Beyond bricks and mortar: A review of sustainable methods and their benefits in off-site timber construction for social housing in the UK

Building information modelling (BIM), life-cycle assessment (LCA) and off-site timber construction are increasingly applied to the built environment. However, the social housing sector in the UK is evidentially behind on applying these to their homes. Despite the trend of traditional construction for the sector, such as, block and brick, a paradigm shift is needed to fully transition to modern methods of construction (MMC). Transitioning to MMC using timber construction and integrating the use of BIM & LCA could offer the opportunity for the social housing sector to modernise and become more sustainable. To this end, the aim of this research is to enhance the sustainability of social housing in the UK by identifying the benefits of methods that can replace traditional construction. To achieve this, a Systematic Literature Review of prior work from 2014 to 2024 will be adopted for data collection and analysis. This paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing a foundational foothold for researchers and industry professionals to make informed strategic decisions on sustainable construction for social housing.