A research study to drive modern methods of construction (MMC) has been commissioned by Homes England
As part of Homes England’s objective to improve construction productivity and encourage the uptake of modern methods of construction in housing delivery, a series of the agency’s own sites will participate in the study.
Monitoring the construction of around 1,500 homes at sites across country over several years, the study will test the performance of different types of modern methods of construction to provide long-term, in-depth and verifiable data so that informed decisions about emerging construction technologies can be made.
Sites confirmed as being part of the study so far include:
- Northstowe Phase 2a, a 406-home 100% MMC neighbourhood in Cambridgeshire being brought forward by House by Urban Splash; the partnership between Urban Splash, Sekisui House and Homes England. The modular homes will be manufactured in the House factory in Alfreton, East Midlands.
- Spencer’s Park in Hemel Hempstead, a 600-home development by Countryside, where all the homes will be closed panel timber frame units.
- The 87-home York Road development being delivered by Vistry Partnerships in Birmingham. The homes will be built using a timber frame closed panel system, delivered to site for assembly.
The study will also monitor sites in Swindon, Warrington, Newcastle and Milton Keynes, with details to be announced in the coming months.
The research will explore a range of themes, including cost and pace of build compared to traditional building methods, skills required, safety performance, snagging and defect issues, construction wastage, energy efficiency performance and post-occupation performance.
The study will also seek to learn lessons about how these technologies might be improved upon in future and give confidence to the industry to encourage more widespread use of modern methods of construction technologies.
Atkins and Faithful+Gould have been appointed as Homes England’s research and development partner for the project. Working with the Building Research Establishment and University College London, they will collect and monitor data from the developers and produce annual updates on the research findings, before a final report is published at the end of the build programme.
Promising housebuilding innovations
Housing minister Christopher Pincher, said: “Building the homes the country needs is a priority for the government and modern methods of construction have enormous potential to not only accelerate this work but to deliver better quality homes too.
“I am delighted that this research will bring together some of the most promising housebuilding innovations around today. Such an extensive and practical study will no doubt inform housebuilding for years to come.”
Nick Walkley, chief executive of Homes England, commented: “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.
“Now more than ever, we recognise that more needs to be done to share learning and build confidence in MMC.
“This large-scale, long-term and in-depth research project will provide the sector with the critical evidence it needs to make informed decisions about MMC and deliver better homes faster.”
Commenting on the announcement, Dave Sheridan, executive chairman at ilke Homes, added: “Homes England’s research on MMC has the potential to be ground-breaking. There is a real need for improved data-led evidence on how digital and manufacturing processes lead to higher-quality, more energy-efficient housing.
“The study could help propel offsite manufacturing higher up the national agenda. This will be crucial as the sector looks set to take the lead on the UK’s economic response to Covid-19 due to its ability to enable councils, housing associations, private developers and investors to deliver well-designed homes at pace.
