Perspectives on component-based design in Japanese construction

The industrialization of building production was the subject of heated debate in Japan during the 1960s and into the 1970s. Various concepts of 'component-based design' were introduced with the purpose of stimulating innovation and creating a more efficient building process. In this paper these concepts are reviewed from today's perspectives, and the necessary revisions are examined that might make them more useful in contributing to the future development of the Japanese construction industry.