Technology

Homes England has granted £38.2m of funding to six local authorities to encourage greater use of modern methods of construction (MMC). The money will be used by six councils to develop infrastructure and enabling works for the construction of some 2,000 homes. The funding has been awarded through the Local Authority…

The chairman of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has said public spending on offsite construction is "crucial" if the sector is to thrive, as he expressed disappointment at slow government take-up. Earlier this week, Construction News exclusively revealed that three of the five government departments that had committed to a "presumption in…

Three of the five government departments that committed to prioritising offsite construction by 2019 did not award any contracts with an offsite component in the first eight months of the year, Construction News can reveal. In November 2017 the government announced a ‘presumption in favour of offsite’, with the departments overseeing…

Laing O’Rourke plans to supply other contractors from its £150m offsite construction manufacturing factory, Construction News can reveal. The company is developing products its rivals could use on projects, primarily in the infrastructure market. Finance director Stewart McIntyre told Construction News: “We’ve had talks with other contractors about supplying products…

Winvic is perfectly clear on one thing: it is taking BIM seriously. “It’s not a gimmick – it needs to bring proper value,” says the firm’s technical director Tim Reeve. The firm’s decisive approach to technology is epitomised in its new Centre for Innovative Construction, located adjacent to the firm’s…

Costain has appointed Nathan Marsh as its first ever chief digital officer. Mr Marsh, who started this month, will also sit on the firm’s executive board and will be in charge of leading the accelerated implementation of the firm's commercial digital strategy. Before joining Costain he spent three years at…

BoKlok, the Skanska and Ikea offsite housing joint venture, has announced a plan for 200 homes in Bristol. The firm, whose entry into the UK market was revealed by Construction News in February, has agreed the development with Bristol City Council. If planning permission is granted for the development (pictured),…

Heathrow’s network of regional logistics hubs is likely to consist of mixed-use sites for construction, which will change throughout the process of the airport’s expansion. Heathrow commercial delivery director Emma-Jane Houghton told Construction News that the varying needs of the complex project, which is due to include the opening of…

Secure pipelines of work are crucial for the future establishment of offsite construction, Osborne CEO Andy Steele has said. The contractor’s chief executive told Construction News that increasing the use of offsite construction, which has often been touted as the future of the industry, would need working practices to become…

The government has “no plans” to make the use of modern methods of construction a requirement for publicly financed housebuilding projects. Housing minister Robert Jenrick has responded to a committee report into modern methods of construction (MMC) published in July, which urged government to “unlock the potential for modern methods…