Research project to determine the skills required to transform Ireland’s construction sector through widespread adoption of MMC (including offsite manufacturing).

Tender description

The Government’s Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland, first published in 2021 and subsequently updated in 2022, is the government’s housing plan to 2030. It is a multi-annual, multi-billion-euro plan which will improve Ireland’s housing system and deliver more homes of all types for people with different housing needs. It is estimated that Ireland will need an average of 33,000 new homes to be provided each year from 2021 to 2030. As part of the pathway to increase new housing supply, Action 23.9 (HfA 2021) calls for a culture of good quality sustainable innovation in residential construction through the development of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), including the establishment of a demonstration park for MMC. This action is led by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Enterprise (DETE) and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH). MMC is a term used to describe a range of offsite manufacturing processes and onsite techniques that provide alternatives to traditional construction. Typical MMC systems include timber frame, steel frame, and precast concrete. These MMC systems are viewed as having the potential to transform the productivity of the construction sector. This research project will determine the skills required to transform Ireland’s construction sector through widespread adoption of MMC (including offsite manufacturing).