Innovative Building Techniques: Frequent Obstacles and Resolutions
In an effort to revolutionise the social housing sector, a new initiative called Building Better is aiming to bring housing associations, local authorities, and manufacturers together to advance the use of modern methods of construction (MMC). Led by MMC champion, Trina Chakravarti, the initiative aims to establish a new standard for fast, high-quality builds.
However, the adoption of MMC in the social housing sector faces several challenges. One of the key issues is coordination and skill gaps, as MMC such as modular construction require tight sequencing and strong coordination across trades. Site contractors and subcontractors often lack familiarity with MMC processes, leading to misalignments and delays.
Another challenge is economic constraints and cost concerns. Sustainable MMC can have higher initial costs due to new materials, processes, and supply chain transitions. The social housing sector often faces budget limits, making upfront investment difficult despite long-term savings.
The pressure to build quickly can also lead to compromises in safety, dignity, and sustainability, treating social housing as minimal or temporary. This requires careful balancing of speed with quality and community involvement.
Skepticism and resistance to change slow MMC adoption, and education on MMC benefits and integration into early design and project planning is essential. Lack of clear standards and guidelines for prefabricated and modular buildings can complicate approval and construction processes.
To overcome these challenges, Building Better offers free resources to help establish binding risk-sharing agreements and suggests seeking any available legal advice. Early and integrated project planning, capacity building and education, investment in supply chain and process maturity, hybrid approaches and community involvement, development of standards and policy support, and focusing on life-cycle benefits are some of the ways to overcome these barriers.
Trina Chakravarti, the Project Director for the Building Better initiative, has identified four ideas that aid collaborative partnerships in the MMC sector: Reach for Common Ground, Eyes on the Prize, Accept Tension, and Make Mechanisms Contractual. Collaborative projects must be resolved properly, with open and frequent communication with stakeholders to overcome challenges and roadblocks.
Through this collaboration, housing associations and manufacturers are able to access modern methods of construction more easily through bulk buying. However, housing associations fear substantial threats to income due to MMC homes being quicker to build, as they often ask for a deposit upfront. Risk as well as reward should be shared in collaborative MMC projects, and a contracting environment should be established to support genuine collaboration and the sharing of risks and rewards.
Only five out of around 16 major UK-based public lenders who deal with social housing have considered implementing a funding strategy for MMC-built homes. Trina Chakravarti has formed a strong partnership with Procurement for Housing to facilitate collaboration between housing associations and manufacturers.
The key to overcoming MMC adoption barriers in social housing is coordinated efforts across technical, financial, regulatory, and social dimensions to balance speed, cost, quality, and resident well-being.
- To address economic constraints and cost concerns in the adoption of modern methods of construction (MMC) for social housing, it's crucial to explore investment opportunities in sustainable MMC, considering the potential long-term savings despite initial higher costs.
- In the realm of social housing, the integration of real-estate and finance is essential for successful partnerships between housing associations and manufacturers, enabling easier access to MMC through bulk buying and shared risk-reward contracts.
