MMC is a catch-all term that covers a lot of different kinds of technologies and products, but it broadly means factory-based manufacturing and assembly of standardised parts for homes, which are then transported to site for final construction.
Making low-carbon homes locally
Construction is currently the second least digitised industry in the world, just above hunting. As new Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) enter the UK housing sector, there is an opportunity to diversify the housing supply industry, raise quality, and make development about much more than just delivering “units”.
MMC is a catch-all term that covers a lot of different kinds of technologies and products, but it broadly means factory-based manufacturing and assembly of standardised parts for homes, which are then transported to site for final construction. Media coverage of MMC tends to be filled with slick images of houses being instantaneously 3D printed, or entire apartment blocks being craned into place. Government enthusiasm for MMC has focused on its potential to deliver homes faster and cheaper, with a particular emphasis on reducing labour costs through requiring fewer people and less skilled labour for production.
We localise MMC and put the tools and resources to make good homes into local hands in our community micro-factory. The WeCanMake approach shows what happens when digital design and construction tools are distributed, diverse and in the hands of communities who can directly design, make and adapt their neighbourhood on their own terms. A localised MMC can help create a different kind of future, where more of the value of housing development is retained in the form of local skills, jobs, infrastructure and community wealth. It can also enable greater customisation of new homes to better reflect the distinctive character of local places, tapping into more horizontally networked and localised supply-chains, including biomaterials and re-use materials.
But what if we chose to invest in the power of community-owned tech to create a different kind of future? What if these new tools could be distributed, diverse and in the hands of communities?
What is MMC?
How do we use it?
WeCanMake has a localised approach to MMC. This means that we can:
- Create local jobs and skills;
- Prioritise low carbon materials, including
integrating in re-use of local waste materials into the design and fit-out; - Customise the designs to fit the needs of future residents and complement the character of the neighbourhood;
- Have the skills locally to maintain, repair and adapt the homes over time.
What kind of system do we use?
Our first two homes were made using the BlokBuild MMC timber cassette system. BlokBuild is BOPAS accredited, which means the system is quality-assured at every stage, and the homes have a minimum 60-year
lifespan – the same as a traditionally
built home.
WeCanMake can manufacture locally
under BlokBuild’s license, bringing the
highest quality-assurance into our
community micro-factory.
Who else is doing this?
WeCanMake is part of a growing movement of communities, SMEs, and innovators that are embracing more localised production models. For example, Open Systems Lab, Automated Architecture, Positive Collective, Mass Bespoke, BlokBuild, PulpBuild, and U-Build.
How can you get involved?
If you’re local to Knowle West, we host hands-on days at our community micro-factory where you can get stuck.
To find out more, email wecanmake@kwmc.org.uk
Amid all this interest in MMC, it’s not yet clear whether or not it will actually produce the kinds of homes people and communities want and need, or to whom the benefits will flow. The pattern for roll-out of new tech tends to be that of “winner takes all”, whereby one or two players quickly dominate the market, create barriers to entry for others, and concentrate benefits in the hands of the already wealthy and powerful. This pattern can be seen in how MMC is beginning to be rolled out in the UK, with a race across the regions to set up large centralised production locations that boast how many football pitches could fit inside their facilities.
The very real danger with this kind of centralised and vertically integrated MMC production race is that only a few big players can win. The hungry production pipelines of mega-factories must be sustained, and therefore crowd out smaller players. The result is a housing industry that is even more consolidated, ever-more centralised, and even more distanced from the needs and aspirations of diverse people and places.
The WeCanMake approach shows what happens when digital design and construction tools are distributed, diverse and in the hands of communities who can directly design, make and adapt their neighbourhood on their own terms. A localised MMC can help create a different kind of future, where more of the value of housing development is retained in the form of local skills, jobs, infrastructure and community wealth. It can also enable greater customisation of new homes to better reflect the distinctive character of local places, tapping into more horizontally networked and localised supply-chains, including biomaterials and re-use materials.
