Modular Construction News
Modular Construction News - choose modular and you will get savings on total construction costs using modular construction and reduced build periods. Modular Building Companies in the UK work to solve the Housing crisis.
Explore the world of modular construction that you may not have been aware of before.
Half of SME housebuilders ‘to be bust by next election’, report to warn
Half of Britain’s 2,500 remaining smaller housebuilders could crash into insolvency by the end of this parliament as a consequence of the cost of industry regulations, a report will warn this week.
Sky News has seen a document to be published on Tuesday - ahead of the government's spending review - which will refer to "a perfect storm of costs" that threatens to wipe out the profits of SME housebuilders.
Housing delivery set to fall over the next five years despite recent planning reform as demand for new homes remains subdued
Savills forecasts that 840,000 new homes will be completed in the next five years to 2028/29, falling well below the Government target of 1.5 million.
According to a recent report by real estate advisor, Savills, planning reforms will lead to an increase in the supply of consented land, but this will take time to feed through into higher completions. Further, demand for new homes (from individual buyers as well as private and social landlords) remains low, which presents a barrier to growth, as developers will only build if the demand for new homes is strong enough.
Modular Construction Interface Standard Aims to Establish Clear Guidelines
Hoping to promote compatibility and interoperability that could accelerate the adoption of off-site construction in sectors such as multifamily housing, commercial developments and institutional projects, the International Code Council and the Center for Offsite Construction at the New York Institute of Technology are developing a critical standard for modular construction.
Why use Modern Methods of Construction?
In recent years, the construction industry has witnessed a significant shift towards the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), driven by technological advancements, the need for efficiency and the growing emphasis on sustainability.
Conventional construction methods, while time-tested, have often been criticised for their inefficiency, wastefulness and environmental impact. In contrast, MMC focuses on improving construction practices by leveraging innovative techniques, materials and technologies, while aligning with the global push towards sustainability.
Korean National Assembly raises floor area ratio, boosts modular construction incentives
The government and the National Assembly are moving to relax regulations on dwellings constructed using modular construction methods. Modular construction involves pre-manufacturing standardized modules such as walls, windows, plumbing, and bathrooms in a factory, transporting them to the site, and assembling them to complete the building. It is an eco-friendly construction technique that can shorten construction time, reduce building waste, and lower carbon emissions. However, it also has the drawback of higher construction costs compared to traditional methods.
Planning granted for mass timber structure neighbourhood from former Greenpeace directors
The Phoenix will introduce new types of homes to Lewes, taking influence from European courtyard apartment housing to promote shared living.
These will be mostly one-bedroom (37%) and two-bedroom homes (33%), with some three (24%) and four bedroom homes (6%).
There will be up to 210 affordable homes, or 30% of the total number, which will be designated as either First Homes or affordable rent (including 92 Lewes Low-Cost Housing).
Bellway sets 30% timber frame construction target by 2030
The housebuilder said it will open a new 12,500 sq m timber frame production facility, Bellway Home Space, near Mansfield to help meet this target.
The £20m facility will operate using computer-driven robotic machinery. It will have the capability to manufacture open-panel and pre-insulated closed-panel systems, where both insulation and the inner sheath are assembled within the factory to reduce onsite waste.
Kilmarnock project earns modular housing specialist double award success
CONNECT Modular is celebrating after winning two accolades at the Chartered Institute of Housing’s Scotland Housing Awards 2024, for its recently completed affordable housing development in Shortlees, Kilmarnock.
The 101-home project for Cunninghame Housing Association was honoured with the Excellence in Development for Affordable Housing Award as well as the Excellence in Housing Innovation Award.
Bellway to double timber frame usage
Bellway is setting up a timber frame production facility in Mansfield under the brand Bellway Home Space. Its first homes are expected to be produced in mid-2026.
Currently, Bellway uses timber frames for just 12% of its homes. It is targeting an increase in timber frame use to around 30% of housing output by 2030.
Group chief executive Jason Honeyman explained: “As part of our long-term growth strategy, we are increasing the use of sustainably sourced timber frame construction across the group. Timber frame construction offers a proven range of operational, financial and environmental benefits, and we have been expanding its use, on a trial basis, in several Bellway divisions in recent years, in addition to its long-established use in our two Scottish divisions.”
Merit to build £30m modular NHS medicines centre
Local offsite specialist Merit has been appointed to design and fit-out a £30m NHS Medicines Manufacturing Centre in Northumberland.
The new centre will be hosted by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust at its Manufacturing & Innovation Hub in Seaton Delaval.
Works to manufacture the offsite components of the build have now begun in Merit’s Cramlington-based factory.
Eight public buildings in France made from bio-based materials
Schools and libraries are among the latest public buildings in France to be designed with natural materials, following a French law informed by the sustainability aspirations of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Environmental Regulation 2020 (RE2020), which came into effect in 2022, aims to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of France's new builds and promote the use of bio-based materials such as mass timber.
France's former minister for cities and housing Julien Denormandie announced plans for the regulation in 2020, stating that the encouragement of bio-based construction materials was informed by the construction of the 2024 Paris Olympics complex.
Lack of skilled workers may be biggest barrier to Labour hitting 1.5m homes target
Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association, said the government is likely to be hoping for a steady trajectory in increasing housebuilding to just over 380,000 homes by the fifth year of the parliament. This means housebuilding needs to increase by 60% as there were 234,400 net additions to the housing stock in England last year, once conversions are included.
£20bn investment for UK Build-to-Rent over next ten years predicted
This figure has supported the delivery of 100,000 BtR homes, comprising 542 apartment schemes let and managed by industry operators.
Of the £20bn invested in the last five years, only a fifth has been utilised by investors. The Savills research also found that there are 110,000 BtR homes planned, the largest number recorded so far, suggesting the sector’s period of growth is yet to see its peak.
If Build-to-Rent mirrors the success seen in student accommodation, Savills added that it would “start to double in size every couple of years”.
Private housing starts forecast to rise 14% by 2025
Private housing starts are due for a rebound as market conditions improve and the new Labour government pushes on with plans to build 1.5 million homes over the next parliament.
Private housing starts at an underlying level – schemes valued at up to £100 million – fell by 11% last year but are forecast by Glenigan to firm up by 2% this year before pushing on to grow by 14% in 2025.
Offsite and modular must be made to work for SME developers
The lack of compelling and positive track records among modular firms, against the backdrop of challenging market conditions, has at times made it difficult for lenders to confidently support the advance payments often required by developers to commission offsite manufacturers. As such, modular construction has tended to present a greater level of risk for lenders.
Solving the UK’s housing shortfall requires a modular construction rethink
When you think about it, the fact that most UK homes are built on-site is something of an anachronism, especially considering how far off-site construction has advanced.
Steve Cole, director of Make UK Modular, quoted in an April 2023 article in the Guardian, summed up the contradiction nicely: “If you think about assembling a car, doing it in a factory is much more efficient than if you build it outside your garage.”
Sustainability in construction: What are the advantages of modular buildings?
Choosing the best building strategy is an ongoing challenge for construction firms across the UK. Sourcing the most environmentally friendly option could serve your team well, no matter if you’re working on an extended project or based in a remote location.
There’s also the question of giving your colleagues their own private space throughout the project. Modular buildings are an upcoming trend for larger firms, and as accessibility continues to increase, there’s no reason why small- to medium-sized companies should overlook using them.
Whether you’re upscaling or taking on your biggest project yet, it’s always worth knowing the benefits.
Can modular solutions revive the construction industry’s economy?
Material costs, struggling supply chains and the widespread labour shortage continue to put pressure on the construction industry’s economy.
The decline in residential construction activities, coupled with the significant decline of traditional skilled labour in the wake of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, have caused issues for the construction industry’s economy.
The large number of labourers approaching retirement age is only exacerbating this dilemma, with one in five builders aged over 50 creating a skills time bomb that could devastate the industry.
It’s a home! On a crane!
It’s kind of like Legos? But not.
It was a home in two 11-by-65-foot boxes, wrapped in insulation and complete with windows, painted drywall, kitchen appliances, tub and toilet when it arrived on the back of a truck.
Then a crane lifted the boxes to be slotted into their places in what will be a four-story complex of up to 49 apartments
Legal & General to ‘cease production’ of new homes at modular factory
Legal & General has announced it will “reduce business activity” and halt production of new homes at its modular homes factory in Yorkshire with the “majority” of staff facing the threat of redundancy
How can modern methods of construction improve the construction process?
Significant time savings using MMC
According to the Modular Building Institute (MBI), Europe’s leading association for the modular construction industry, the time savings predominantly come at this the latter stages of a project, with up to 80% of on-site building activity removed.
Clearly, this is highly advantageous for the construction of buildings in, for example, the educational and healthcare sectors, where it is impossible to simply shut down operations as construction work ramps up.
Modular construction just what the doctor ordered for health care
Like other sectors of the economy, the health care industry wants to speed up construction and procure facilities that are up to their high standards.
To meet both requirements, many health care providers have been turning to modular methods.
Modular construction saves time because it enables some of the work to be done in an enclosed factory that is protected from the wind, rain and snow, while the building’s foundation is being put in place.
Modular: Increasing sustainability throughout the construction value chain
The UK construction sector is facing multiple challenges – some historic, such as low productivity and a shortfall in skilled labour – others more current, such as a lack of lifecycle information and data management. Then there is also an ever-increasing need to reduce environmental impact.
Modular Construction Trends Paving the Way for the Future
Demand for properties shows no signs of slowing up new methods of construction are needed. Modular Construction is one of these and we take a closer look at this in closer detail.
Building and construction have evolved significantly over the past few years and decades and show no signs of slowing down, which is a great thing because the advances we are seeing coming to the forefront are revolutionary.
Intensifying economic pressures to drive change within construction and engineering companies
In the wake of the turbulent COVID-19 pandemic, the construction and engineering industry will need to continue its fight to become more resilient and agile. As the global market continues to be pressured from new events including recessions, increased supply chain complexity brought by geopolitical conflicts, material price increases and labor shortages, a new layer of uncertainty is making its way throughout the industry. Thankfully, there is huge potential for those looking to adapt and become more resilient.
Why the need for modular construction has never been greater
There is the much-quoted 300,000 homes a year shortfall in new housing and the well-publicised but still serious shortage in skilled construction labour, especially post-Brexit and across the South East.
With a general election a distinct possibility in the next 12 months, there will be an inevitable impact on construction. Manifesto pledges, for example, of a commitment to affordable housing are likely. This is so urgently needed to help address the national housing crisis.
In summary, the UK desperately needs MMC and offsite manufactured solutions. But the serious reality is that if you aggregate demand across all sectors, there is nowhere near enough UK modular manufacturing capacity to meet both current and increasing demand.
3 reasons European contractors should be adopting modular construction practices
Modular construction adds efficiencies, is eco-friendly and may attract younger generations to construction industry careers, says Benedict Wallbank, BIM strategy and partnerships manager, Trimble Viewpoint
While it’s not a new concept to the building industry, modular construction has become increasingly popular as a method to efficiently and sustainably build state-of-the-art structures.
Demand for modern methods of construction (MMC) during Covid
David Hartley, managing director at MTX, shares his view on the many reasons why the demand for modern methods of construction has increased in the last two years
Examining the recent modular construction trend in multifamily housing
As an increasing number of developers go down this path, real estate and construction professionals continue to seek more information about what modular construction entails, when it makes sense to utilize the strategy, and what the ultimate benefits are.
Timber industry rallies SMEs to push for political backing
The timber industry is seeking to increase its political clout and green credentials in the face of stiff competition from the lobbying efforts of other parts of the building trade.
It is calling on the small and medium-sized businesses that make up the large majority of the £10 billion sector to push their local MPs to join a new cross-party group representing its interests.
Warren Buffett to Offer a Fresh Approach on Modular Construction
“You find out real quickly there’s a lot of players—insurance companies, designers, lenders, materials testing people. And modular touches them all,” he says. “You have had enthusiastic endorsement in some areas, but not others. Developers are fairly risk-averse and want a good return on their investment. So you’ve got to limit the risk—you’ve got to get cities, testing agencies on board.
World’s tallest modular building completed
Construction of the world’s tallest modular building, the 135m-tall Ten Degrees Croydon in south London, has been completed.
The project, built by Tide Construction and Vision Modular Systems, and designed by architect HTA, consists of 546 homes in a pair of 38- and 44-storey towers.
Modular homes: Coming to a town near you
Imaging creating your own home online, buying the modules and then having them delivered to a designated plot to be assembled into your dream house? It might sound futuristic, but it’s about to become a reality.
Take Advantage of Modular Buildings Construction for Enhanced Business Flexibility
Unfortunately, traditional construction methods don’t offer the flexibility your business needs to meet your shifting and changing needs. If you want your business to be able to dynamically respond to the ever-changing demands of the modern world, you need to take advantage of equally flexible construction methods.
Its no surprise that companies across the UK (and the world) are choosing to take advantage of modular buildings construction to improve their business’ ability to grow and evolve.
Modular ‘can deliver 75,000 homes per year’ with Whitehall’s backing
A new report has claimed the industry could deliver 75,000 homes per year through modular methods of construction with government backing.
Cast Consultancy chief executive and government adviser Mark Farmer (pictured) has collaborated with Mike De’Ath, a partner at architect HTA Design, on a new report – Build Homes, Build Jobs, Build Innovation. The pair argue that modular construction can speed up the delivery of housing, boost productivity and improve quality.
Building new homes to be moved in-house
The government has confirmed plans for a revolution in housebuilding with a big investment in factory-built homes.
Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary, said that he wanted modern methods of construction to be “a significant part of our future housing investment plans and indeed of the spending review later this year”.
Cautious welcome for September’s UK construction boost
Construction industry leaders have cautiously welcomed the quickest rise in new business since lockdown but, although optimism is at a seven-month high, fears persist that construction is currently in the ‘calm before the storm’ with a challenging winter and further potential lockdowns ahead.
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PM signals boost to housebuilders with pledge to put two million on housing ladder
Boris Johnson says reform of mortgage market will spark ‘biggest expansion of home ownership since the 1980s’
Boris Johnson has used his speech to the Conservative Party virtual conference to set out plans to reform the mortgage market to get two million first-time buyers on the housing ladder.
Johnson promises thousands of construction jobs to boost recovery
Prime minister Boris Johnson has confirmed his government’s commitment to using construction to help rebuild the economy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
‘Build build build’: Prime Minister announces New Deal for Britain
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a “New Deal” which puts jobs and infrastructure at the centre of the government’s economic growth strategy.
Built Modular: Modular Construction for Temporary Building Needs
The nature of prefabricated, modular construction allows for factory assembly without dealing with nature’s elements. This process allows development to happen quicker and less expensively, an attractive option for many building projects’ needs.
Time for modular construction to come into its own
Housebuilders may be going back on site but do we need to move away from the more traditional methods of construction if we are going to have any chance of meeting the country’s housebuilding targets, asks Caroline Hanratty.
Actis welcomes Hackitt’s call to increase offsite manufacturing
Modern Methods of Construction play a vital role in ensuring the ‘new normal’ is greener and more efficient, according to Dame Judith Hackitt and construction minister Nadhim Zahawi. "There are good opportunities for the industry to transform itself. We need to change the culture in construction. Actions taken during this crisis show the industry can adapt."
Could MMC be the solution to the UK's post-coronavirus housing backlog?
Modern construction needs modern financing. If politicians don’t understand the game, it’s time they learned at least to avoid scoring an own goal.
2020: The year modular construction goes mainstream?
In reviewing the events of 2019 and planning for the year to come, one thing is clear: 2020 is the year the housing and construction industries must change.
Even with a lot of talk and effort directed towards tackling the affordable housing crisis, a look at the numbers shows at best shaky progress, with the outlook for issues such as affordable homeownership appearing bleak if the status quo is maintained.
Offsite activity ‘can boost flagging UK manufacturing’
Government urged to back offsite as manufacturing output slides
The government has been urged to throw its weight behind offsite manufacturing in the housebuilding sector after new data showed traditional manufacturing output shrank in July.
Modular building could halve project time in construction industry
Modular construction could transform the construction market, offering possible savings of up to 20% while significantly reducing the construction time by up to 50%.
The process would involve part of the building process being shifted to factories, offering the ability to create precision parts that offer a range of quality related benefit to overall project outcomes – including energy efficiency gains and better site safety.
Modular construction: From projects to products
What is modular construction and how has it evolved
Shifting construction away from traditional sites and into factories could dramatically change the way we build. Will modular construction make a sustainable impact this time around, asks a McKinsey report
Offsite modular construction cuts building time by
up to 50%
UAE Vision 2021 aims to make the country one of the most advanced in the world.
Essentially, off-site modular construction allows for a building to be divided into smaller sections which can be prefabricated in a factory setting, transported and assembled on-site. Individual sections can be manufactured simultaneously, allowing multiple activities to happen in parallel, dramatically decreasing project delivery timelines, with an average reduction of between 40 and 50 per cent for the large-scale projects we have delivered.
Traditional vs modular: Deconstructing building methods
Traditional and modular construction are very different from one another. Premier Guarantee examines the pros and cons
Foundations are laid, walls are built, roofs are added and then the interior of the building begins to be created. Finally, before being handed over to the customer, the snag-list is drawn up and tackled – all those small issues and tasks that need addressing. Then, and only then, is the building officially complete.
Designing a better future using modular techniques
Mark Farmer, founding director of Cast Consultancy and author of the landmark Modernise or Die review, looks at the rise of modular construction and examines whether the sector is really ready for take-off
Mark Farmer, founding director of Cast Consultancy and author of the landmark Modernise or Die review, looks at the rise of modular construction and examines whether the sector is really ready for take-off
How Modular Fits Into The Future Of Real Estate Construction
Clearly, the rise of modular construction is impacting the practice of real estate in a number of ways.
Real estate and construction are two industries that have intersected for generations. There has always been an inexorable link between the two, and there always will be. Regardless of whether a broker or real estate firm has any intimate knowledge about construction, my recommendation is that they have at a minimum a basic knowledge of the latest industry trends. Even the most rudimentary awareness of current trends in construction will inevitably enhance any real estate broker’s ability to effectively serve the full range of their clients’ needs.
Hotel opens five months early using modular construction
Early check in? With modular construction the answer is yes!
The Fairfield Inn in Folsom, CA was Marriott’s first hotel built using offsite construction methods. Guerdon Modular Buildings, a member of the Modular Building Institute, harnessed hybrid techniques while building the 97 room, 52-module hotel.
Construction industry embraces unlikely source of growth: shifting work off the job site
With high-capacity gantry cranes overhead, 65,000 sq. ft. of well-lit floor space and products at various stages of completion strung out along a tidy assembly line, PCL Constructors Inc.’s Agile operation in the Toronto suburbs looks more like it’s run by a manufacturer than by one of the country’s largest construction contractors.
Homes England supports local authority in modular pilot
Homes England has funded a local authority to build modular housing in a pilot intended to spread expertise.
The government’s delivery agency provided £120,000 to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council in order to build four modular homes.
The council has identified seven other sites and is working for other councils to share knowledge and expertise on modular housing.
Homes England said the council is speaking to Warwick District Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Rugby Borough Council and North Warwickshire Borough Council to share information from the pilot scheme.
The popularity of modular construction is changing the construction industry by offering solutions to long-standing problems
Cost Benefits
There are numerous benefits to modular construction when compared to traditional construction, perhaps most notable is cost. Both builders and buyers are finding big savings on modular construction. Prefabricated modules mean less labor and less time spent building onsite which allows for construction of buildings in smaller time frames, resulting in lower costs all around.
Modules are built in a factory in a controlled environment using repetitive procedures and reliable machinery that’s unaffected by inclement weather. Using precise equipment allows for more detailed planning which assures that each structure needs an exact amount of raw material, reducing waste.
Trailblazers: Modular homes
At the end of the 19th century, swaths of the population were living in slums – and this was true of Liverpool.
John Alexander Brodie, the pioneering city engineer, envisaged a way to build homes quickly and cheaply.He experimented with pre-cast concrete panels, and the country’s first modular homes were built in Eldon Street in 1905 (pictured).
We have yet another housing crisis on our hands – and the future should be modular.
Councils
ignoring modular have 'little chance' of tackling
housing crisis
“Anything that reduces build time and cost is a silver bullet for local authorities, councils and prospective buyers and any council not embracing modular housing stands little chance of effectively combating the housing crisis.
“The usual rules of supply and demand might suggest that it is developers who stand to lose the most if the amount of housing for sale increases, but in reality this wouldn’t hit their margins.”
developmentfinancetoday.co.uk
What is
Modular
Construction
And how is it impacting the construction industry?
Modular construction is a type of off-site production. Factories build and then transport components to the jobsite. When someone decides to use modular construction, the first step is to find a factory that is willing to build a modular unit to their specifications. Because modular construction factories will build units to the specifications of the project rather than just copies of a unit. They can manufacture the interior and exterior and other aspects specifically for a project. The majority of the time factories construct modules to 90%. So the site crew doesn’t have to do very much to finish a project. So all that’s left for a project is practically transport and installation.
New methods of construction needed in London to combat skill shortages
A growing skills crisis in London’s construction sector is strengthening the case for the adoption of modern methods of construction, according to a think tank report.
Modular construction is a type of off-site production. Factories build and then transport components to the jobsite. When someone decides to use modular construction, the first step is to find a factory that is willing to build a modular unit to their specifications. Because modular construction factories will build units to the specifications of the project rather than just copies of a unit. They can manufacture the interior and exterior and other aspects specifically for a project. The majority of the time factories construct modules to 90%. So the site crew doesn’t have to do very much to finish a project. So all that’s left for a project is practically transport and installation.
Heathrow expansion to go modular
Cabinet ministers have backed initial proposals for a new runway at Heathrow Airport, claiming it is an “historic moment”.
For many years, modular construction was thought to be largely box-type structures, providing a bare frame to accommodate construction site workers, large classrooms and residential homes. While the concept still provides benefit for these uses, more and more engineering projects, including the expansion of Heathrow airport, are incorporating the concept into their build as a way of minimising both cost and disruption to the client and end user.
Amazon makes first investment in a homebuilder, backing start-up focused on prefabricated houses
Amazon has made clear that it wants to own the smart home space. Now the company's going a step further, taking a stake in a start-up that's building actual homes.
A vision of the future? We visit a ‘modular town’
Two large developments to house 1,500 power station workers have sprung up in just over a year. Martin Hilditch visits to see if the offsite scheme is a vision of the future.
