Eight of the top 10 housebuilders in the UK have turned to modular construction in some form or other in the past few years. This according to Tim Barber-Lomax, senior analyst for UK residential at JLL.

Image credit: Chapman Taylor

“Investor Legal & General launched a modular housing line that will deliver 3 000 homes each year, while dedicated modular housing developer Ilke Homes has announced a target of 4 000 homes in the next two years,” explains Barber-Lomax.

This comes as the UK faces increasing demand for affordable homes, with traditional building methods proving too slow. As the stigma of ‘prefab homes’ from the 1950s wears off, more and more people are comfortable living in homes built from materials other than brick, stone and cement.

“Modular construction has had more negative connotations, but certainly today, it delivers quality builds because units are constructed in factory-controlled conditions, offering far more precision and capabilities in design and execution than usual traditional construction methods,” says Barber-Lomax.

Lower costs due to reduced time and labour on construction sites are an additional advantage.

“Modular construction has the potential to ease the housing crisis with new builds that can be built quickly, and crucially, are affordable,” says Barber-Lomax.