Since the turn of the century, the UK has been struggling to cope with the creation of new homes for a rapidly increasing population, with limited housing stock having a detrimental effect on the market, leading to the current housing shortage, and ‘crisis’’. To combat this shortage, the modularisation of buildings is being touted. This idea has precedent in the UK, with examples dating back to the 1940s - but in later years it fell out of favour. Now, with emergent technologies making off-site construction more viable, the housing sector is expressing a renewed interest in this method of construction.
This study examines the current literature on modular construction, and its historical use within the UK. From this, the issues expressed by other authors are assessed, with interviews from members of the UK construction industry allowing for detailed discussion of the key issues surrounding volumetric house building. From these issues, solutions are discussed as to how to alleviate their effects.