01 / Introduction

The pressure to provide new housing is relentless. New homes are needed – and quickly – to help solve the current crisis and to cater for growing demand in sectors such as student accommodation and build to rent.

It’s a challenging landscape, and imaginative responses will be required. The construction sector can be conservative, and change can be slow. But one clear sea change is the move towards a modular approach to construction, where structures are built using prefabricated parts manufactured offsite. This approach offers several advantages over traditional building methods: significant time savings on site, for instance, along with robust quality control and potential cost benefits.

02 / Programme considerations

When comparing a modular project against traditional construction, it is essential to carry out a like-for-like comparison. As well as the procurement and lead-in periods, the overall design timeline should also be considered.

One difference with modular construction is that, by its very nature, it follows a distinct sequence from design through to procurement and construction. A traditional build may well be more fluid, with these different elements overlapping each other.

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