Systems building and modular assembly: Key drivers in the UK construction industry

The history of systems building in the UK witnessed accelerated development during the period 1950-60, although it is argued that this had as much to do with politics as with architecture (Open University 2005) - this building form provided a rapid response to the social housing needs in the UK at that time. It has been argued that this led to the construction of buildings that were not only poor in architectural terms, but also significantly underachieved in terms of performance and client/end user satisfaction. Examples such as Ronan Point (the reports on which could be described as the antithesis of systems building) contributed in part to the current stigma attached to prefabrication of buildings in the UK. This resulted in an industry that was dominated by traditional forms of construction, particularly during the period 1970 to mid 1980. The last 15 years have however being characterised by the renaissance of systems building. Sir John Egan's report 'Rethinking Construction' could be identified as one of the prime movers, introducing the building as a product, which could be manufactured more efficiently and to a higher standard away from the site itself. Furthermore, newer forms of procurement strategy such as PFI/PPP have also featured in this re-emergence. This "sea change" is perhaps all the more remarkable in an industry that is renowned for its insistence on resisting the incorporation of benefits found by other industries, automotive and aviation being just 2 examples. This paper presents early stage findings of a research project focusing upon the critical analysis of recent performance in modular assembly schemes in the UK. 35 Case studies have been identified in this research with the primary aim of identifying how successful these schemes have been and the latent factors that have contributed to the selection of a modular strategy. A longer-term strategy for the research is to develop a protocol, which may be used by clients to establish the suitability of modular assembly schemes at concept design stage.