Barriers to Adopting MMC by the Construction Industry in the UK

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present the research findings that investigated the uptake of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) within the construction sector in UK, and to understand the barriers and challenges preventing the widespread use of MMC within the industry. MMC is not new, which was introduced on a commercial scale after the WWII, although recent reasons for the uptake are due to the population increase, and the government is unable to meet the high housing demand, which is putting pressure on other sectors of construction and the UK infrastructure. Recent developments in technology within the construction industry can enable practitioners to find innovative solutions to manage speed and quality constraints that affected production-using MMC previously. The findings from this research undertaken is that MMC are now of better quality as opposed to it first usage and that quality is assured because of the better processes and technologies that are now available. However, the findings also highlighted the negative public perception of MMC, which will need to be erased and a positive perception generated by the government for a win-win situation for all stakeholders to be realised.