Dynamically Identifying and Evaluating Key Barriers to Promoting Prefabricated Buildings: Text Mining Approach
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 149, Issue 9
Abstract
Prefabricated buildings (PBs) have been widely perceived as environmentally friendly buildings and advocated globally. In many countries, the promotion rate of PBs remains slow, hindered by various barriers. With the change of external development environment under different periods, there is also the temporal dynamic evolution in barriers. Many studies have adopted some traditional methods to explore these barriers, but only focused on the research-conducting periods and ignored the changes of obstacles in different periods, which is the so-called dynamic nature of barriers. This would lead to the noncorrespondence between the previously studied barriers and the new situation of different periods. In this regard, this study aims to explore barriers dynamically and efficiently. Taking the online discussions of Chinese construction practitioners (CPs) as the sample, text mining techniques were performed to identify the barriers at different stages in the period from 2016 to 2021. Then, with a proposed sentiment scoring model, CPs’ sentiment and attention level were combined to indirectly evaluate the impact degree of the corresponding barriers. In the end, the findings were verified in semistructured interviews. As a result, the changeable sentiments of CPs were tracked in the timeline, the evolution of key barriers at different stages and the internal driving force were revealed, and some new findings of barriers were identified. This paper not only makes a great theoretical contribution for PB studies, but also provides a research framework worthy of reference for researchers or government to regularly explore problems in the PB industry or other industries.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This paper was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 71302025).
References
Dou, Y., X. Xue, C. Wu, X. Luo, and Y. Wang. 2020. “Interorganizational diffusion of prefabricated construction technology: Two-stage evolution framework.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 146 (9): 04020114. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001904.
Du, Q., Q. Pang, T. Bao, X. Guo, and Y. Deng. 2021. “Critical factors influencing carbon emissions of prefabricated building supply chains in China.” J. Cleaner Prod. 280 (Jun): 124398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124398.
Etter, M., E. Colleoni, L. Illia, K. Meggiorin, and A. D’Eugenio. 2018. “Measuring organizational legitimacy in social media: Assessing citizens’ judgments with sentiment analysis.” Bus. Soc. 57 (1): 60–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650316683926.
Gan, X., R. Chang, J. Zuo, T. Wen, and G. Zillante. 2018. “Barriers to the transition towards off-site construction in China: An interpretive structural modeling approach.” J. Cleaner Prod. 197 (2018): 8–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.06.184.
Gan, X.-L., R.-D. Chang, C. Langston, and T. Wen. 2019. “Exploring the interactions among factors impeding the diffusion of prefabricated building technologies.” Eng. Constr. Archit. Manage. 26 (3): 535–553. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-05-2018-0198.
Gao, Y., and X.-L. Tian. 2020. “Prefabrication policies and the performance of construction industry in China.” J. Cleaner Prod. 253 (Apr): 120042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120042.
General Office of the State Council of China. 2017. “Opinions on promoting the sustainable and healthy development of the construction industry.” Accessed May 20, 2022. https://www.mohurd.gov.cn/gongkai/zhengce/zhengcefilelib/201702/20170227_230750.html.
Girolami, M., and A., Kabán. 2003. “On an equivalence between PLSI and LDA.” In Proc., 26th Annual Int. ACM SIGIR Conf. on Research and Development in Information Retrieval, 433–434. New York: Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/860435.860537.
Ji, Y. B., L. Qi, Y. Liu, X. N. Liu, H. X. Li, and Y. Li. 2018. “Assessing and prioritising delay factors of prefabricated concrete building projects in China.” Appl. Sci.-Basel 8 (11): 2324. https://doi.org/10.3390/app8112324.
Jiang, H., P. Lin, and M. Qiang. 2016. “Public-opinion sentiment analysis for large hydro projects.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 142 (2): 05015013. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001039.
Jiang, H., and M. Zhang. 2021. “Online information adoption about public infrastructure projects in China.” J. Cleaner Prod. 310 (Aug): 127527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127527.
Jiang, L., Z. F. Li, L. Li, and Y. L. Gao. 2018. “Constraints on the promotion of prefabricated construction in China.” Sustainability 10 (7): 2516. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072516.
Jiang, L., F. Wu, A. Antwi, and T. Yu. 2019. “An investigation of the effectiveness of prefabrication incentive policies in China.” Sustainability 11 (19): 5149. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195149.
Jung, H., and B. G. Lee. 2020. “Research trends in text mining: Semantic network and main path analysis of selected journals.” Expert. Syst. Appl. 162 (Dec): 113851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2020.113851.
Kayser, V., and K. Blind. 2017. “Extending the knowledge base of foresight: The contribution of text mining.” Technol. Forecasting Social Change 116 (2017): 208–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.10.017.
Kobayashi, V. B., S. T. Mol, H. A. Berkers, G. Kismihok, and D. N. Den Hartog. 2018. “Text mining in organizational research.” Organ. Res. Methods 21 (3): 733–765. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428117722619.
Li, C., C. Yang, and Q. Jiang. 2017. “The research on text clustering based on LDA joint model.” J. Intell. Fuzzy Syst. 32 (5): 3655–3667. https://doi.org/10.3233/JIFS-169300.
Li, L., X. Liu, and X. Zhang. 2021. “Public attention and sentiment of recycled water: Evidence from social media text mining in China.” J. Cleaner Prod. 303 (Jun): 126814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126814.
Li, Z., S. Zhang, Q. Meng, and X. Hu. 2020. “Barriers to the development of prefabricated buildings in China: A news coverage analysis.” Eng. Constr. Archit. Manage. 28 (10): 2884–2903. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-03-2020-0195.
Liu, J. F., Y. Y. Zhou, X. Y. Jiang, and W. Zhang. 2020. “Consumers’ satisfaction factors mining and sentiment analysis of B2C online pharmacy reviews.” BMC Med. Inf. Decis. Making 20 (1): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-020-01214-x.
Liu, X., and W. Hu. 2019. “Attention and sentiment of Chinese public toward green buildings based on Sina Weibo.” Sustainable Cities Soc. 44 (Jan): 550–558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.10.047.
Lou, N., and J. J. Guo. 2020. “Study on key cost drivers of prefabricated buildings based on system dynamics.” In Advances in civil engineering, 1–2. New York: Hindawi. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8896435.
Luo, L., G. Qiping Shen, G. Xu, Y. Liu, and Y. Wang. 2019. “Stakeholder-associated supply chain risks and their interactions in a prefabricated building project in Hong Kong.” J. Manage. Eng. 35 (2): 05018015. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000675.
Luo, T., X. Xue, Y. Wang, W. Xue, and Y. Tan. 2021. “A systematic overview of prefabricated construction policies in China.” J. Cleaner Prod. 280 (Jan): 124371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124371.
Lv, X., and N. El-Gohary. 2016. “Text analytics for supporting stakeholder opinion mining for large-scale highway projects.” Procedia Eng. 145 (Jan): 518–524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.04.039.
Mao, C., Q. Shen, W. Pan, and K. Ye. 2015. “Major barriers to off-site construction: The developer’s perspective in China.” J. Manage. Eng. 31 (3): 04014043. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000246.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development of China. 2017a. “Prefabricated building evaluation standards.” Accessed May 20, 2022. https://www.mohurd.gov.cn/gongkai/zhengce/zhengcefilelib/201801/20180122_234899.html.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development of China. 2017b. “Standard for design of assembled housing.” Accessed May 20, 2022. https://www.pkulaw.com/chl/ea72bcce351bddb4bdfb.html.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development of China. 2017c. “Technical standard for assembled building with concrete structure.” Accessed May 20, 2022. https://www.mohurd.gov.cn/gongkai/zhengce/zhengcefilelib/201703/20170302_231205.html.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development of China. 2017d. “Technical standard for assembled building with steel structure.” Accessed May 20, 2022. https://www.mohurd.gov.cn/gongkai/zhengce/zhengcefilelib/201703/20170302_231204.html.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development of China. 2019a. “Guidance for improving the quality assurance system and improving the quality of construction engineering.” Accessed May 20, 2022. https://www.mohurd.gov.cn/gongkai/zhengce/zhengcefilelib/201909/20190925_241956.html.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development of China. 2019b. “Technical standard for assembled steel structure housing.” Accessed May 20, 2022. https://www.mohurd.gov.cn/gongkai/zhengce/zhengcefilelib/201907/20190704_241070.html.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development of China. 2020a. “Guiding opinions on accelerating the cultivation of construction industry workers in the new era.” Accessed May 20, 2022. https://www.mohurd.gov.cn/gongkai/zhengce/zhengcefilelib/202012/20201230_248663.html.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development of China. 2020b. “Guiding opinions on promoting the coordinated development of intelligent construction and building industrialization.” Accessed May 20, 2022. https://www.mohurd.gov.cn/gongkai/zhengce/zhengcefilelib/202007/20200728_246537.html.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development of China. 2021. “Technical standard for assembled interior decoration.” Accessed May 20, 2022. https://www.mohurd.gov.cn/gongkai/zhengce/zhengcefilelib/202108/20210823_761695.html.
Nabi, M. A., and I. H. El-adaway. 2020. “Modular construction: Determining decision-making factors and future research needs.” J. Manage. Eng. 36 (6): 04020085. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000859.
Newman, D., A. U. Asuncion, P. Smyth, and M. Welling. 2009. “Distributed algorithms for topic models.” J. Mach. Learn. Res. 10 (8): 1801–1828. https://doi.org/10.1145/1577069.1755845.
Pearce, W., S. Niederer, S. M. Ozkula, and N. S. Querubin. 2019. “The social media life of climate change: Platforms, publics, and future imaginaries.” WIREs. Clim. Change. 10 (2): e569. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.569.
Peng, A. Y., J. Cummings, and Y. Li. 2020. “Post-reform gender politics: How do Chinese Internet users portray Theresa May on Zhihu.” Fem. Media. Stud. 22 (1): 48–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2020.1788110.
Peng, J. L., J. Zhou, F. Y. Meng, and Y. Yu. 2021. “Analysis on the hidden cost of prefabricated buildings based on FISM-BN.” PLoS One 16 (6): e0252138. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252138.
Qi, Y., S. W. Chang, Y. B. Ji, and K. Qi. 2018. “BIM-based incremental cost analysis method of prefabricated buildings in China.” Sustainability 10 (11): 4293. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10114293.
Ravi, K., and V. Ravi. 2015. “A survey on opinion mining and sentiment analysis: Tasks, approaches and applications.” Knowledge-Based. Syst. 89 (Nov): 14–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.knosys.2015.06.015.
Silva, S., A.-K. Nuzum, and S. Schaltegger. 2019. “Stakeholder expectations on sustainability performance measurement and assessment. A systematic literature review.” J. Cleaner Prod. 217 (Apr): 204–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.203.
Wan, X., R. Wang, M. Wang, J. Deng, Z. Zhou, X. Yi, J. Pan, and Y. Du. 2021. “Online public opinion mining for large cross-regional projects: Case study of the south-to-north water diversion project in China.” J. Manage. Eng. 38 (1): 05021011. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000970.
Wang, Y., H. Li, and Z. Wu. 2019a. “Attitude of the Chinese public toward off-site construction: A text mining study.” J. Cleaner Prod. 238 (Nov): 117926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117926.
Wang, Y., X. Xue, T. Yu, and Y. Wang. 2020a. “Mapping the dynamics of China’s prefabricated building policies from 1956 to 2019: A bibliometric analysis.” Build. Res. Inf. 49 (2): 216–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2020.1789444.
Wang, Z., T. Wang, H. Hu, J. Gong, X. Ren, and Q. Xiao. 2020b. “Blockchain-based framework for improving supply chain traceability and information sharing in precast construction.” Autom. Constr. 111 (Mar): 103063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2019.103063.
Wang, Z. L., H. C. Shen, and J. Zuo. 2019b. “Risks in prefabricated buildings in China: Importance-performance analysis approach.” Sustainability 11 (12): 3450. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11123450.
Wu, G., R. Yang, L. Li, X. Bi, B. Liu, S. Li, and S. Zhou. 2019a. “Factors influencing the application of prefabricated construction in China: From perspectives of technology promotion and cleaner production.” J. Cleaner Prod. 219 (Aug): 753–762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.02.110.
Wu, H., Q. K. Qian, A. Straub, and H. Visscher. 2019b. “Exploring transaction costs in the prefabricated housing supply chain in China.” J. Cleaner Prod. 226 (Jul): 550–563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.066.
Wu, L., K. Ye, P. Gong, and J. Xing. 2019c. “Perceptions of governments towards mitigating the environmental impacts of expressway construction projects: A case of China.” J. Cleaner Prod. 236 (Nov): 117704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117704.
Xie, L., Y. Chen, and R. Chang. 2021. “Scheduling optimization of prefabricated construction projects by genetic algorithm.” Appl. Sci.-Basel 11 (12): 5531. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125531.
Xue, J., G. Q. Shen, Y. Li, S. Han, and X. Chu. 2021. “Dynamic analysis on public concerns in Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge: Integrated topic and sentiment modeling approach.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 147 (6): 04021049. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0002066.
Xue, J., G. Q. Shen, Y. Li, J. Wang, and I. Zafar. 2020. “Dynamic stakeholder-associated topic modeling on public concerns in megainfrastructure projects: Case of Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge.” J. Manage. Eng. 36 (6): 04020078. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000845.
Yang, J. 2022. “Financial stabilization policy, market sentiment, and stock market returns.” Finance Res. Lett. 52 (Mar): 103379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2022.103379.
Yuan, Z., G. Ni, L. Wang, Y. Qiao, C. Sun, N. Xu, and W. Wang. 2020. “Research on the barrier analysis and strength measurement of a prefabricated building design.” Sustainability 12 (7): 2994. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072994.
Zhang, R., and N. El-Gohary. 2021. “Clustering-based approach for building code computability analysis.” J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 35 (6): 04021021. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)cp.1943-5487.0000967.
Zheng, J., Q. Wen, and M. Qiang. 2020. “Understanding demand for project manager competences in the construction industry: Data mining approach.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 146 (8): 04020083. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001865.
Zhong, C., M. Zhang, X. Cui, and Z. Liu. 2020. “Comprehensive evaluation of China’s prefabricated decoration cost based on Analytic Hierarchy Process.” In Advances in civil engineering 2020. New York: Hindawi. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/1583748.
Zhou, Z., X. Zhou, and L. Qian. 2021. “Online public opinion analysis on infrastructure megaprojects: Toward an analytical framework.” J. Manage. Eng. 37 (1): 04020105. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000874.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 149 • Issue 9 • September 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 27, 2022
Accepted: Apr 24, 2023
Published online: Jun 22, 2023
Published in print: Sep 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Nov 22, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Buildings
- Business management
- Computer networks
- Computing in civil engineering
- Construction engineering
- Construction industry
- Construction management
- Construction methods
- Continuum mechanics
- Dynamics (solid mechanics)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Government
- Industries
- Internet
- Methodology (by type)
- Offsite construction
- Organizations
- Practice and Profession
- Research methods (by type)
- Solid mechanics
- Structural dynamics
- Structural engineering
- Structures (by type)
- Verification
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Botao Zhong, Jun Tian, Xing Pan, Luoxin Shen, An Online Housing Reputation Assessment Framework Based on Text Mining and Visualization Technologies, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 10.1061/JCEMD4.COENG-14669, 150, 8, (2024).