Global cities are growing at an unprecedented pace, and are critically important to delivering long-term, sustainable economic growth and reducing global inequality and poverty. In the UK, pressure from the housing shortage has made housebuilding a critical political issue. 

Modern methods of construction – or MMC for short – have for years been heralded as the silver bullet for many of the industry’s problems. MMC has been suggested as the solution for challenges as diverse as low productivity, sustainability and the skills shortage. 

In reality, the definition is broad and real progress on site has been limited. Our sector does not adopt new ways of working quickly or easily. But it finally feels like we are on the verge: from huge investments in offsite construction facilities to the adoption of design for manufacture and assembly processes by government departments, MMC is beginning to become mainstream. 

Where we’re using more preassembled parts, our productivity measures can reach more than £85 per hour, compared with £40 on projects where we’re not

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