Can Offsite Construction Technology Boost the Industry’s Productivity?
Date Posted: February 27, 2024
Posted In: Discussion,
From Bluebeam Blog: Facing a myriad of pressures ranging from poor productivity to spiraling costs, the construction sector has in recent years been urged to embrace more modern methods of construction to deliver at pace new homes, commercial space, amenities and infrastructure.
Among a series of recommendations in his groundbreaking 2016 report, “Modernise Or Die: Time To Decide The Industry’s Future,” sector expert Mark Farmer argued for “increased levels of investment in R&D and innovation in construction by changing commissioning trends from traditional to pre-manufactured approaches.”
Offsite modular construction – making parts for a building or even an entire structure in a factory setting – can certainly speed up delivery and ensure quality outcomes. Yet, while it is widespread in other countries, including Japan, such offsite activity is a relatively new concept in the UK.
Nevertheless, the use of offsite construction elements such as timber frames, brick slips and pre-cast concrete components has grown, and the UK government has estimated that around 7% of total construction output, worth in excess of £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion), has been created by offsite methods.
Examples include the Larkhill housing development on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, which saw timber frames provided by Stewart Milne Timber Systems and Taylor Lane Timber Frame play an important role in speeding up the delivery of hundreds of new homes for military personnel.