{"id":137409,"date":"2024-04-04T08:35:11","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T07:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=137409"},"modified":"2024-04-04T11:46:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T10:46:04","slug":"uks-housing-shortfall-modular-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/mmc-news\/uks-housing-shortfall-modular-construction\/137409\/","title":{"rendered":"Solving the UK\u2019s housing shortfall requires a modular construction rethink"},"content":{"rendered":"

As 3D laser scanning emerges as a game-changer in modern construction, FARO Technologies<\/a> explores how the technology can aid in reshaping modular building and help to tackle the UK\u2019s housing shortfall<\/h2>\n

When you think about it, the fact that most UK homes are built on-site is something of an anachronism, especially considering how far off-site construction has advanced.<\/p>\n

Steve Cole, director of Make UK Modular, quoted in an April 2023 article in the Guardian<\/a>, summed up the contradiction nicely: \u201cIf you think about assembling a car, doing it in a factory is much more efficient than if you build it outside your garage.\u201d<\/p>\n

And yet when it comes to modular homes, in the UK and the US, the term conjures up notions of rushed, inferior work. Think: the quickly assembled postwar cookie-cutter prefabs of the 1950s and 1960s. They met a need, yes \u2013 helping fuel the two countries\u2019 postwar booms \u2013 even if they weren\u2019t expected to last as long as or be as customised as their on-site-built cousins.<\/p>\n

Homeowners, due in part to this lingering mid-20th century bias, still prefer their dwellings to be built outside, in an uncontrolled environment, subject to the elements and all the challenges it brings \u2013 despite the critical need for expanded housing in both countries. Sounds crazy, right?<\/p>\n

Making modular mainstream with 3D tech<\/h3>\n

Today the modular home story is different. That\u2019s true even if homeowners on both sides of the pond remain sceptical. The story is different because the technology is different. Radically so.<\/p>\n

With as-built 3D reality capture technology, sophisticated software and cloud-based applications, the factory-built process is a significant task accelerator, with durability on par with on-site homes. Sometimes compared visually to giant toy factories, a two-bedroom modular home can be packaged onto lorries in as fast as a fortnight.<\/p>\n

On-site foundation work may take a little longer, about 12 weeks, but the on-site\/in-factory approach, done right, can be a valuable per-project time saver, enabling modular companies to scale production and achieve consistent profits.<\/p>\n

The key, construction experts say, is to make modular mainstream by dispelling the public\u2019s long-held perceptions. This can begin to be achieved through strong marketing efforts, demonstrating visually as well as with facts and figures that a modern modular home bears little resemblance to its mid-century forebears.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also about reiterating how throughout the home construction process, 3D laser scanning technology<\/a> is instrumental in a variety of ways. And that the workflow efficiencies gained can make the difference between profit and loss.<\/p>\n

How can 3D laser scanning improve efficiency?<\/h3>\n