CIBSE’s President Terry Wyatt has said that offsite prefabrication will be an important development. The UK market seems to be following his prediction.
New research from BSRIA shows that the UK offsite prefabrication market is now worth £879 million. Growth to 2010 is predicted at around 10% a year by value.

The largest sector in this market is modular buildings, at 69% by value. Plant rooms make up 4% and distribution systems 3%. Strongest growth is likely in distribution systems, estimated at 15% per annum growth up to 2010.

The BSRIA study, Offsite prefabrication – UK attitudes and potential involved a detailed interview programme of over 150 users and potential users of offsite prefabrication. These included construction clients, architects, contractors and consultants. The majority of respondents are either using, or would consider using, off-site prefabrication.

Benefits of prefabrication offsite which were identified by respondents include reduced programme times, improved quality control and greater productivity. But there are barriers to using prefab, including lack of suppliers, higher cost and too little in-house expertise.

The decision to use offsite prefabrication is usually taken very early in the process.

The majority of end users decide at either the concept or the initial design phase of a project. This was particularly the case for construction clients.

The research also looked at the criteria to use when looking for offsite prefabrication suppliers.

Key points were financial stability of the contractor, proactive commitment of the supplier and specific previous experience of offsite work.

Source

Building Sustainable Design

Postscript

For more information on the report and research, contact Chris Marney at BSRIA on 01344 426511