a.aa MMC M11 52pp Web

article
A ‘modular mindset’ is needed to
tackle London’s housing crisis
London needs 66,000 new homes each year. However, in recent history, nothing like this capacity has ever been delivered. In 2016-17,
there were just 41,371 net additions to London housing stock. Less than 5,500 affordable homes were completed in 2017-18, compared
with an average of over 10,000 per year in the last decade. Analysts suggest offsite is the answer.
MMC Editor Joe Bradbury investigates:
Recent research by New London
Architecture (NLA) called for a ‘Modular
Mindset’ to revolutionise the way
housing is planned, procured, designed and
built to accelerate the delivery of high-quality,
affordable and sustainable homes for London’s
citizens, now and in the future.
NLA’s research paper, entitled ‘Factory-Made
Housing: a solution for London?’ examines the
impact of factory methods on the future of
housing delivery in London. The report, informed
by interviews with leading professionals at the
forefront of delivering factory-made housing,
shows the potential for these construction
methods to make a positive contribution to
London’s housing needs – highlighting the
range of manufactured systems available today
and the opportunities that digital techniques
and processes can offer.
Change begins within
Moving construction from the site to the factory
environment is not just a case of tweaking
existing processes or adapting current models,
says the report. Using factory methods to
design and build new homes at scale requires a
complete rethink of established attitudes to
commissioning, planning, procurement, finance,
design and construction.
The extent of the housing crisis
It’s no secret that housebuilding needs to
increase in the UK. It is predicted that a total of
250,000 homes need to be delivered each year
in order to tackle spiralling house prices and the
critical shortage of affordable homes. This target
has constantly been missed - with figures
showing that only 184,000 homes were
completed in England in 2016/17. This is more
than in recent years, but still below the 2007/08
pre-recession peak of 200,000.
With only 63% of projects delivered on time and
only 49% delivered to budget, it’s clear to see
that traditional building practices, whilst still
integral, are falling short of meeting major
challenges on their own.
Consider that London alone needs 66,000 new
homes each year. Despite this, in 2016-17, there
were only 41,371 net additions to London
housing stock. Less than 5,500 affordable
homes were completed in 2017-18, compared
with an average of over 10,000 per year in the
last decade.
Many are looking to Mayor Sadiq Khan for
answers. Almost half of London’s need is for
social rent, but only 14% of all home starts so far
in this Mayoral term are for social rented homes.
The Mayor has received £4.82bn to deliver
116,000 affordable home starts by March 2022.
This year’s target range for starts is 14,500 to
19,000 - but only 2,400 were recorded in the
first six months of this year.
Recently, the Chair of the Housing Committee,
Sian Berry AM, said “The Mayor is letting down
Londoners, he promised us more affordable
housing but so far has fallen very short of his
promises, particularly on social housing which is
our greatest need.
“With young and lower-income people suffering
the most from the housing crisis, we can’t wait
much longer for his policies to kick in.
“The Mayor must fulfil his pledges. It is in his
power to ease the housing crisis and meet his
targets – especially as he has received new
funding.
“There is now no excuse for genuinely
affordable housing to be out of reach for
Londoners who want a secure home.”
Changing behaviours
Adopting new technologies is not just a matter
of innovation in materials and construction
methods but open communication, transparency
of data and information sharing, and a challenge
to established beliefs about responsibility for
delivery and risk. A collaborative stance based
on long-term partnerships and agreements –
breaking down the barriers between disciplines
– rather than an adversarial, competitive, shortterm
outlook will improve quality, add value and
reduce risks. Manufacturing high-quality
repeatable components and units demands a
system-based approach that focuses on
continuous improvement through the cycle of
assessment, prototyping, analysis, fabrication
and installation.
David Jones, Modular Integration Director at
Legal and General commented “There is a lot of
talk about embracing ‘modern methods of
construction’, but I don’t think that policymakers
are strict enough in terms of indicating exactly
what this means in terms of percentage of
manufactured elements – we need more clarity.”
Jonathan Falkingham, co-founder and creative
director at Urban Splash, argues that for this
reason government should intervene in largescale
developments. He said “The current highly
risk-averse procurement process for public land
heavily favours the larger housebuilders –
smaller housebuilders simply don’t have the
required balance sheets – opening up land to
more housebuilders would deliver greater
variety in housing typologies, higher market
penetration and speedier delivery.”
Key benefits of factory-made housing
• Speed of delivery – 30 to 70% quicker than
traditional construction methods
• Higher quality – due to controlled production
• Reduced transportation and community
impact – less noise, pollution and deliveries
• Flexible and diverse – a solution for almost
every site and scale of project
• More environmentally friendly – improved
energy efficiency, using certified timber
projects
• Less affected by the shortage of skilled labour
in the construction industry – improving the
view of construction and attracting a younger,
more diverse workforce
• Small, restricted sites can be used – offering
reduced impacts of noise, vehicle movements
and flexibility for building on irregular plots
Peter Murray, Chairman of NLA, said “Factorymade
homes are advocated by Government and
Mayoral policies to speed up housing delivery in
London and across the UK. But we must be
mindful that the same level of consideration is
given to design, place-making, amenity,
infrastructure and public realm. We must not
repeat the mistakes of the 1960s.”
Graeme Craig, Director of Commercial
Development at Transport for London, added
“London desperately needs affordable housing
and it’s vital that the industry considers fresh
and creative approaches to tackle the challenge
head-on. To provide these homes we need to
unlock complex, challenging sites, sometimes
impossible to deliver using conventional
methods of construction. We’re working with a
range of partners, including EVA Studio and
Apartments for London, to develop innovative
solutions that will help to overcome some of the
barriers traditionally faced, and support the
Mayor in delivering more affordable homes
across the capital at pace.”
42 Feb 2019 M11