USACE Far East District, KICT explore innovative construction practices during technical exchange
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Far East District hosted experts from the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) at the district headquarters for a technical briefing on off-site construction and its potential application to future FED construction projects in Korea on Sept. 18, 2026.
The exchange introduced FED engineers and project delivery professionals to Korea’s experience with off-site construction, or OSC, including its use in military facilities, housing and schools, as well as lessons learned from more than two decades of modular construction.
OSC shifts significant portions of construction from a traditional job site to a controlled factory environment, where building components, panels or complete modules can be fabricated while site work proceeds simultaneously. The parallel work can reduce the overall construction schedule while providing opportunities for greater standardization and quality control.
Sarah Woo, chief of FED’s Engineering Division, said standardized and repeatable facilities could offer some of the strongest opportunities for OSC.
“The greatest near-term opportunity appears to be standardized, repeatable facilities, such as barracks, unaccompanied personnel housing, officer quarters, guard posts and smaller administrative buildings,” she said. “The main benefit is the ability to build foundations on site while modules are fabricated in the factory, which can significantly shorten the overall construction schedule.”
During the briefing, KICT representatives shared examples from more than 20 years of modular construction in Korea, including military facilities built in forward and remote locations.
Seung Hyun Ji, deputy chief of FED’s Construction Division, said barracks may be particularly well suited for modular construction and emphasized the importance of understanding local industry as FED evaluates how emerging approaches could be incorporated into its projects.
“FED needs to work closely with Korean industry partners,” he said. “Understanding Korea’s specific context is essential for applying USACE’s innovative practices, and the KICT presentation strongly supports our implementation efforts.”
Sang Sup Lee, director and senior research fellow with KICT’s Department of Building and Urban Research, said Korea’s experience could provide useful lessons for U.S. military construction.
“Over the past 20 years, Korea has accumulated experience across the entire process, from design and factory production to transportation and on-site assembly, by applying OSC and modular technologies to various types of facilities, including housing, schools and military facilities,” Lee said. “I believe these experiences can provide useful references for U.S. military facilities, where reducing construction time and ensuring consistent quality are important.”
Participants also discussed challenges that would need to be addressed before OSC could be applied to FED projects, including design criteria, procurement, contracting methods and compatibility between U.S. and Korean standards.
As a next step, Woo recommended continued technical exchanges and visits to modular manufacturing facilities and active project sites. Those visits could be followed by an assessment of potential FED facility types before determining whether a small pilot project would be appropriate.
Lee said KICT could help facilitate visits to Korean manufacturers and construction sites and continue sharing research, technical expertise and lessons learned.
The exchange reflects FED’s broader effort to learn from local expertise while examining innovative approaches that could improve project delivery across its construction mission in South Korea.
“This type of exchange gives FED an opportunity to learn directly from Korea’s experience with off-site construction and better understand what has worked in practice,” Woo said. “It helps move the conversation beyond theory by looking at actual manufacturing capability, project delivery methods, quality control and lessons learned.”
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