Offsite Construction

The UK government set a target of building one million new homes by 2020. This was a policy response to long-term structural problems in housing supply, including at the affordable level. At the same time, the housing construction sector was reported to be simultaneously facing post-Brexit skills shortages whilst undergoing a technological revolution. One outcome of these trends was the rapid increase in automated, off-site modular house-building. Modular housing has evolved substantially in the last century: from heavy prefabrication methods to lightweight constructions with high added value, functional to the rapidity of production cycle and with a lower use of resources, easily mountable and adaptable to context variability. However, this has increased the complexity of the supply chain and raised questions about what skills and technologies are required to sustain this young but rapidly growing industry. Yorkshire has emerged as a significant region for this industry both as a client seeking to increase local housing supply and as the site for a number of firms innovating in the sector. At this critical juncture in the industry’s growth, a new research and knowledge exchange programme, organised by the University of Leeds, brought together experts from local planning authorities, offsite construction companies and academic research to facilitate dialogue between stakeholders and develop a roadmap towards a more strategic and sustainable role for the modular sector within the Yorkshire / UK housing market.

Organisers

Ornella Iuorio, Politecnico di Milano
Andrew Wallace, University of Leeds
Kate Simpson, University of Leeds