Overview of potentialities and contributions of Off-Site Steel Constructions for the European decarbonization target: two case studies of the Italian context

The concept of off-site construction has been around for years now, enabling entire structures to be pre-built Off-Site before being transported to their location for assembly with some key advantages such as improved cost efficiency, enhanced quality control, increased safety for workers and better environmental performance. Today, the Off-Site Construction technologies have advanced far beyond its beginnings stage, and in particular the steel solutions have become a viable and compelling alternative to the traditional ones employed in most cases in on-site constructions. Considering the significant transition that the building sector is facing to change its perspective from zero energy to zero carbon, the Off-Site Steel Constructions (OSSC) offer a worthy solution to this target. Evidence in the existing literature and real case studies shows that Off-Site Steel Constructions can reduce carbon emissions across their entire life cycle, boost retrofit efforts, and provide high-quality assets that meet energy performance standards. Coupling the review of the latest regulations for zero carbon building assessment, within the scope of the European Green Deal, and the critical analysis of two of the most recent Off-Site Steel projects in Italy, the paper provides an overview on potentialities and contributions offered by this construction technology to the building sector in terms of circularity and sustainability.