Responding to Barker

33
Barriers and Solutions
to the use of
Modern Methods of Construction

Ashley Lane, Chairman

Barker 33 Cross-Industry Group
Barker 33 recommendation

“The HBF, in conjunction with NHBC, Construction

Skills and other interested parties, should
develop a strategy to address barriers to Modern
Methods of Construction (MMC). This strategy
should be developed to fit alongside existing
initiatives, working closely with Government to
identify further measures that can be taken. A
range of approaches should be explored, in
particular actions by industry, plus changes to
policy / practice, as well as representations to
Government on areas such as Building
Regulations.”
In October 2004 a Cross-Industry Group
was established to address the remit

The Group prepared 3 reports:

1st interim in November 2004

2nd interim in April 2005
Final Report, December 2005
The 1st report identified the following barriers:

1. Lack of understanding
2. Lack of confidence/ process change
3. Cost perception
4. Lack of positive track record to date
5. Lack of agreement on product and process
standards
6. Traditional process management
7. Design bias
8. Supply chain immaturity
9. Lack of skills
10. Turning MMC from a requirement to a 'want'
 The 2nd report identified action in the following areas:

 The need to improve understanding of MMC

 Definition of MMC as wider than product
innovation
 Recognition that MMC was often a process-
pull not product-push mechanism for innovation
 The heightened process discipline required
by MMC
 The need to develop skills and professional
training in the context of MMC
 The enabling of MMC by matching the regulatory
environment to the business environment
 Improvements in the understanding of MMC
costs and benefits
The Final report considers the business context
and definition of MMC and outlines a number of
actions to be taken to address the barriers to
adoption of MMC
Business context
The Barker 33 Group saw the business context
as being well beyond a product-based system.

MMC embraces:
• Greater business efficiency
• Enhanced design and quality
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Enhanced building performance
• Increased housing supply meeting the
aspirations of the market as a whole (open
market, social and affordable)
• Enhanced environmental performance with
reduced impact
Definition of MMC

Modern Methods of Construction are about better

products and processes. They aim to improve
business efficiency, quality, customer satisfaction,
environmental performance, sustainability and the
predictability of delivery timescales.

Modern Methods of Construction are, therefore,

more broadly based than a particular focus on
product. They engage people to seek
improvement, through better processes, in the
delivery and performance of construction.
MMC factory
MMC – building homes people want
Work of the Barker 33 group and NAO

The Barker 33 Group has coordinated and

integrated its work with that of the NAO which
has been examining MMC and has recently
published its report ‘Using Modern Methods of
Construction to build homes more quickly and
efficiently’.
The NAO study has

• Examined construction process and process

efficiency for a typical small development by an
RSL
• Established generic process maps for a number
of systems (including brick and block, frame and
volumetric products)
• Compared labour requirements for on- and off-
site process
• Examined costs for a number of product-based
MMC systems in comparison with brick and
block
• Exposed the importance of process and
regulation integration necessary to achieve
maximum efficiency gains and cost reductions
 NAO cost comparisons for MMC systems

1400
Construction cost (£ / m2)

1200
1000

800
600
400
200
0
Brick and block Open panel Advanced panel / Volumetric
Hybrid
 NAO on-site labour comparisons with brick and
block
Typical on-site labour days as a
proportion of brick and block

100%

80%
requirements

60%

40%

20%

0%
Brick and Open panel Advanced Hybrid Volumetric
block panel
Major Barker 33 Group and NAO findings

• Recognise that MMC can be cost-competitive

• Understand that savings in process efficiency

can put costs of MMC on a par with traditional
construction

• Appreciate that process and product

improvement are the core mechanisms for cost
reduction
Uptake of MMC in housebuilding

• 150,000 dwellings built In 2004

• 17,000 built in MMC

• Approximately 12% of new build

• Similar proportion to Germany

• Approximately 150 UK product suppliers

• Stimulation from EP and HC

• Major players include Barratt, Redrow and

Persimmon/Westbury

• More entering the market

Business case for MMC

• Cost: cost competitive

• Time: 20-60% faster

• Quality: 50% defect reduction

• Waste: 50% reduction in skips

Additional measures could be -

environmental performance, delivery certainty
and customer satisfaction
MMC case study

Westbury Partnerships/Persimmon Homes

• Building on the positive business benefits of MMC

• Largest UK residential developer

• Building sustainable communities with MMC

• 2,500 homes built in 2005 incorporating Space4

• Target to increase this over next few years

Current position

• NAO report available (published November 2005)

• Barker 33 Executive Summary available on websites

• Barker 33 Executive summary available as printed

brochure

• Barker 33 Final report in editorial process

• Barker 33 Final report to be available on websites

only

• Legacy body being set up