The rewards are many

Are these starting to tip the scales?

Early modular has influenced perceptions

The proposed rewards on offer for successfully harnessing modular construction are many:

Increased productivity, decreased carbon footprint, a way to address the skills shortage, and greatly increased building capacity, to name a few.

In a bid to catalyse Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and secure these benefits, Whitehall has announced a 'presumption’ in favour of offsite methods when running the rule over tender submissions for projects in defence, education, health and social care, justice and transport.

But presumption is not requirement. To date, only the Department for Education has embraced the agenda; commissioning multiple projects and launching its own £3 billion framework.One factor suggested as a barrier to wider adoption in the construction industry is dismal memories of post–Second World War prefabricated houses.The precision and quality of modular buildings on offer today are a world away from those early experiments. Technology has progressed rapidly, but perceptions have been slower to evolve.There are signs, however, that things may be beginning to change.Sizeable investments from Asian and Scandinavian-headquartered companies in UK firms have created new impetus in the modular residential market, while the current housing minister Esther McVey has doubled down on the government’s support for offsite.Alongside appointing industry veteran Mark Farmer as MMC tsar, the government has invested in a housing developer and heralded the creation of “Construction Corridor” in the North East, where many modular factories are based.Add to this a growing number of glowing case studies and anecdotes as this new era of modular buildings progress through a lifecycle, and some might argue that 2021 and beyond could be a tipping point for offsite construction.We invited a roundtable of expert consultants and customers to discuss the factors holding modular construction back; and what they would like to see happen to support wider adoption in the industry.

Where do you stand on modular construction?

It is definitely the future!
It's a flash in the pan
I'll consider it, but lets see the evidence first

Around the table: