
16. The UK is lagging a long way behind foreign construction markets in terms of embracing off site manufacturing.
How much do you agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
17. Off site manufacturing has the ability to revolutionise the UK affordable housing industry. How much do you agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
18. Do you believe the current push to provide affordable housing using off site manufacturing will be a success or will it be yet another failure?
Success
Failure
Cannot decide
19. Continued use of Off site manufacturing is sustainable. How much do you agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
Any other comments:
I am a student in my final year at Leeds Metropolitan University. I will be shortly commencing my dissertation research project. The title of my dissertation is 'Has Off-Site Manufacturing Come of Age? A Study of Off-Site Manufacturing and its Ability to Provide Affordable Housing in the UK’
The aim of my piece of research is to primarily look at the current state of the Off-Site Manufacturing market and its effectiveness in the provision of affordable housing. My objectives are:
• Examine the current state of the affordable housing market and how it needs to progress.
• Examine the UK Off-Site Manufacturing market in relation to foreign Off-Site Manufacturing markets.
• Determine the advantages and drawbacks of using Off-Site Manufacturing practices.
• Establish whether the use of Off-Site Manufacturing is suitable for the provision of affordable housing.
• Establish whether the continued use of Off-Site Manufacturing is sustainable.
Please find attached my dissertation research questionnaire. Please could you spare 5mins of your time to complete the questionnaire and return it to me via e-mail. Your answers will enable me to analyse the views of people in the construction industry who are currently or have been involved with Off-Site Manufacturing.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours Faithfully,
Ben Dacre
Leeds Metropolitan University
Bsc (hons) Building Surveying Part-time Year 5
Dissertation Research Questionnaire
HAS OFF SITE MANUFACTURING COME OF AGE? A STUDY OF OFF-SITE MANUFACTURING AND ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE UK
1. Please specify the number of years that you have worked within the construction industry.
0-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21+
2. Please specify the number of years that you have been in contact with off site manufacturing.
0-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21+
3. Which type of off site manufacturing have you been in contact with?
Component manufacture and sub-assembly
Non-volumetric and sub-assembly
Volumetric sub-assembly
Modular building
4. Please indicate the number of projects that you have been involved with in the past 5 years which were
associated with off site manufacturing.
0-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21+
5. Have you ever had experience in working with affordable housing?
Yes
No
No answer given
6. If yes, how many projects in the past 5 years?
0-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21+
7. Do you agree with the following advantages of using off site manufacturing?
Produces a shortened construction time.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Results in reduced health & safety risks.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Requires less skilled labour.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Reduces waste produced from construction.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Produces long term consumer cost benefits.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Has the ability to replicate exact specifications.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
8. What in your view is the main advantage of using off site manufacturing?
Shortened construction time
Reduced health & safety risks
Requires less skilled labour
Reduces waste produced from construction
Long term consumer cost benefits
Replicate exact specifications
9. Do you agree with the following disadvantages of using off site manufacturing?
Produces negative public opinion.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Has logistical limitations to design.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Results in wariness from mortgage and insurance companies.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Does not have a certainty of demand.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Currently has higher overall costs than traditional construction methods.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
10. What in your view is the main disadvantage of using off site manufacturing?
Negative public opinion
Logistical limitations to design
Wariness from mortgage and insurance companies
Does not have a certainty of demand
Currently higher costs than traditional construction
11. Do you agree with the following influences that made the Government look to off site manufacturing as a means
for providing affordable housing?
Current lack of skilled labour.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Other countries commitment to off site manufacturing.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
The current industry capabilities.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Construction efficiency when using off site manufacturing.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
Housing performance standards.
Yes
No
Cannot decide
12. What in your view was the main influence in making the Government look to off site manufacturing as a means
for providing affordable housing?
Current lack of skilled labour
Other countries commitment to off site manufacturing
The current industry capabilities
Construction efficiency when using off site manufacturing
Housing performance standards
13. Off site manufacturing is the best tool at the Government’s disposal for the provision of affordable housing. How
much do you agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
14. The current Government initiative of using off site manufacturing as a tool to provide affordable housing has been described as a ‘dash for trash’. How much do you agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
15. The use of off site manufacturing is only realistically available to high volume house builders. How much do you
agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
16. The UK is lagging a long way behind foreign construction markets in terms of embracing off site manufacturing.
How much do you agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
17. Off site manufacturing has the ability to revolutionise the UK affordable housing industry. How much do you agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
18. Do you believe the current push to provide affordable housing using off site manufacturing will be a success or will it be yet another failure?
Success
Failure
Cannot decide
19. Continued use of Off site manufacturing is sustainable. How much do you agree with this statement?
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Cannot decide
Any other comments:
