Paul Tierney, head of MMC Ireland—a national trade body focused on advancing the Irish offsite construction industry—shared his insights with us.
We asked Paul about the steps Ireland is taking to support the offsite industry and what valuable lessons can be drawn from their experience.
For more information on MMC Ireland, click HERE.
Both Ireland and the UK are in the middle of a housing shortfall. What is the offsite construction sector in Ireland doing to help tackle this shortfall?
As part of the government’s ‘Housing for All’ plan, we’re seeing some clear and actionable steps to boost MMC.
First, there’s the MMC Centre of Excellence Demonstration Park, which opened in 2022.
This park is where we’re building a variety of MMC homes, including those using 2D light gauge steel, timber, 3D volumetric methods, and concrete.
The government has just appointed a design team to develop Design for Manufacture guidance, making sure our homes are well-suited for MMC.
Key industry stakeholders, including MMC Ireland, are actively involved in this process to ensure strong representation.
We’re also close to finalising Key Performance Indicators for MMC and the Cost of Construction.
Once this is up and running, the Government will report on it quarterly, providing full transparency for everyone in the industry.
Finally, we’ve established the MMC Leadership and Integration Group.
This group brings together all the relevant industry and Government stakeholders to ensure that existing and new initiatives in the construction sector are well-coordinated and integrated.
Their mission is to keep the innovation pipeline flowing, driving new MMC applications in both house and apartment construction.
What lessons can the UK learn from the Irish offsite construction sector?
There are so many areas where both the UK and Ireland offsite sectors can learn from each other.
There have been so many learnings from the UK already implemented by Irish companies having worked throughout the UK over the years, particularly around digital construction.
From an Irish perspective, the Irish Government is very aware of the casualties, in the mainly 3D volumetric residential sector over the last few years in the UK and is conscious of protecting the industry against that.
New frameworks are in the process of being designed, with industry involvement in designing them to help safeguard against any similar failings.
Because of the nature and size of Ireland, there is both a people and department-led approach between government and industry in creating a sustainable MMC industry.
It is very much a collaborative approach built on trusting and respected relationships.
MMC Ireland currently has around 90 members. What would you say are the advantages to joining a trade body like MMC Ireland and how can it help the industry?
Joining most respected trade bodies brings the main advantage of a strong combined voice when representing their sector versus a number of individual views. MMC Ireland in particular is a relatively new body, being two years old, but already has just shy of 90 members.
It is a very dynamic organisation and has already positioned itself with government as the voice of the MMC sector in Ireland.
MMC Ireland will be present at Offsite Expo, which takes place on September 17-18.
Registration for the event is FREE and can be completed by visiting www.offsite-expo.co.uk
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry leaders and explore innovative offsite construction solutions!
