Research Study Into Modern Methods Of Construction Now Commissioned

Research Study Into Modern Methods Of Construction Now Commissioned

A research study into modern methods of construction (MMC) has been commissioned by Homes England to help drive innovation in the industry, with some 1,500 homes due to be monitored at sites around the country over several years.

The idea is to test the performance of various types of MMC so as to collect long-term in-depth and verifiable data to inform decisions on emerging construction technologies.

MMC covers a range of modular and offsite building techniques, and has the potential to be far more productive than traditional methods of building, meaning that more homes can be built more quickly and the issue of labour and skills shortages addressed at the same time. Newly built homes will also be better, more consistent and more energy efficient, as a result.

Themes set to be explored include the cost and pace of build, the skills required, snagging and defect list, safety performance, construction wastage, post-occupation performance and energy performance.

Chief executive of Homes England Nick Walkley said: “If we are to deliver homes at the scale, pace and quality the country needs, we have to seriously shake up how we build homes in England. This is at the very heart of our mission and it means embracing new technologies like modern methods of construction.

“Despite the impact of coronavirus being felt across the housebuilding sector, Homes England is open for business. We can be certain that the demand for high-quality homes will remain and concerns about labour supply or quality will not go away.”

Sites taking part in the study include Northstowe Phase 2a, a 100 per cent MMC neighbourhood made up of 406 homes in Cambridgeshire, a 600-home development in Hemel Hempstead, where all properties will be closed panel timber frame units and an 87-home development in Birmingham, where all the houses will be built using a timber frame closed panel system delivered to site for assembly.

The combination of market failures regarding cost, quantity and quality, as well as acute housing demand, has meant that the industry has had to consider MMC as a potential solution and it is now being included in major housing strategy announcements because of the potential it has to improve productivity, modernise the sector and speed up delivery.

By transferring production to the factory, it is possible to attain greater quality control and make more efficient use of both materials and labour. Costs can also be reduced through greater efficiency in a more controlled and safer environment for workers.

Figures show that the housing industry hasn’t built anywhere near enough numbers of houses for decades and the overall level of housebuilding has seen a fall of almost 40 per cent between 1980 and 2015. But MMC such as cross laminated timber, modular construction and offsite manufacturing could be the solution we’ve been looking for.

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