Innovation of off-site constructions : Benefits for developers and the community in an Italian case study

The search for new tools to regenerate existing cities in an economically and environmentally sustainable way is at the heart of a lively debate at national and international level. The collective agenda is focused on the search for innovative production processes that guarantee at the same time durable, economic and minimum consumption of environmental resources interventions. This objective can be pursued by adopting the new paradigm of industrialization capable of capturing variety and efficiency through the use of new technologies. The aim of the research is to investigate, through a qualitative analysis of an Italian case study of a hotel construction process, what are the benefits and costs both of a private nature—for the construction companies and any developers—and of a public nature—related to the community—linked to an off-site project. The case study analyzed highlights how, compared to traditional construction procedures on site, the off-site construction is able to reduce by more than half the costs and timing of design and implementation. Finally, off-site construction helps to reduce the waste of resources and gives the possibility of disassembling and reusing construction components in other places and the reuse of materials in line with other industrial sectors and according to the principles of the circular economy.