When looking ahead to the future of construction, offsite technology is often highlighted as a key solution. However, the effectiveness of this approach, known as Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), can be compromised without a robust system for its implementation.
For example, if a proprietary system is created and the project later undergoes changes or a new contractor is hired, deviating from the original plan can prove challenging.
On the other hand, adopting a standardised system across the industry could allow for smoother transitions between individuals and companies involved in the project.
Katie Rudin, Housing & Innovation Director and MMC Advisor at Akerlof, explores the ideas behind a standardised ‘kit of parts’ for the offsite construction industry.
Katie is a member of the Offsite Construction Week Advisory Group, an unbiased ambassador for offsite construction, ensuring that the key trends and challenges of the industry are addressed during the series of events this September and beyond. Learn more about Offsite Construction Week here.
In 2023 the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government (MHCLG) commissioned a consortium of the nation’s leading design firms to undertake a year-long project to research and develop a digital kit of parts (d-KoP) for low-rise housing to improve standardisation and the uptake of MMC. Can you tell us more about the results of this research?
The UK government is committed to delivering more and better housing to address pressing societal issues, however continues to struggle with insufficient capacity to deliver housing at scale, and barriers to MMC growth.
The d-KoP provides an open-access digital framework for generating MMC aligned designs and focuses on performance specifications for structural MMC components (categories 2 and 5) used in low-rise housing construction.
The d-KoP includes consistent guidelines and specifications and defined quality requirements for MMC category 2 solutions currently available on the market. This will support designers to create MMC aligned design solutions and helps the d-KoP re-align the MMC design, procurement, and construction process with traditional construction, significantly reducing the risks associated with selecting a single supplier and improving MMC project outcomes.
This has been an exciting project to work on because of the level of engagement we’ve had from the sector.
With the help of the Offsite Alliance and industry peers we engaged over 350 experts from across the industry, representing nine different stakeholder groups including clients and housing providers, industry bodies, insurance providers, designers, and manufacturers.
Their input has made sure that the kit of parts is built on consensus, paving the way for standardisation at scale.
The recommended steps in your research to address the barriers to MMC adoption closely align with the Construction Playbook. What are these recommendations and is any extra support required?
Major barriers to MMC include perception issues, lack of interoperability and current cost modelling and procurement processes.
Our research also examined the potential barriers to adoption and deployment of the Digital Kit of Parts (d-KoP).
These include both business and cultural barriers which must be overcome to create sustained improvements within the sector.
Alongside these client and contractor issues, suppliers struggle with inconsistent demand, a fragmented market (with 353 local authorities and 1,594 registered providers), the planning system and warranty and insurance challenges.
Advocation and sponsorship by government or clients is key to driving the adoption of the d-KoP within the industry by integrating the outputs, along with other industry research and initiatives, into any new industrialisation strategy.
We are keen to open the research for even broader engagement and feedback, allowing stakeholders to contribute to and shape the initiative alongside testing and validation of the tool through a pilot programme.
This support would help to bring the industry along on the journey and encourage widespread adoption and use of the tool, helping to bring its benefits to the whole sector.
What are the main observations that your research brought to light about the readiness of the UK housing sector to endorse MMC in new construction and refurbishment projects?
The level of engagement demonstrated to us that industry is keen to support the transition to MMC and excited about the opportunity to provide feedback on industry initiatives.
Despite this engagement, the recent insolvencies have amplified concerns regarding the financial risk associated with certain types of MMC.
Best practice risk management plans for MMC sites must be applied alongside the use of the d-KoP to mitigate risks associated with manufacturer (or contractor) insolvency.
With a drive to build 1.5 million homes before 2029, the time has come for us to build and work together differently.
The integration of new technologies such as the d-KoP and digitisation of the sector requires a shift away from business as usual.
We need to view ourselves not just as individual businesses but as part of a collective effort, contributing to sustained and meaningful change for a better way of building tomorrow.
It is important to remember that the benefits of the d-KoP extend beyond the individual adopters to the broader market and could enable industrialisation of construction.
Within the MMC and industrialised sector I meet so many inspiring and driven individuals and businesses who are trying to do so much good.
We need to harness this and work together to reap the benefits of initiatives such as the d-KoP.
Where do you see the potential for use of d-KoP in meeting UK Government house building targets?
We are excited about the ambitions of the government to scale up our house building with targets that have not been met since the post-war building era.
The d-KoP will allow designers to develop DfMA / MMC aligned solutions, embedded with manufacturing constraints and limitations from the beginning of projects.
Having a common language and geometry will remove the need to redraw designs to suit manufacturer systems late in the design process.
This will not only improve how we work together as a sector, but through widespread adoption it can also help us to increase the choice and interoperability of MMC solutions, enabling the full benefits of MMC to be realised, including programme savings, increased quality and a reduced environmental impact.
How do you see the development of upskilling and retraining programmes to ensure that we have a sufficiently prepared working force to implement MMC?
The housing industry is often characterised by inertia, with a preference for traditional methods and materials. Existing working habits and the human aspect of MMC are key barriers that must be overcome for the technology to be adopted at scale.
Adopting new tools, techniques and methods demands time, skills, and capital investment.
A comprehensive implementation and training programme is needed to prepare the workforce to implement MMC.
This includes the holistic manufacturing skills often needed by manufacturers alongside digital and design skills.
A comprehensive implementation and training programme would help to support the adoption of the d-KoP and bridge any knowledge and skills gaps among housing sector professionals.
The DLUHC research report identified interoperability as one of the main barriers to adopting MMC principles in design and construction. Do designers experience impediments and requests to change their designs when working with manufacturers?
Our current approach to MMC and industrialisation of the sector doesn’t offer the efficiency it claims. Designers and suppliers are creating bespoke solutions and offerings for every project, leading to systems that are often incompatible for future projects.
This has led to an industry that is as insular and siloed as traditional construction, embedding risk and reducing scalability. The d-KoP can be part of industrialising the sector and it’s use supports the creation of a more productive housing market.
We need to change the way we work to reduce the inherent risk that sits within the way we design, manufacture and build our homes.
The d-KoP will allow designers to work with manufacturers’ requirements from the earliest stage without having to pre-select a manufacturer at RIBA stage 1. This will enable clients to go out to tender whilst aligning expectations from suppliers.
In time, suppliers will have the confidence to invest in their system to align with client and d-KoP requirements, building resilience into our supply chain, increasing capacity across the supply chain and ultimately allowing us to build more homes at scale.
What are other resources available to architects today that can effectively change their relationship with owners, developers and contractors, removing some of these blockages?
If the d-KoP was issued as an open access tool, supported by government, it would reduce the inconsistencies in data that is fed between software solutions and allow the digital sector to have consistent data structures that could be shared between designers, manufacturers and clients.
Autodesk’s Manufacture Informed Design is beginning to build the bridge between manufacturers’ and designers’ software. Software such as this would benefit from common data structures within construction.
Ultimately this will improve the way in which we communicate and enhance the data we hold on buildings, benefiting the whole sector through increased productivity and a reduction in redraws, frustrations and mistakes.
What are your thoughts on Offsite Expo and how can events like this assist the offsite industry?
Offsite Expo and similar events are catalysts for advancing the construction industry, particularly in promoting MMC and industrialisation of construction.
These events are platforms for networking, knowledge sharing, and showcasing innovations in offsite construction.
Offsite Expo is crucial in facilitating new connections and partnerships that drive progress, alongside educational opportunities that help to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and practices to address key industry challenges.
As the construction sector continues to evolve, with a growing focus on digital technologies and sustainable practices, events like Offsite Expo play an important role in shaping the future of construction, serving not just as showcases but as drivers of industry-wide transformation.
