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Few people in the UK would argue that we need more homes. The government has consistently committed to building more properties for people to live in over recent years, but part of the trouble seems to be that construction isn’t happening quickly enough.
A recent article for Building.co.uk highlighted the potential of offsite construction, which is also known as modern methods of construction (MMC). However, the news provider pointed out that only a small percentage of the properties introduced to the market are constructed in this way.
What’s more, although planning permission was granted for 391,000 homes last year, just 183,570 were actually built.
This indicates that part of the issue lies with the construction process itself, rather than with the planning system.
The other problem is that this number of new homes also requires investment in appropriate infrastructure, from roads and power to schools and doctors’ surgeries.
Offsite construction has been named as a potential solution to the housebuilding crisis, especially given the shortage of tradespeople who are available to work on sites around the country.
By using offsite methods, house builders would be able to build homes more quickly and would require fewer tradespeople on site during the process. That’s important given that the news provider pointed out that the country is expected to see a 25 per cent reduction in its construction workforce in the coming decade.
The news provider also cited comments made in a report from the House of Lords science and technology committee, which stated: “The construction sector’s business models are no longer appropriate and are not supporting the UK’s urgent need for new homes and infrastructure.”
But while offsite construction may seem like the obvious answer to many of the country’s house building problems, a blog post for CRL highlighted some of the main reasons why offsite is still used so infrequently.
First up is the perception of offsite housing. Because many of those commissioning large-scale residential projects are from a generation of baby boomers who remember temporary classrooms and other ‘offsite’ structures that were far from perfect, there is a reluctance to trust that the technology and process has evolved.
However, the news provider stressed that “permanent offsite construction can produce buildings designed and manufactured to the most exacting specifications”.
Another challenge for the offsite construction industry is the scale at which it currently operates. Because major contractors have not invested in the sector, there has been little growth in its capacity. Should more large-scale projects be tackled with offsite construction, those providing the service may find it difficult to keep up with demand.
Improving the perception of this method of construction, as well as encouraging more designers and architects to embrace the possibilities offered by offsite construction, is part of the challenge.
Whatever method you’re using to construct new homes, make sure that you work with reliable scaffolding companies in Sheffield to provide your on-site workers with a safe platform from which to carry out the later stages of construction.
