From Construction Deadlock to Industrial Precision: A Dialectical Lifecycle Perspective of Modular Construction—The Case of Turkey

The housing crisis in rapidly transforming earthquake zones represents the exhaustion of conventional construction paradigms. Unlike single-focused analyses, this study compares conventional reinforced concrete and modular steel systems from a holistic lifecycle perspective, using Turkey as a strategic laboratory for urban transformation. Employing qualitative content analysis, it maps in-depth interviews with 14 sector experts onto a ‘Dialectical Life Cycle Matrix’ via frequency-based consensus indicators. Expert assessments indicate that conventional methods face a structural bottleneck driven by architectural uniformity, labour-related weaknesses, rising costs, and prolonged durations, triggering seismic vulnerability, compromised living quality, and non-circular end-of-life outcomes. Modular systems counter this through factory-controlled rapid production, QA/QC mechanisms, and economies of scale, integrating guaranteed safety and the robust option of steel with R&D-driven human comfort. However, transitioning requires relinquishing deep-rooted advantages—financial flexibility, established order, regulatory comfort, cultural perception, and morphological harmony—introducing local trade-offs: high initial investment, geometric plot and logistical constraints, cultural barriers, and design concerns. Consequently, universal technologies cannot be directly transferred. To overcome Turkey’s local barriers, this study proposes a three-stage transition model: (I) civil and public-led legislative and workforce reforms; (II) financial innovation and gradual hybrid adaptation; and (III) industrial maturation transforming housing into a continuously updated living product.