Modular Construction Innovation in the UK: The Case of Residential Buildings

The construction industry in the UK within the last decade has seen an increasing demand for housing and wider concerns over the need to improve performance. Comparatively, other UK industry such as car manufacturing has rapidly developed and modernised itself. Offsite technologies seem reluctant to be adopted by the construction industry. Several surveys have been carried out to examine the limitations and explore remedial actions however, house builders are uncertain in their views, hence are reluctant to embrace this innovation in helping to meet the current demand for new homes. This study has been carried out to understand the benefits and barriers of modular construction and the level of satisfaction with the modular construction over the traditional construction. The investigation was carried out through using 3 case studies, within which a combination interviews, questionnaires, site observation and document review were used for data collection. The results suggested that in comparison with traditional construction, modular construction will offer a better quality finished product, significant savings in construction programme, improved health and safety and increased end-user satisfaction. The projects reviewed have shown excellent market achievement. The authors have hence concluded that given changing client perception, improved design and procurement, and increased awareness, modular techniques will be the future home construction trend. To achieve this, increased awareness and training opportunities in modular techniques are necessary to enlighten traditional builders about the potential benefits of modular techniques.