College - Author 1
College of Architecture and Environmental Design
Department - Author 1
Construction Management Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Construction Management
Date
4-2026
Primary Advisor/Subject Matter Expert (SME)
Shantanu Kumar, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, Construction Management Department
Abstract/Summary
This study examines the economic feasibility of modular residential construction using life-cycle costing (LCC) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) approaches to assess the sustainability and maintenance costs of modular construction. Using the structures and documents from the Gateway Decathlon project as the subject, we applied LCC formulas and programs to assess their economic performance. These calculations were conducted manually in Excel and modeled using the OpenLCA platform to compare traditional and software-based approaches. The study aims to identify cost drivers across building scopes, such as building materials and electrical and mechanical systems, and to evaluate how modular construction performs over its life span compared to conventional construction. Total life-cycle costs ranged from $462,579 to $485,224 across the three calculation methods, reflecting less than 5% variance and indicating consistency with the defined modeling assumptions. The findings will contribute to ongoing discussions on the affordability and sustainability of modular construction and will also provide an example of how LCA programs can be used to model and address the costs of modular construction.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cmsp/944
Poster Board
LCCWorksheet (version 1).xlsb.xlsx (143 kB)
Digital Deliverables
LCC Output Sheet .xlsx (1650 kB)
Digital Deliverables