Re-engineering the construction process in the speculative house-building sector

The UK house-building industry has often been criticized for failing to meet the housing needs of the country. The traditional craft-based build process is labour intensive with a long lead-time and is difficult to control for product quality. It is also not suitable for configurable designs that would help to customize the home, and the industry has been criticized for excessive standardization of its products. Attempts at industrialization, usually employing frame or panel-based build methods seen in many countries, have failed due mainly to lack of clear objectives. A change in build technology is also only one step in addressing the concerns of poor quality and lack of product variety. The paper presents a programme of work that is being carried out with a major house builder towards re-engineering of the build process through a combination of new technology, product engineering and changes in working practices.