Minister hands industry 10 year timeframe to overhaul market leaders including Germany and Japan
Housing minister Esther McVey has set the UK construction industry the target of becoming the world leader in modular building within 10 years.
Speaking at UK Mipim in London yesterday afternoon, McVey said the target should have “safety, quality and choice, and precision at its heart”.
She added: “Technology is opening up opportunities to change the way we do things for the better. That’s exactly why we must look at how we can better use modern methods of construction (MMC) in the building industry.”
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McVey (pictured) said the industry should embrace a range of new technologies and working practices, adding that Germany, Sweden and Japan were currently “far ahead” of the UK in building low carbon, low cost housing.
“[We should be] deploying digital techniques at all phases of design, to deliver better, more certain results during construction, using off-site manufacturing technologies to help to minimise the waste, inefficiency and delays that affect onsite construction and enable production in parallel with preparing the site.”
Earlier this month McVey told the Conservative party conference she wanted to see a construction centre for excellence to champion MMC established in the north of England.
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