Architecture of Flexibility in the UK: Towards Broader Customisation in Industrialised Construction

One of the core benefits of Industrialised Construction (IC) is the repetitive standardised advantage gained, allowing broader efficiency, quality, and an inheritable learning process across different projects. However, one of the most obvious disadvantages of such an approach is undermining Architects’ site-specific designs, design flexibility, and creativity. Given the increasing need to change ways construction projects are delivered, there is a need to critically involve architect insight to ensure the feasibility of the overall national change programme for broader IC in the United Kingdom. The project includes rethinking how manufacturing facilities producing full-scale modules, through either volumetric or modular approaches, can benefit from the best of both worlds- repetitiveness and standardisation for one, and the flexibility and customisation for another. The PhD is expected to investigate how reconfiguring manufacturing facilities and production systems can be reconfigured to include enhanced architectural capability for variations within the same (whole) highly repetitive process. This would enhance our understanding of enhanced uses of manufacturing in construction, creating conditions of which can make offsite factories more efficient and capable of meeting various client preferences. The project may focus on a certain building typology, such as residential or educational buildings, or a combination of residential and non-residential buildings. This PhD projects welcomes applicants from Architecture and/or Construction Management backgrounds, preferably with experience or exposure to fabrication and/or construction. 94% of Loughborough’s research impact is rated world-leading or internationally excellent. REF 2021

The standard University IELTS English language requirement is 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each individual element (reading, writing, listening and speaking).

International students: £29,500

UK students: £5,238

UK/Home: £5,238

International: £29,500

October 2026, February 2027, July 2027

31 December 2026

• Loughborough, United Kingdom