SB 4156 32pp WEB

Offsite construction
ticks so many boxes,
offering a quick and
cost-effective way to
deliver the schools and
homes sorely needed in
Britain today.
is considerably larger than that of modular
construction. Put simply, fewer vehicles
involved and less time spent on site results in
less greenhouse gases being released into
our environment.
Change is coming
The Autumn Budget confirmed whispers
earlier this year; Government intend to
encourage offsite over onsite wherever
possible going forward for public sector
construction. In the budget, they announced
a plan to drive adoption of modern methods
of construction by 2019 across suitable
capital programmes, where it represents best
value for money.
This of course came as great news to those
working within the offsite and modular
sectors of construction. These methods have
been around for many years, but only now
are the potential benefits being
acknowledged by Central Government. The
benefits are now too obvious to ignore.
Offsite is the answer
Modular construction can help us breathe
new life into our country’s educational
buildings throughout the country and create
enthusing learning spaces for the influx of
new students predicted to enter into
education by 2022.
However, despite the wealth of benefits
afforded by offsite construction, uptake
continues to be slow. Recent research
undertaken by WPI Economics has shown
that at present offsite accounts for just 7% of
UK construction.
Analysis suggests that if we were to increase
this output by a further 18%, construction
productivity overall could increase 3.6% by
2020 - as well as attracting new talent into
the industry, teaching us new skills and
offering financial savings to specifier and
client alike. The long-term economic benefits
of this to Great Britain would be highly
lucrative.
Estimations suggest that the global
construction market will be worth £15 trillion
by 2025. By modernising UK construction
through offsite methods, our designers,
architects, specifiers and manufacturers could
create what could become a major export
market for an outward facing UK economy,
with British businesses at the forefront of the
global market. Regardless of your stance on
leaving the EU, we are all in agreement that
the UK needs to forge a strong post-Brexit
economy. Well, here’s how!
Where to start?
Initially, our efforts need to be focussed on
ensuring that the industry has the capacity to
deliver more offsite construction and
modular buildings at scale. Whilst offsite
construction is increasingly being used
within the public and private sectors, there
still isn’t the much needed mass of industry
expertise and manufacturing capability to
keep up with current construction demand.
The government are already taking measures
to encourage an increased uptake of offsite
methods and it is crucial that they continue
this momentum, using every bit of their
purchasing power to establish Britain as an
international leader within the field of offsite
design and delivery.
Secondly, we need to educate people where
necessary to remove misconceptions on
modular. We need to shake the image of old,
inefficient pre-fabs from the forefront of
people’s minds and replace it with the
modern reality. Modular is not inferior to the
traditional onsite bricks and mortar approach,
nor is it merely a way of cutting corners to
save time and money. The offsite sector has
been working tirelessly, producing a wealth of
research and information, constantly
developing and improving their products so
that they can deliver equivalent, if not
superior outcomes to that of traditional build.
So much more than a school
Arguably one of the greatest benefits of
modular construction is the ability to design
diverse buildings in a more efficient manner,
allowing them to be used as multi-functional
spaces. For example, it is perfectly possible to
combine a new school with a community
centre, library or any other public building for
that matter. This means that offsite
construction can actually help public sector
organisations and local authorities enrich the
lives of the people that make up their
communities.
In summary
Offsite construction ticks so many boxes,
offering a quick and cost-effective way to
deliver the schools and homes sorely needed
in Britain today. It can play a crucial role in
tackling the school places challenge and it of
vital importance that these benefits are
acknowledged and embraced by government
and industry. Sectors under pressure, such as
healthcare, policing, defence, housing and
education are all set to benefit from utilising
offsite. We’re catching up with the future and
can’t affort to drag historical problems into its
context. Let’s revolutionise the way we do
things. It starts with how we perceive offsite
construction in our mind.
Winter 2019 4156 19