Prefabricated bathroom pods: benefits and how they create value for consumers

Abstract The industrialisation of construction processes is a tried and tested practice that has currently been gaining space. In the specific case of prefabricated bathroom pods, progress in the national construction sector has been modest, with only a small number of manufacturers, low production volumes and scarce academic literature. Such scenario hinders the decision making of builders, who have too few references to be able to quantify their benefits and establish comparisons with conventional building systems. Thus, this study brought together 14 industry experts in Brazil, and conducted Delphi rounds in a process of co-creating the value perceived by consumers of prefabricated bathroom pods. Over three rounds, experts defined and discussed the key benefits of this building system and the ways in which it creates value for consumers. This study creates a database that combines academic rigour with the practical experience of experts, offering decision makers more references to compare with conventional processes, and providing academics a starting point for the development of devices that can assist the decision-making process.

摘要 建筑施工流程工业化是一项经过实践检验的成熟模式，目前其应用场景正不断拓展。就预制卫浴单元（prefabricated bathroom pods）这一细分领域而言，巴西建筑行业的发展进度较为缓慢：相关制造商数量稀少、生产规模有限，且学术研究文献匮乏。此种现状制约了建筑开发商的决策制定——由于可供参考的依据极少，他们难以量化该系统的优势，也无法与传统建筑体系展开对比。为此，本研究召集了巴西的14位行业专家，通过开展多轮德尔菲调研，共同共创预制卫浴单元的消费者感知价值体系。历经三轮调研，专家们明确并探讨了该建筑体系的核心优势，以及其为消费者创造价值的具体路径。本研究构建了一套融合学术严谨性与专家实践经验的数据库，可为决策制定者提供更多与传统施工流程的对比参考依据，同时也为学术界研发可辅助决策的相关工具提供了初始研究起点。