Industrialised construction stands at a pivotal moment, where innovation in education, research and industry collaboration is essential to unlock its full potential.
At TU Delft, Assistant Professor Daniel Hall is championing a new paradigm – one where students challenge entrenched systems, not just master tools, and where interdisciplinary thinking gives rise to entrepreneurial ventures in 3D printing, modular design and deconstruction.
Through pioneering research on mobile factories, cloud manufacturing, and platform ecosystems, Hall’s work is reshaping the very interface between product and project.
As he calls for deeper academic–industry integration, his vision for a European forum signals a bold step toward long-term, systemic transformation.
Daniel Hall
How are academic institutions like TU Delft shaping the future of industrialised construction education and research?
At TU Delft, we focus on helping students critically reflect on how industrialised construction (IC) can be applied in practice – not just learning tools, but rethinking systems.
For example, in our newly launched Entrepreneurship in the Built Environment course, 20 students from architecture, engineering, and management backgrounds are developing startup proposals around IC – ranging from 3D printing to modular construction to industrialised deconstruction.
It’s exciting to see how interdisciplinary teams can generate fresh ideas for a fragmented industry.
What innovations are emerging from your research into integrated product delivery and platform ecosystems?
Three main areas: first, cloud manufacturing for more agile production and logistics; second, modular configurators that connect design to production; and third – and most interesting – our work on smart mobile factories, which investigates the digital systems needed to align the logics of factory and site in real-time.
It’s about rethinking the interface between product and project delivery.
How can academia and industry better collaborate to accelerate the real-world impact of DfMA?
We need shared platforms and concrete collaborations. One example is Bridge the Gap, a platform we co-developed with industry to increase supply chain transparency for sustainable, off-site solutions.
It connects suppliers with developers and provides actionable guidance to adopt low-carbon industrialised methods. It shows how academic insight can translate into market-facing tools.
Moving forward, I believe there’s a strong need for large-scale, transdisciplinary research centres that bring academic experts and industry partners into sustained collaboration.
Right now, industrialised construction is often addressed through individual research projects. What’s missing is a long-term, networked effort that can drive systemic change across product, project, and policy levels.
I’ve seen the power of this kind of ecosystem through the Stanford Industrialised Construction Forum, which I’ve led for over a decade. It consistently brings together innovators and leaders to push forward the conversation.
Building on that momentum, we’re planning to launch a European edition of the forum at TU Delft in 2026 – to kickoff a dedicated space for co-innovation, knowledge sharing, and strategic alignment on the topic. Exciting things to come!
