Only if it makes sense

Take hosted IT solutions. "Construction was the first to adopt it and has been ahead of every other business," the head of product development at one such firm told me. He had joined construction from another sector because he wanted to be at the cutting edge.

On the other hand you have modern methods of construction (MMC). The Government is actively encouraging their use in the public sector by setting targets through the Housing Corporation and English Heritage. But in the private sector, where market forces make the decisions, traditional methods rule.

The answer to this conundrum is quite simple. If it makes good business sense, then construction will go for it. Construction, as well as being the first to adopt hosted IT solutions, has the lowest IT spend of any industry. Pay-as-you go software accessed over the internet makes economical sense when project teams are constantly forming and dissolving.

Offsite construction does not make economical sense at the moment. The reason is that house building businesses have been set up to build houses in an environment of uncertainty and change. Their financial models, construction methods and construction managers are all equipped to cope with the vagaries of a system where planning decisions can be delayed and Building Regulations change continually.

So it is no surprise that when MMC arrive on housing sites where everyone is used to working with traditional methods, they don't seem to live up to expectations (see ‘Spot the problem with modern methods of construction')

Will this ever change? If the government does get its act together and untangle the regulatory mess, then perhaps MMC will become a more attractive proposition to the private sector. At that point, those who have being learning the lessons of offsite and other MMC (see ‘Innovation is the way', pages 18-19) may find themselves in demand.

Until then, it is good old brick and block.

Sweet farewell

We bid a fond farewell to editor Rod Sweet this month. But it's ‘au revoir' not ‘adieu', as Rod will continue to write for Construction Manager from time to time.