Prefabs sprouting: Modern Methods of Construction and the English housing crisis

The UK Government is once again embracing the 'prefab'. However, rather than the iconic bungalows of the post-war housing emergency, or the ageing concrete tower blocks that still dominate many urban skylines, today's offerings are digitally designed and manufactured in controlled factory settings. In 2019, the Government - keen to accelerate housebuilding, reduce carbon emissions and challenge the traditional construction sector - began to commit significant resources to this method of housebuilding, what is usually called 'Modern Methods of Construction' or MMC. They did this, in part, because of the ongoing 'housing crisis' whereby an insufficient supply of good quality, affordable homes for sale and rent has driven up the numbers of people living in insecure, poor quality and temporary accommodation. However, there is little research being done to understand what kind of homes and places MMC firms are building or what role MMC is playing or should play in addressing the housing crisis.
Our project will fill this gap and is organised around three main tasks. Firstly, we will build a picture of the MMC sector in England. Second, we will study what kind of homes and places MMC developers have delivered. Third, we will analyse how policymakers and the housing industry are changing or responding to the emergence of MMC. Part of the study works at the national level to understand what is happening with MMC across England. Another part of the study is anchored in case studies of MMC-driven housing regeneration to gain first-hand knowledge of how MMC projects are delivered and experienced by residents.
Our project brings together researchers working in housing studies, geography, architecture, civil engineering and project management and our methods include documentary analysis, interviews, ethnography and GIS mapping. Our study will enable us to deliver new data of benefit to: scholars interested in housing justice, technical standards, safety and sustainability; government policymakers hungry to address the housing crisis and understand the impact and trajectory of MMC; MMC firms looking for best practice and to publicise their innovative approach to construction; housebuilding industry professionals looking to better understand MMC; civil society organisations who want more information about this new industry and its impacts; the general public who want insights into the reality of buying and living in a modern 'prefab' home and housing activists who are looking for an alternative housing system that works very differently from what we have now.