Feature
Another Government backing volumetric and not MMC
There are no silver bullets, is not a phrase any British government understands no matter how many times they make mistakes waste taxpayers money or need to restart the same project, with the same ambition but a different name. And as has become customary a new government is looking to volumetric housing as its answer to tackling the skills crisis and innovating how we build homes.
At least Labour has understood one issue surrounding off site volumetric housing, which is that without a pipeline of orders the factory like process which keeps people employed and operations viable is a dead duck and in new towns they foresee this pipeline opportunity.
However, new towns will not deliver for many years or at all if there is a change of government and are likely to be delivered by the largest house builders with existing factories, rather then enabling a competition which produces better outcomes cheaper housing and broader reach.
Like a broken record, the HBA will be using every opportunity to remind the government of the failures that pursuing volumetric housing has generated and reinforce a fundamental truth that modern methods of construction is not only already being delivered alongside traditional construction in a hybrid model but that the government has already defined MMC in a framework which ensures 100 % of industry can participate in it.
The MMC Framework
Below are the categories listed in the MMC Framework.
• Category 1 – Pre-manufacturing( 3D primary structural systems).
• Category 2 – Pre-manufacturing( 2D primary structural systems).
• Category 3 – Pre-manufacturing components( non-systemised primary structure).
• Category 4 – Additive manufacturing( structural and non-structural)
• Category 5 – Pre-manufacturing( non structural assemblies and subassemblies).
• Category 6 – Traditional building product led site labour reduction / productivity improvements.
• Category 7 – Site process led site labour reduction / productivity / assurance improvements.
The MMC framework take an agnostic view to innovation. New builders, small builders, individuals doing DIY, big house builders, civil engineers and major infrastructure projects will all find their place in the MMC framework. The tendency for politicians to only view MMC as the
66 www. britbuild-magazine. co. uk