Are housebuilders' production strategies a barrier to offsite construction uptake in the UK?

More than three-quarters of all new UK housing is currently delivered by the private sector using predominantly traditional, site-based, construction methods. Recently, the house-building industry has found itself under increasing pressure to raise production output to alleviate a shortage in housing supply and reduce house price inflation. Within this setting, there has been much interest in the potential offered by off-site construction (OSC). The production strategies employed by private house-building firms however, are a direct response to their operational environment, and the adoption of OSC would arguably alter the way that they deliver their developments. Hence, there is a clear need to understand the relationship between production strategy and construction methods. Based on a case study of one of the largest private house-building firms in the UK, the potential impacts of OSC on current production strategies have been explored. The results indicate that the adoption of OSC approaches may alter the manner in which house-building firms are able to manage their production process, reducing their control and restricting the very flexibility on which their own success relies. The findings have implications for the housebuilding industry, OSC manufacturers and construction research, given the ongoing interest in OSC as a means to address the UK’s housing supply issues.